Teaspoons of powdered sugar to grams runs on one number, 2.5 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.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — powdered sugar measures 0.50721 g per mL. That ratio, 50.72%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level teaspoon of powdered sugar weighs 2.5 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 40% 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 7.5 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.833% of a cup of powdered sugar, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 4.167 cups, and a 1 kg pack 8.333.
What the number depends on: Sifted. Scooped unsifted it runs 10 to 15% heavier because it clumps around the anti-caking starch.
The formula
teaspoons- The amount of powdered sugar you are converting, in teaspoons
2.5- Grams per teaspoon for powdered sugar, from its density of 0.50721 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in teaspoons.
- It is multiplied by 2.5, the grams-per-teaspoon figure for powdered sugar.
- 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 powdered sugar in grams
A recipe calling for 3/4 tsp of powdered sugar needs 1.875 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.75 × 2.5 = 1.875, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 0.9375 grams.
1 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar in grams
Take 1 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar: 1.5 × 2.5 gives 3.75 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 7.5 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
4 tsp of powdered sugar in grams
4 tsp of powdered sugar weighs out at 10 grams. Divide 10 by 2.5 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 powdered sugar?
One teaspoon of powdered sugar is 2.5 grams. Half that quantity is 1.25 grams and double it is 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 powdered sugar not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Powdered sugar has a density of 0.50721 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 120 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 116.6 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 powdered sugar by roughly 20% — about 12 g either side of 120 g — because sifted. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of powdered sugar 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 powdered sugar weighs 0.5291 oz, so the two readings differ by 47.1%. 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 powdered sugar would weigh 126.8 g instead of 120 g — 6.8 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 powdered sugar is 2.5 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 40% 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 powdered sugar is 500 g?
500 g of powdered sugar is 200 teaspoons — 0.4 teaspoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.4 = 200. Going that way is a division by 2.5, or a multiplication by 0.4 if you prefer.
Powdered sugar in teaspoons and grams
| Teaspoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.625 g | 0.625 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.25 g | 1.25 |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.875 g | 1.875 |
| 1 tsp | 2.5 g | 2.5 |
| 1 1/2 tsp | 3.75 g | 3.75 |
| 2 tsp | 5 g | 5 |
| 3 tsp | 7.5 g | 7.5 |
| 4 tsp | 10 g | 10 |
| 6 tsp | 15 g | 15 |
Based on 120 g per cup of powdered sugar. One teaspoon of powdered sugar is 2.5 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 120 g | 4.23 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 7.5 g | 0.265 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 5 g | 0.176 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.5 g | 0.0882 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.875 g | 0.0661 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.25 g | 0.0441 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.625 g | 0.022 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.3125 g | 0.011 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cake flour | 114 g | 4.021 oz | 0.4818 |
| Whole wheat flour | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Tapioca starch | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| Powdered sugar (this page) | 120 g | 4.233 oz | 0.5072 |
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Self-rising flour | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Bread flour | 127 g | 4.48 oz | 0.5368 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.