How many grams are in a tablespoon?

A tablespoon holds 15 ml. For water and milk that is about 15 g, but other foods weigh different amounts: a tablespoon of sugar is about 12.5 g, flour about 8 g, oil about 13.5 g and honey about 21 g.

How many grams are in a teaspoon?

A teaspoon holds 5 ml. A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g, salt about 6 g, and oil about 4.5 g.

How many grams are in a cup?

A US cup holds 240 ml, which is 240 g of water but only about 125 g of plain flour, 200 g of granulated sugar or 85 g of porridge oats. Australian and some UK recipes use a 250 ml metric cup.

How many calories are in a tablespoon of olive oil?

A tablespoon of olive oil is about 13.5 g and has around 120 kcal. That is why measuring oil makes such a difference when you are counting calories.

Tablespoons, cups and grams

Convert teaspoons, tablespoons and cups into grams for common ingredients, with the calories for each, so recipes and food logs add up.

By the Calori team · Updated 21 October 2026 · 4 min read

Amount

Measure

Ingredient

Weight

7.5g

Calories

30kcal

Typical value

Why grams depend on the ingredient

Spoons and cups measure volume, not weight. A tablespoon is always 15 ml, but a tablespoon of flour is mostly air and weighs about 8 g, while a tablespoon of honey is dense and weighs about 21 g. To convert accurately you need to know what is in the spoon.

Grams per teaspoon, tablespoon and cup

Measurements are level spoons and a US cup of 240 ml. Weights are typical and vary slightly with how you fill the spoon.

Ingredient	1 tsp	1 tbsp	1 cup	kcal per tbsp
Water	5.0 g	15.0 g	240 g	0
Semi-skimmed milk	5.1 g	15.3 g	245 g	7
Olive oil	4.5 g	13.5 g	216 g	119
Butter	4.7 g	14.2 g	227 g	105
Granulated sugar	4.2 g	12.5 g	200 g	50
Icing sugar	2.5 g	7.5 g	120 g	30
Plain flour	2.6 g	7.8 g	125 g	27
Honey	7.1 g	21.3 g	340 g	68
Peanut butter	5.4 g	16.1 g	258 g	97
Porridge oats	1.8 g	5.3 g	85 g	20
White rice, uncooked	3.9 g	11.6 g	185 g	41
Cocoa powder	1.8 g	5.3 g	85 g	19
Table salt	6.0 g	18.0 g	288 g	0
Greek yoghurt (0% fat)	5.1 g	15.3 g	245 g	9
Cheddar, grated	2.4 g	7.1 g	113 g	29

UK, US and metric measures

Teaspoon: 5 ml everywhere.
Tablespoon: 15 ml in the UK and US. Australian tablespoons are 20 ml.
Cup: 240 ml in US recipes and 250 ml for a metric cup. Older British recipes sometimes used a larger imperial cup of about 284 ml (half a pint).
Pint: a UK pint is 568 ml, larger than a US pint of 473 ml.

Spoons and calorie counting

Spoon measures are where logged calories most often go wrong. A heaped tablespoon of peanut butter can easily be 30 g rather than 16 g, which doubles the calories from about 95 to 180. A “drizzle” of oil poured from the bottle is often two or three tablespoons. For calorie-dense foods, weighing on a kitchen scale is more reliable than spoons.

If you are tracking macros, use these weights when you log, or take a photo of your plate in Calori and adjust the portion it suggests. Our guide on how to count macros covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams are in a tablespoon?: A tablespoon holds 15 ml. For water and milk that is about 15 g, but other foods weigh different amounts: a tablespoon of sugar is about 12.5 g, flour about 8 g, oil about 13.5 g and honey about 21 g.
How many grams are in a teaspoon?: A teaspoon holds 5 ml. A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g, salt about 6 g, and oil about 4.5 g.
How many grams are in a cup?: A US cup holds 240 ml, which is 240 g of water but only about 125 g of plain flour, 200 g of granulated sugar or 85 g of porridge oats. Australian and some UK recipes use a 250 ml metric cup.
How many calories are in a tablespoon of olive oil?: A tablespoon of olive oil is about 13.5 g and has around 120 kcal. That is why measuring oil makes such a difference when you are counting calories.