To convert teaspoons of uncooked quinoa into grams, multiply by 3.5416667: one teaspoon comes to 3.5416667 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. Uncooked quinoa comes in at 0.71855 g per mL, or 71.85% of water, which is why a cup of it is 170 g rather than 236.6 g. Volume and weight only line up for water, and only in metric.
A level teaspoon of uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa, 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: Dry and rinsed. The seeds are small and round, so they pack closely.
The formula
teaspoons- The amount of uncooked quinoa you are converting, in teaspoons
3.54166666667- Grams per teaspoon for uncooked quinoa, 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 uncooked quinoa.
- 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 uncooked quinoa in grams
Take 3/4 tsp of uncooked quinoa: 0.75 × 3.5416667 gives 2.65625 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 5.3125 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
1 1/2 tsp of uncooked quinoa in grams
1 1/2 tsp of uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa in grams
4 tsp of uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa?
One teaspoon of uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa by roughly 20% — about 17 g either side of 170 g — because dry and rinsed. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa is 500 g?
500 g of uncooked quinoa 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.
Uncooked quinoa 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 uncooked quinoa. One teaspoon of uncooked quinoa 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potato starch | 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 (this page) | 170 g | 5.997 oz | 0.7185 |
| Dry couscous | 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 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.