One teaspoon of potato starch is 3.3333333 grams, so converting teaspoons of potato starch to grams means multiplying by 3.3333333. That factor is specific to this ingredient — it comes from its density, not from any relationship between the two units.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — potato starch measures 0.67628 g per mL. That ratio, 67.63%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level teaspoon of potato starch weighs 3.333 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 30% 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 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.625% of a cup of potato starch, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 3.125 cups, and a 1 kg pack 6.25.
What the number depends on: Denser than cornstarch, and not the same product as potato flour despite the similar name.
The formula
teaspoons- The amount of potato starch you are converting, in teaspoons
3.33333333333- Grams per teaspoon for potato starch, from its density of 0.67628 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in teaspoons.
- It is multiplied by 3.33333333333, the grams-per-teaspoon figure for potato starch.
- 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 potato starch in grams
A recipe calling for 3/4 tsp of potato starch needs 2.5 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.75 × 3.3333333 = 2.5, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 1.25 grams.
1 1/2 tsp of potato starch in grams
1 1/2 tsp of potato starch weighs out at 5 grams. Divide 5 by 3.3333333 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 potato starch in grams
4 tsp of potato starch weighs out at 13.3333 grams. Divide 13.3333 by 3.3333333 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 potato starch?
One teaspoon of potato starch is 3.3333333 grams. Half that quantity is 1.66667 grams and double it is 6.66667 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of potato starch not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Potato starch has a density of 0.67628 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 160 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 76.6 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 potato starch by roughly 20% — about 16 g either side of 160 g — because denser than cornstarch, and not the same product as potato flour despite the similar name. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of potato starch 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 potato starch weighs 0.7055 oz, so the two readings differ by 29.5%. 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 potato starch would weigh 169.07 g instead of 160 g — 9.07 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 potato starch is 3.333 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 30% 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 potato starch is 500 g?
500 g of potato starch is 150 teaspoons — 0.3 teaspoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.3 = 150. Going that way is a division by 3.33333, or a multiplication by 0.3 if you prefer.
Potato starch in teaspoons and grams
| Teaspoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.833333 g | 0.8333333333 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.66667 g | 1.666666667 |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.5 g | 2.5 |
| 1 tsp | 3.33333 g | 3.333333333 |
| 1 1/2 tsp | 5 g | 5 |
| 2 tsp | 6.66667 g | 6.666666667 |
| 3 tsp | 10 g | 10 |
| 4 tsp | 13.3333 g | 13.33333333 |
| 6 tsp | 20 g | 20 |
Based on 160 g per cup of potato starch. One teaspoon of potato starch is 3.3333333 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 160 g | 5.64 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 10 g | 0.353 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 6.667 g | 0.235 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 3.333 g | 0.118 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.5 g | 0.0882 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.667 g | 0.0588 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.8333 g | 0.0294 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.4167 g | 0.0147 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornmeal | 138 g | 4.868 oz | 0.5833 |
| Graham cracker crumbs | 142 g | 5.009 oz | 0.6002 |
| Rice flour | 158 g | 5.573 oz | 0.6678 |
| Potato starch (this page) | 160 g | 5.644 oz | 0.6763 |
| 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 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.