Teaspoons of dry couscous to grams runs on one number, 3.5416667 grams per teaspoon. It is a measured property of this ingredient rather than a defined conversion, which is why a generic volume-to-weight tool cannot give you it.
The density behind that figure is 0.71855 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of dry couscous weighs 170 g, so this ingredient is 71.85% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A level teaspoon of dry couscous weighs 3.542 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 28.2% resolution on a single spoonful, which is why measuring spoons beat scales below about 5 g and lose to them above it. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon, so the same spoonful is 10.62 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.588% of a cup of dry couscous, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.941 cups, and a 1 kg pack 5.882.
The condition this weight assumes: Before steaming. It roughly triples in volume once hydrated, which is why the dry weight is the useful one.
The formula
teaspoons- The amount of dry couscous you are converting, in teaspoons
3.54166666667- Grams per teaspoon for dry couscous, from its density of 0.71855 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in teaspoons.
- It is multiplied by 3.54166666667, the grams-per-teaspoon figure for dry couscous.
- 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
3/4 tsp of dry couscous in grams
A recipe calling for 3/4 tsp of dry couscous needs 2.65625 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.75 × 3.5416667 = 2.65625, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 1.32812 grams.
1 1/2 tsp of dry couscous in grams
1 1/2 tsp of dry couscous weighs out at 5.3125 grams. Divide 5.3125 by 3.5416667 and you get back to 1 1/2 tsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
4 tsp of dry couscous in grams
4 tsp of dry couscous weighs out at 14.1667 grams. Divide 14.1667 by 3.5416667 and you get back to 4 tsp, 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 tsp of dry couscous?
One teaspoon of dry couscous is 3.5416667 grams. Half that quantity is 1.77083 grams and double it is 7.08333 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of dry couscous not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Dry couscous has a density of 0.71855 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 170 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 66.6 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 dry couscous by roughly 20% — about 17 g either side of 170 g — because before steaming. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of dry couscous 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 dry couscous weighs 0.7496 oz, so the two readings differ by 25%. 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 dry couscous would weigh 179.64 g instead of 170 g — 9.64 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 teaspoon of dry couscous is 3.542 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 28.2% 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 teaspoons of dry couscous is 500 g?
500 g of dry couscous is 141.18 teaspoons — 0.282353 teaspoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.282353 = 141.18. Going that way is a division by 3.54167, or a multiplication by 0.282353 if you prefer.
Dry couscous in teaspoons and grams
| Teaspoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.885417 g | 0.8854166667 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.77083 g | 1.770833333 |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.65625 g | 2.65625 |
| 1 tsp | 3.54167 g | 3.541666667 |
| 1 1/2 tsp | 5.3125 g | 5.3125 |
| 2 tsp | 7.08333 g | 7.083333333 |
| 3 tsp | 10.625 g | 10.625 |
| 4 tsp | 14.1667 g | 14.16666667 |
| 6 tsp | 21.25 g | 21.25 |
Based on 170 g per cup of dry couscous. One teaspoon of dry couscous is 3.5416667 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 170 g | 6 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 10.62 g | 0.375 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 7.083 g | 0.25 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 3.542 g | 0.125 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.656 g | 0.0937 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.771 g | 0.0625 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.8854 g | 0.0312 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.4427 g | 0.0156 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel-cut oats | 160 g | 5.644 oz | 0.6763 |
| Semolina | 167 g | 5.891 oz | 0.7059 |
| Uncooked quinoa | 170 g | 5.997 oz | 0.7185 |
| Dry couscous (this page) | 170 g | 5.997 oz | 0.7185 |
| Uncooked white rice | 185 g | 6.526 oz | 0.7819 |
| Uncooked brown rice | 190 g | 6.702 oz | 0.8031 |
| Dried lentils | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.