Convert grams to tablespoons and tablespoons to grams for any cooking ingredient. Accurate density-based conversions for flour, sugar, butter, and 25+ ingredients.
How many tablespoons is 30 grams of butter? What about 50 grams of sugar? These aren't simple math problems — the answer depends on what you're measuring. Butter is about 14g per tablespoon, while sugar is 12.5g and flour is just 8g. Using the wrong density means your recipe could be off by 50%.
This calculator converts between grams and tablespoons for 25+ common cooking ingredients. Select your ingredient, enter the amount in grams or tablespoons, and get an instant, accurate conversion. It also shows equivalent teaspoons, cups, and ounces for convenience.
The key insight is that a tablespoon is a volume measure (15 ml) while grams are weight. Different ingredients pack differently into that same 15 ml space. Dense ingredients like honey weigh 21g per tablespoon, while light ingredients like cocoa powder weigh just 5g. This calculator accounts for every ingredient's unique density. Check the example with realistic values before reporting.
Grams-to-tablespoons conversion depends on the ingredient. Water, butter, flour, and sugar all have different densities. This calculator uses accurate per-ingredient data for precise results. Keep these notes focused on your operational context. Tie the context to the calculator’s intended domain. Use this clarification to avoid ambiguous interpretation. Align this note with review checkpoints.
Tablespoons = Grams ÷ (density in g/tbsp). Grams = Tablespoons × (density in g/tbsp). Standard densities: Butter = 14.2g/tbsp, Sugar = 12.5g/tbsp, Flour = 7.8g/tbsp, Honey = 21.3g/tbsp, Salt = 18g/tbsp.
Result: 2.11 tablespoons
30g ÷ 14.2g/tbsp = 2.11 tablespoons of butter. That's just over 2 tablespoons, or about 6.3 teaspoons.
The lightest common ingredients per tablespoon are cocoa powder (~5g), flour (~8g), and cornstarch (~8g). Medium-weight ingredients include sugar (~12.5g), butter (~14g), and oil (~14g). Heavy ingredients include honey (~21g), corn syrup (~21g), and maple syrup (~20g). Salt is surprisingly heavy at ~18g per tablespoon.
A level tablespoon holds exactly 15 ml. A rounded tablespoon (slightly mounded) holds about 20–22 ml. A heaping tablespoon (piled high) can hold 25–30 ml. Unless specified, recipes mean level tablespoons. This difference alone can throw off a recipe by 50–100%.
The standard tablespoon is 15 ml in the US, UK, Canada, and most countries. The notable exception is Australia, where a tablespoon is 20 ml (4 teaspoons instead of 3). If you're following an Australian recipe, multiply US tablespoons by 1.33 or use the Australian setting.
12.5 grams of granulated sugar per level tablespoon.
14.2 grams. A US butter stick has tablespoon markings on the wrapper.
About 7.8 grams of all-purpose flour per level tablespoon. Flour is lighter than most people expect.
A tablespoon is a fixed volume (15 ml). Dense, heavy ingredients (honey, butter) weigh more per tablespoon than light, fluffy ones (flour, cocoa).
Always level unless the recipe specifies "heaping." A heaping tablespoon can hold 50% more than a level one, which significantly affects the recipe.
In most countries, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml. Australian tablespoons are 20 ml. This calculator uses the standard 15 ml tablespoon.