One tablespoon of ground cinnamon weighs 7.8 g (spooned and levelled, USDA). Cinnamon is a light, fluffy spice — a tablespoon weighs barely more than a tablespoon of cornstarch — because ground bark is mostly air and fibre. That lightness is deceptive: cinnamon is one of the most potent spices in the kitchen, and a tablespoon is a large amount, enough to flavour a whole cake or a pot of curry. The figure matters when you are scaling a spice blend, converting a recipe to grams, or working out how much cinnamon is actually in a dish. All weights on this page are approximate; the grind and the variety — Ceylon versus cassia — shift the weight slightly, so verify with a scale when precision matters.
How much does 1 tablespoon of cinnamon weigh?
One level tablespoon of cinnamon weighs 7.8 g, spooned and levelled, according to USDA. That is the headline number, but a single tablespoon is rarely the whole story — most recipes use several spoonfuls, or a fraction of a cup, so the table below gives the weights you will actually reach for, from a teaspoon up to a full cup. Every figure is derived from the same source value of 125 g per cup, so the whole table is consistent. Treat all of these as approximate: spooned and levelled is a technique, not a machine setting, and two cooks measuring the same ingredient can differ by a gram or two per spoonful. When the recipe matters, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale instead.
| Amount | Weight (approx.) |
| --- | --- |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.6 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 7.8 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 15.6 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 23.4 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 31.2 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 62.5 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 93.8 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 125 g |
A useful rule of thumb: there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon and 16 tablespoons in a cup, so you can move between any of these measures by multiplying or dividing. If a recipe calls for 2 teaspoons and you only have a tablespoon measure, that is two-thirds of a tablespoon — about 5.2 g. If a recipe calls for a quarter cup and you only have a tablespoon, that is 4 level tablespoons. Keep the tablespoons to grams converter open while you cook and you will never need to do the arithmetic in your head.
Worked examples
A cinnamon roll filling
A cinnamon roll filling uses 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon — about 23 g — mixed with 100 g of sugar and 50 g of butter. The weight matters because the filling's flavour depends on the cinnamon-to-sugar ratio: 23 g of cinnamon against 100 g of sugar gives a warm, spicy filling, while a tablespoon more makes it harsh and a tablespoon less makes it bland. Weighing the cinnamon also lets you scale the recipe: a double batch needs 47 g, and a half batch needs 12 g. The cinnamon is mixed with the sugar before it is spread on the dough, which distributes it evenly — cinnamon sprinkled directly on dough clumps and leaves bitter patches.
A Moroccan tagine for six
A lamb tagine for six uses 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon — about 16 g — in a spice blend with cumin, ginger and paprika. The weight is useful because cinnamon in savoury cooking is a background note, not the star: 16 g across six servings is about 2.6 g per person, enough to add warmth and depth without making the dish taste like dessert. Weighing the cinnamon lets you reproduce the same tagine every time, and it also tells you when you have gone too far — a tagine with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon tastes sweet and medicinal, and there is no way to fix it once the spices are in.
A chai spice blend
A homemade chai blend mixes 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon — about 31 g — with cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper, enough for about twenty cups of chai. The tablespoon weight is what makes the blend reproducible: 31 g of cinnamon against 10 g of cardamom and 10 g of ginger gives a balanced chai, and weighing the spices instead of spooning them means every batch tastes the same. The blend is ground fresh and stored in an airtight jar, and a teaspoon of the blend per cup of tea is the serving — about 2 g of mixed spice, of which roughly 1 g is cinnamon.
How to measure a tablespoon of cinnamon correctly
Ground cinnamon is measured spooned and levelled, and the technique matters because the powder is so light that it compresses easily. Spoon it into the tablespoon with a smaller spoon, letting it fall loosely, then sweep a knife across the top without pressing down. Never dip the tablespoon into the jar — dipping packs the powder and can add 25 percent to the weight. Never tap the spoon to settle it. The USDA figure of 7.8 g per tablespoon is for ground cinnamon; Ceylon cinnamon, the true cinnamon, is slightly lighter and more delicate, while cassia, the common supermarket cinnamon, is slightly denser and stronger. The difference is about 0.5 g per tablespoon, which is too small to matter in most recipes but worth knowing if you are blending spices by weight. Store ground cinnamon in an airtight jar away from heat and light — it loses its volatile oils within months, and stale cinnamon weighs the same but tastes of almost nothing.
When the weight matters most
Cinnamon's tablespoon weight matters most in baking and spice blends, where it is used in tablespoon quantities and where the balance is delicate. In a cake, the difference between 1 tablespoon and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon is the difference between warmly spiced and overwhelmingly so, and because cinnamon is so light, a heaped tablespoon can easily be 10 g instead of 7.8 g — a 28 percent overdose. The weight also matters for anyone tracking coumarin, the compound in cassia cinnamon that can be harmful in large amounts: a tablespoon of cassia cinnamon contains about 50 mg of coumarin, and knowing the gram weight is what makes that number meaningful. And it matters for spice blends, where the ratio of cinnamon to the other spices defines the blend — a garam masala, a chai mix or a pumpkin spice blend is a formula, and formulas are written in grams.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is measuring cinnamon with a heaped tablespoon. Ground spices are light and fluffy, and a heaped tablespoon can hold half as much again as a level one. Always level the spoon. The second mistake is confusing Ceylon and cassia cinnamon: cassia is stronger, sweeter and higher in coumarin, while Ceylon is more delicate and citrusy. They are not interchangeable in recipes where cinnamon is the star — use the variety the recipe expects. The third mistake is using stale cinnamon: ground cinnamon loses its flavour within 6 to 12 months, and a tablespoon of stale cinnamon adds bulk without flavour. Buy it in small quantities and replace it regularly. Finally, do not add cinnamon to a dish and expect to adjust it later — its flavour blooms in cooking and cannot be removed, so add it gradually and taste as you go.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of cinnamon?
One tablespoon of ground cinnamon weighs 7.8 g, spooned and levelled, according to the USDA. One teaspoon weighs 2.6 g. These are approximate weights — Ceylon cinnamon is slightly lighter than cassia, so weigh it for the most accurate result.
How many tablespoons of cinnamon are in 100 g?
There are about 13 tablespoons in 100 g of ground cinnamon (100 divided by 7.8 is 12.8). A standard 40 g jar holds about 5 tablespoons.
Is Ceylon cinnamon the same as cassia cinnamon?
No. Ceylon is true cinnamon — delicate, citrusy and low in coumarin. Cassia is the common supermarket cinnamon — stronger, sweeter and higher in coumarin. They weigh almost the same per tablespoon, but they taste different, so use the variety your recipe expects.
How much cinnamon is safe to eat per day?
Ceylon cinnamon is safe in normal cooking amounts. Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, and health authorities suggest limiting it to about 1 teaspoon per day for an average adult. A tablespoon of cassia cinnamon is about 3 teaspoons, so do not eat that much daily.
How long does ground cinnamon last?
About 6 to 12 months in an airtight jar, away from heat and light. Ground cinnamon loses its volatile oils over time — if it smells weak or dusty rather than warm and sweet, replace it. Whole cinnamon sticks last for years.
Related conversions
If you cook with this ingredient regularly, these pages will help: the tablespoons to grams converter for any amount, the cups to grams converter for larger quantities, and the full ingredient guide for storage, substitutes and the weight of a whole cup. You can also compare the cup weight on the Cinnamon cups to grams page or work backwards from a gram amount on the Cinnamon grams to cups page.
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