To convert tablespoons of vanilla extract into grams, multiply by 12.625: one tablespoon comes to 12.625 grams. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Water is the yardstick: 1 mL of it weighs 1 g. Vanilla extract comes in at 0.8538 g per mL, or 85.38% of water, which is why a cup of it is 202 g rather than 236.6 g. Volume and weight only line up for water, and only in metric.
A level tablespoon of vanilla extract is 12.62 g, which puts a teaspoon at 4.208 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 18.94 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 0.495% of a cup of vanilla extract, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.475 cups, and a 1 kg pack 4.95.
The condition this weight assumes: Alcohol and water carrying dissolved vanillin, so it is lighter than a sugar syrup and heavier than the alcohol alone.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of vanilla extract you are converting, in tablespoons
12.625- Grams per tablespoon for vanilla extract, from its density of 0.8538 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 12.625, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for vanilla extract.
- 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 vanilla extract in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of vanilla extract needs 25.25 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 12.625 = 25.25, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 12.625 grams.
4 tbsp of vanilla extract in grams
4 tbsp of vanilla extract weighs out at 50.5 grams. Divide 50.5 by 12.625 and you get back to 4 tbsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
12 tbsp of vanilla extract in grams
12 tbsp of vanilla extract weighs out at 151.5 grams. Divide 151.5 by 12.625 and you get back to 12 tbsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tbsp of vanilla extract?
One tablespoon of vanilla extract is 12.625 grams. Half that quantity is 6.3125 grams and double it is 25.25 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of vanilla extract not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Vanilla extract has a density of 0.8538 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 202 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 34.6 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 vanilla extract by roughly 20% — about 20.2 g either side of 202 g — because alcohol and water carrying dissolved vanillin, so it is lighter than a sugar syrup and heavier than the alcohol alone. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of vanilla extract 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 vanilla extract weighs 0.8907 oz, so the two readings differ by 10.9%. 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 vanilla extract would weigh 213.45 g instead of 202 g — 11.5 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 20% for vanilla extract — roughly 40.4 g on a 202 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 vanilla extract is 500 g?
500 g of vanilla extract is 39.604 tablespoons — 0.0792079 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.0792079 = 39.604. Going that way is a division by 12.625, or a multiplication by 0.0792079 if you prefer.
Vanilla extract in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 6.3125 g | 6.3125 |
| 1 tbsp | 12.625 g | 12.625 |
| 2 tbsp | 25.25 g | 25.25 |
| 3 tbsp | 37.875 g | 37.875 |
| 4 tbsp | 50.5 g | 50.5 |
| 6 tbsp | 75.75 g | 75.75 |
| 8 tbsp | 101 g | 101 |
| 12 tbsp | 151.5 g | 151.5 |
| 16 tbsp | 202 g | 202 |
Based on 202 g per cup of vanilla extract. One tablespoon of vanilla extract is 12.625 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 202 g | 7.13 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 12.62 g | 0.445 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 8.417 g | 0.297 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.208 g | 0.148 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 3.156 g | 0.111 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.104 g | 0.0742 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.052 g | 0.0371 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.526 g | 0.0186 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 turmeric | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Powdered gelatin | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Baking powder | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Vanilla extract (this page) | 202 g | 7.125 oz | 0.8538 |
| Kosher salt | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Table salt | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
| Baking soda | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.