To convert tablespoons of sunflower seeds into grams, multiply by 8.75: one tablespoon comes to 8.75 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 — sunflower seeds measures 0.59175 g per mL. That ratio, 59.17%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level tablespoon of sunflower seeds is 8.75 g, which puts a teaspoon at 2.917 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 13.12 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 0.714% of a cup of sunflower seeds, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 3.571 cups, and a 1 kg pack 7.143.
What the number depends on: Hulled kernels, not the striped whole seeds sold as bird food — the whole seed is mostly hull and weighs far less per cup, which is the difference that trips up bulk-bin shopping.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of sunflower seeds you are converting, in tablespoons
8.75- Grams per tablespoon for sunflower seeds, from its density of 0.59175 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 8.75, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for sunflower seeds.
- 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 sunflower seeds in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of sunflower seeds needs 17.5 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 8.75 = 17.5, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 8.75 grams.
4 tbsp of sunflower seeds in grams
A recipe calling for 4 tbsp of sunflower seeds needs 35 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 4 × 8.75 = 35, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 17.5 grams.
12 tbsp of sunflower seeds in grams
A recipe calling for 12 tbsp of sunflower seeds needs 105 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 12 × 8.75 = 105, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 52.5 grams.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds?
One tablespoon of sunflower seeds is 8.75 grams. Half that quantity is 4.375 grams and double it is 17.5 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of sunflower seeds not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Sunflower seeds has a density of 0.59175 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 140 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 96.6 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 sunflower seeds by roughly 12% — about 8.4 g either side of 140 g — because hulled kernels, not the striped whole seeds sold as bird food — the whole seed is mostly hull and weighs far less per cup, which is the difference that trips up bulk-bin shopping. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of sunflower seeds 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 sunflower seeds weighs 0.6173 oz, so the two readings differ by 38.3%. 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 sunflower seeds would weigh 147.94 g instead of 140 g — 7.94 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?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 12% for sunflower seeds — roughly 16.8 g on a 140 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How many tablespoons of sunflower seeds is 500 g?
500 g of sunflower seeds is 57.143 tablespoons — 0.114286 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.114286 = 57.143. Going that way is a division by 8.75, or a multiplication by 0.114286 if you prefer.
Sunflower seeds in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 4.375 g | 4.375 |
| 1 tbsp | 8.75 g | 8.75 |
| 2 tbsp | 17.5 g | 17.5 |
| 3 tbsp | 26.25 g | 26.25 |
| 4 tbsp | 35 g | 35 |
| 6 tbsp | 52.5 g | 52.5 |
| 8 tbsp | 70 g | 70 |
| 12 tbsp | 105 g | 105 |
| 16 tbsp | 140 g | 140 |
Based on 140 g per cup of sunflower seeds. One tablespoon of sunflower seeds is 8.75 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 140 g | 4.94 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 8.75 g | 0.309 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 5.833 g | 0.206 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.917 g | 0.103 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.188 g | 0.0772 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.458 g | 0.0514 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.7292 g | 0.0257 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.3646 g | 0.0129 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin seeds | 130 g | 4.586 oz | 0.5495 |
| Frozen peas | 135 g | 4.762 oz | 0.5706 |
| Cashews | 140 g | 4.938 oz | 0.5917 |
| Sunflower seeds (this page) | 140 g | 4.938 oz | 0.5917 |
| Whole almonds | 142 g | 5.009 oz | 0.6002 |
| Sesame seeds | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Raisins | 145 g | 5.115 oz | 0.6129 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.