To convert tablespoons of paprika into grams, multiply by 6.875: one tablespoon comes to 6.875 grams. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — paprika measures 0.46494 g per mL. That ratio, 46.49%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level tablespoon of paprika is 6.875 g, which puts a teaspoon at 2.292 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 10.31 g. Levelling twice is where the error comes from, so the scale is the faster instrument once the quantity passes a couple of spoons.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.909% of a cup of paprika, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 4.545 cups, and a 1 kg pack 9.091.
How the figure is arrived at: Ground dried peppers, light and prone to caking in humid weather, which is what makes a scooped spoonful heavier than a level one. Smoked and sweet paprika weigh the same.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of paprika you are converting, in tablespoons
6.875- Grams per tablespoon for paprika, from its density of 0.46494 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 6.875, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for paprika.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
2 tbsp of paprika in grams
2 tbsp of paprika weighs out at 13.75 grams. Divide 13.75 by 6.875 and you get back to 2 tbsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
4 tbsp of paprika in grams
4 tbsp of paprika weighs out at 27.5 grams. Divide 27.5 by 6.875 and you get back to 4 tbsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
12 tbsp of paprika in grams
Take 12 tbsp of paprika: 12 × 6.875 gives 82.5 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 165 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of paprika?
One tablespoon of paprika is 6.875 grams. Half that quantity is 3.4375 grams and double it is 13.75 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of paprika not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Paprika has a density of 0.46494 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 110 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 126.6 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of paprika by roughly 20% — about 11 g either side of 110 g — because ground dried peppers, light and prone to caking in humid weather, which is what makes a scooped spoonful heavier than a level one. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of paprika the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of paprika weighs 0.485 oz, so the two readings differ by 51.5%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of paprika would weigh 116.24 g instead of 110 g — 6.24 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
At this size the spoon wins. One tablespoon of paprika is 6.875 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 14.5% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How many tablespoons of paprika is 500 g?
500 g of paprika is 72.727 tablespoons — 0.145455 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.145455 = 72.727. Going that way is a division by 6.875, or a multiplication by 0.145455 if you prefer.
Paprika in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 3.4375 g | 3.4375 |
| 1 tbsp | 6.875 g | 6.875 |
| 2 tbsp | 13.75 g | 13.75 |
| 3 tbsp | 20.625 g | 20.625 |
| 4 tbsp | 27.5 g | 27.5 |
| 6 tbsp | 41.25 g | 41.25 |
| 8 tbsp | 55 g | 55 |
| 12 tbsp | 82.5 g | 82.5 |
| 16 tbsp | 110 g | 110 |
Based on 110 g per cup of paprika. One tablespoon of paprika is 6.875 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 6.875 g | 0.243 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 4.583 g | 0.162 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.292 g | 0.0808 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.719 g | 0.0606 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.146 g | 0.0404 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.5729 g | 0.0202 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.2865 g | 0.0101 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground cloves | 101 g | 3.563 oz | 0.4269 |
| Ground nutmeg | 106 g | 3.739 oz | 0.448 |
| Ground black pepper | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 0.4649 |
| Paprika (this page) | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 0.4649 |
| Onion powder | 115 g | 4.057 oz | 0.4861 |
| Ground cinnamon | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Chili powder | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.