You can use kosher salt instead of table salt at a ratio of 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal (or 1 1/4 tsp Morton) per 1 tsp table salt. Salt swaps are not about the saltiness of the salt — all salt is sodium chloride — they are about the size and shape of the crystals, and that is where most people go wrong. Salts differ by crystal size, so swap by weight, not by volume — kosher salt is far lighter per cup than table salt. A teaspoon of fine table salt packs far more salt into the spoon than a teaspoon of big, hollow kosher flakes, so a cup-for-cup swap can easily double the salt or halve it. The ratio above is the sourced ratio for this pair, and the table below scales it to the amounts recipes actually call for.
This matters more than it sounds. Salt is the one ingredient in almost every recipe, and it is the one where a small measuring error is immediately obvious: too little and the dish tastes flat, too much and it is inedible. That is why this guide spends time on weighing. A kitchen scale removes the whole problem — the same weight of any salt is the same amount of salt, whatever the crystal size. If you cook with more than one kind of salt, a scale is the single best purchase you can make, and it costs less than a bag of good flaky salt.
The ratio, in a table
| Table salt called for | Diamond Crystal kosher salt | Morton kosher salt |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tsp | 3/4 tsp | 5/8 tsp (a heaped 1/2 tsp) |
| 1 tsp | 1 1/2 tsp | 1 1/4 tsp |
| 1 tbsp | 1 1/2 tbsp | 1 tbsp + 3/4 tsp |
| 1/4 cup | 6 tbsp | 5 tbsp |
The numbers in the table are the ratio 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal (or 1 1/4 tsp Morton) per 1 tsp table salt scaled up and down. All amounts in this guide are approximate, and the ratio comes from CookScale's substitution data rather than from a single brand's packaging. If the recipe matters — a cake for a celebration, a batch you are selling, or anything where a small error shows — weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale and taste as you go. If you are in doubt, undershoot: add two-thirds of the salt, taste, and add the rest. You can always add more salt at the end of cooking, but you cannot take it out, and an over-salted pot is a much bigger problem than an under-salted one.
Worked examples
Example 1: Seasoning a roast chicken
A roast chicken recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of table salt to season the bird inside and out. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt instead, and the chicken will be seasoned exactly the same — the same weight of salt, just bigger crystals. Kosher salt is actually easier to use here: the big flakes are easy to pinch and scatter evenly, and you can see where they have landed on the skin. Salt the chicken the night before if you can, and leave it uncovered in the fridge so the skin dries out and crisps.
Example 2: A pot of pasta water
A pasta recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of table salt in the cooking water. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and the water will be seasoned the same way. The salt dissolves completely in the boiling water, so the crystal size does not matter at all here — only the weight does. Taste the water: it should taste like the sea, and the pasta will absorb the seasoning as it cooks.
Example 3: A batch of bread dough
A bread recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of table salt. Use 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt instead, and dissolve it in the water before you add the flour, so the big crystals do not stay crunchy in the dough. Bread is the recipe where the salt measure matters most, because salt controls the yeast: too much slows the rise, too little lets it run away. Weigh the salt if you can, and the loaf will rise on schedule.
What changes in the result
The flavour change is none at all, once the salt has dissolved: all salt is sodium chloride, and dissolved in a soup, a dough or a pot of water, kosher salt tastes identical to table salt. What changes is the handling. Kosher salt is easier to pinch and scatter, it is easier to see on food, and it does not contain the anti-caking agents that some table salts have, which can leave a faint metallic taste in delicate dishes. The only real change is the volume: you need half as much again by the spoonful, because the crystals are bigger and lighter. Weigh it and the swap is perfect.
Texture changes too, in ways that have nothing to do with saltiness. Fine salt dissolves quickly and disappears into a sauce or a dough; coarse flakes dissolve slowly and can leave crunchy pockets if they are added late. Flaky salt sprinkled on top of a finished dish stays crunchy and gives little bursts of salt — that is its whole appeal. Kosher salt is the cook's favourite for seasoning by hand because the big crystals are easy to pinch and scatter evenly, and you can see where it has landed. None of this changes the flavour of the salt itself, but it changes how the dish eats, and that is what the cook is really choosing.
