There are about 3.6 cups in a pound of Cinnamon. Cinnamon weighs 125 g per cup (spooned and levelled), so a pound — 453.59 g — divides to 3.63 cups. Warm, sweet spice ground from cinnamon bark. Baking, oatmeal, curries and drinks. Every figure on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume and the weight depends on how the ingredient settles and how it was measured; when the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Cinnamon on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. This page gives you the full table for a pound and beyond, worked examples from real recipes, the method behind the figure, and the mistakes that catch people out.
Why recipes ask for a pound of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is sold by weight in jars and bulk bags, while recipes call for teaspoons and tablespoons, so the pound question is usually asked by someone staring at a bulk bag. A pound of cinnamon is about three and a half cups — roughly 58 tablespoons — which is a year's supply for most households and a month's supply for a bakery.
How many cups in a pound of Cinnamon?
A pound of Cinnamon is about 3.6 cups (3.63 cups, to be exact). The table below covers a quarter of a pound up to ten pounds, so you can read off whatever your recipe or your bulk buy calls for without doing the division yourself. If your recipe lists Cinnamon in grams, the same table works in reverse: find the grams and read across to the cups.
| Amount | Cups | Grams | Tablespoons | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 lb | 0.91 | 113 | 15 | 215 |
| 0.5 lb | 1.81 | 227 | 29 | 429 |
| 0.75 lb | 2.72 | 340 | 44 | 644 |
| 1 lb | 3.63 | 454 | 58 | 859 |
| 2 lb | 7.26 | 907 | 116 | 1717 |
| 5 lb | 18.14 | 2268 | 290 | 4293 |
| 10 lb | 36.29 | 4536 | 581 | 8586 |
The tablespoons column is the useful one for small amounts: a pound of Cinnamon is about 58 tablespoons, and a single tablespoon weighs about 7.8 g. Use the pounds to grams converter if your recipe lists a different weight, and the cups to grams converter if you need the figure for a single cup of cinnamon.
Worked examples
The examples below use real recipes, with the cups and the grams side by side so you can follow the maths in context. Each one also notes where the cup is good enough and where the scale earns its keep.
Cinnamon rolls for a dozen
Cinnamon rolls for a dozen need 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon — about 16 g — mixed with sugar for the filling of 12 rolls. Two tablespoons is about 16 g; spread the filling edge to edge or the outer rolls end up plain while the middle ones are overloaded.
Oatmeal for the week
Oatmeal for the week need 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon — about 8 g — stirred into a big batch of overnight oats. One tablespoon is about 8 g, and a pound of cinnamon is roughly 58 tablespoons, which is why a single jar lasts most households a year.
A spice cake for a party
A spice cake for a party needs 1.5 tablespoons of Cinnamon — about 12 g — folded into the batter with nutmeg and cloves. A tablespoon and a half is about 12 g; cinnamon is the backbone here, so measure it rather than shaking the jar over the bowl.
How to measure it
Spoon ground Cinnamon into a dry measuring spoon or cup and level it with a knife — never shake it straight from the jar into the recipe, and never pack it down. Ground spices settle and compact in the jar, so a spoon dipped into a freshly opened jar holds less than a spoon from a jar that has been shaken and settled. One teaspoon of Cinnamon weighs about 2.60 g, so for baking, where the amount matters, a small digital scale is worth using.
How the figure was measured
The weight figure on this page comes from USDA: Cinnamon weighs 125 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, and that figure carries medium confidence in CookScale's 120-ingredient table. All weights are per US cup (236.6 ml), and every cup-based result on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume while the weight depends on how the ingredient settles, how fresh it is, and how it was measured. When the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Cinnamon on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. Read more about this ingredient on the Cinnamon hub, which covers its weight, its measures, its storage and its substitutes in one place.
Practical guidance
Ground spices fade faster than they look stale, and a pound of spice is a very long supply — most households take a year or more to use it. Airtight jar, cool and dark, up to 1 year. Buy cinnamon in small jars and replace it yearly; ground cinnamon loses its warmth long before it looks or smells stale. Buy whole spices and grind them yourself if you cook with a spice often; the flavour difference is large, and whole spices keep for years while ground ones fade within months.
Buying and storing a pound of Cinnamon
A pound of spice is a bulk buy, and the price per pound from a bulk bin or an ethnic grocery is often a third of the supermarket jar. Only buy the pound if you cook with the spice weekly — otherwise the jar will fade long before it is empty, and the saving is an illusion.
How the maths works
The conversion is a single division: one pound is 453.59 g, and one cup of Cinnamon weighs 125 g, so 453.59 ÷ 125 = 3.63 cups. Going the other way, one cup of Cinnamon weighs 125 g, which is 0.28 lb, and one tablespoon weighs about 7.8 g while one teaspoon weighs about 2.60 g. To get any number of cups, weigh that many times 125 g: two cups is 250 g, three cups is 375 g, and half a cup is 62 g. In volume terms, a pound of Cinnamon is about 859 ml, since one US cup is 236.6 ml. Remember that the cup is a volume and the pound is a weight, so this maths only works because we know the density of Cinnamon; the same pound of a different ingredient would be a different number of cups entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How many teaspoons are in a pound of Cinnamon?
About 174 teaspoons. A pound of Cinnamon is about 3.63 cups, and there are 48 teaspoons in a cup, so 3.63 × 48 is about 174. A single teaspoon weighs about 2.60 g.
Why is a pound of Cinnamon so many cups?
Because ground Cinnamon is light and fluffy. A cup of it weighs only 125 g, and much of the cup is air between the particles. That is why a pound stretches to 3.63 cups — and why a pound of spice is a very long supply at a teaspoon per recipe.
How long will a pound of Cinnamon last?
At a teaspoon a day, about 174 days — over a year. At a tablespoon per recipe, about 58 recipes. In practice the spice will fade before you finish it, so a pound only makes sense if you cook with Cinnamon several times a week.
Does ground Cinnamon weigh the same as whole Cinnamon?
No. Whole spices are denser per cup because there is less air between the pieces, while ground spice packs with air gaps. The 125 g per cup figure is for ground Cinnamon spooned and levelled — weigh whole spices on a scale, or grind them first and then measure.
Is ground cinnamon the same weight as cinnamon sticks?
No — sticks are solid bark and weigh far more per cup of volume, so the 125 g per cup figure is for ground cinnamon only. If a recipe calls for sticks, count them instead: one 3-inch stick is roughly equivalent to a teaspoon of ground cinnamon in flavour.