When not to substitute
Do not swap salts cup-for-cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half the weight of table salt per cup. Do not swap cup for cup — a cup of kosher salt weighs about half as much as a cup of table salt, so a cup-for-cup swap will under-salt the dish badly. And do not use kosher salt in a recipe where it has to dissolve instantly in a small amount of liquid, like a smooth sauce, unless you give it time and stirring.
There are also jobs where one salt is simply the wrong tool. Do not use a coarse salt in a recipe where it has to dissolve quickly and completely — a smooth sauce, a meringue, a brine that needs to be exact — unless you give it time and stirring. Do not use a flavoured salt, like the celery salt in this guide's family, where the extra flavour would clash: it is a seasoning in its own right, not a neutral stand-in. And do not use an expensive finishing salt inside a dough or a stew, where its crunch and its delicate flavour disappear entirely. Save the good salt for the top of the dish, where you can taste it.
Practical guidance
Keep one salt as your everyday cooking salt and learn its measure by feel — most cooks use kosher salt for that, because it is easy to pinch and forgiving to scatter. Keep a small dish of flaky salt by the stove for finishing, and keep table salt for baking, where its fine crystals dissolve evenly and its exact measure matters. Label your containers, because kosher salt and table salt look similar in a jar and they are not interchangeable by the spoonful. When a recipe just says 'salt' with no kind given, it usually means table salt in older books and kosher salt in newer ones — if the result tastes under-salted, the recipe probably meant the finer salt, and if it tastes over-salted, it probably meant the coarser one. Taste as you cook, salt in stages rather than all at once, and remember that sauces and soups concentrate as they reduce, so the salt you add at the start tastes stronger by the end.
If you cook with kosher salt regularly, keep it in a wide, open container by the stove so you can pinch it easily — a small ramekin or a salt cellar with a lid. Learn to season by feel: a three-finger pinch of kosher salt is about a teaspoon, and once your hand knows that measure, you will season faster and more accurately than any spoon.
Frequently asked questions
Which brand of kosher salt should I use?
Diamond Crystal is the standard in most American recipes, and it is the brand this guide's ratio is written for: 1 1/2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal per teaspoon of table salt. Morton is denser, so it needs only 1 1/4 teaspoons per teaspoon of table salt. If a recipe does not say which brand, Diamond Crystal is the usual assumption — but check the box, because the difference is real.
Does kosher salt have iodine in it?
No — kosher salt is not iodised, while most table salt is. The iodine in table salt is a public-health addition, and it has no effect on flavour in normal cooking, though some people say they can taste it in very delicate dishes. If you switch entirely to kosher salt, your iodine will need to come from elsewhere in your diet, such as dairy, eggs or seafood.
Can I just swap salts 1:1 by volume?
Only if the two salts have similar crystal sizes. Fine sea salt and table salt are close enough for most cooking, and the ratio for this pair is 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal (or 1 1/4 tsp Morton) per 1 tsp table salt. But kosher salt and flaky salt are much lighter per spoonful, so a 1:1 volume swap under-salts the dish — sometimes by half. The safe rule is to swap by weight: the same weight of any salt is the same amount of salt, whatever it looks like.
Why do recipes specify a brand of kosher salt?
Because the two big brands are different densities. Diamond Crystal kosher salt is light and hollow, Morton is denser and heavier, so a teaspoon of one is not a teaspoon of the other. A recipe written for Diamond Crystal needs about one and a half teaspoons per teaspoon of table salt, while Morton needs about one and a quarter. If a recipe does not say which brand, Diamond Crystal is the usual assumption in American recipes.
Does the kind of salt change the flavour?
Barely, once it is dissolved. All salt is sodium chloride, and dissolved in a soup or a dough the differences are tiny. What changes is texture — flakes stay crunchy on top of a dish — and the trace minerals in some sea salts, which can add a very faint bitterness or sweetness that most people cannot detect in a finished dish. Choose salt for its crystal size and how you use it, not for a flavour difference you probably cannot taste.