1 teaspoon of dark chocolate weighs 3.54 g. A teaspoon is one forty-eighth of a cup, and a cup of dark chocolate is 170 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 170 ÷ 48 = 3.54 g. The same cup divided by 16 gives the tablespoon weight of 10.6 g, and there are 3 teaspoons in every tablespoon. If you cook from recipes written in cups and spoons, this page is the bridge between the two, and the worked examples show the conversion inside real dishes rather than in isolation.
Chopped dark chocolate is the ingredient that a sauce, a ganache or a fondue turns on, and the spoon table is for the small jobs: a teaspoon of chopped chocolate stirred into a single mug of hot milk, or a few teaspoons folded into a cookie dough where chips would be too neat. A teaspoon holds 3.54 g, about the same as chocolate chips, because a chopped bar and a chip pack similarly in a spoon. The real difference is in the melting: a bar melts smooth and glossy, which is why recipes that melt the chocolate call for the bar, not the chip.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
Conversion table
One teaspoon is one forty-eighth of a cup, so every figure in this table is the cup weight divided by 48, rounded to two decimal places. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
| Teaspoons | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 3.54 g |
| 2 tsp | 7.08 g |
| 3 tsp | 10.62 g |
| 4 tsp | 14.17 g |
| 5 tsp | 17.71 g |
| 6 tsp | 21.25 g |
| 7 tsp | 24.79 g |
| 8 tsp | 28.33 g |
| 9 tsp | 31.88 g |
| 10 tsp | 35.42 g |
| 11 tsp | 38.96 g |
| 12 tsp | 42.50 g |
The tablespoon figures are included too, because most recipes switch between teaspoons and tablespoons, and 3 teaspoons make 1 tablespoon.
| Tablespoons | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 10.6 g |
| 2 tbsp | 21.2 g |
| 3 tbsp | 31.9 g |
| 4 tbsp | 42.5 g |
| 5 tbsp | 53.1 g |
| 6 tbsp | 63.8 g |
| 7 tbsp | 74.4 g |
| 8 tbsp | 85.0 g |
| 9 tbsp | 95.6 g |
| 10 tbsp | 106.2 g |
| 11 tbsp | 116.9 g |
| 12 tbsp | 127.5 g |
| 13 tbsp | 138.1 g |
| 14 tbsp | 148.8 g |
| 15 tbsp | 159.4 g |
| 16 tbsp | 170.0 g |
One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every tablespoon figure is the cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place.
Cups to grams for reference
When a recipe jumps from spoons to cups, use this table instead of counting out 16 tablespoons. Every figure is the cup weight multiplied by the fraction, rounded to one decimal place, and all figures are approximate.
| Cups | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 42.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 56.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 85.0 g |
| 2/3 cup | 113.3 g |
| 3/4 cup | 127.5 g |
| 1 cup | 170.0 g |
One cup of dark chocolate weighs 170 g, so a quarter cup is 42.5 g and half a cup is 85.0 g. Those two figures cover most everyday scaling, and the full table above covers the rest.
How the measurement works
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Chopped dark chocolate bars, for melting or folding into batters. Ganache, brownies, fondue and baking.
All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the spoon, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide. The method matters more than the number itself, because the same spoon of dark chocolate measured two different ways can give two different weights, and the King Arthur Baking value assumes the spooned and levelled method every time.
Worked examples
A single mug of drinking chocolate
A rich mug of drinking chocolate takes 6 teaspoons (21.25 g) of chopped dark chocolate melted into hot milk, and the spoon measure keeps it silky instead of either thin or sludgy. Chop the chocolate small so it melts evenly, and take the milk off the heat before the chocolate goes in, or it can scorch and turn bitter.
Chocolate folded into a brownie batter
A small brownie tray for four takes 10 teaspoons (35.42 g) of chopped dark chocolate folded into the batter, and the chunks melt into pockets of chocolate as the brownies bake. The weight matters because the chocolate is part of the batter's structure — too much and the brownies will not set, too little and they are just a cocoa cake.
A ganache drizzle for a tart
A drizzle over a single tart needs 4 teaspoons (14.17 g) of chopped dark chocolate melted with an equal weight of cream, and the spoon measure is a starting point: weigh the chocolate for a ganache, because the chocolate-to-cream ratio decides whether it sets firm or stays runny.
Practical guidance
Chop dark chocolate into even pieces before you measure it, and spoon the pieces in level without pressing them down — large, uneven chunks leave air gaps and the spoon weighs light, while fine shavings pack tight and weigh heavy. The figures on this page assume a medium chop, the way a bar comes apart under a knife. If you are measuring for a ganache or any recipe where the ratio matters, weigh the chocolate instead: a spoonful is close enough for a mug of hot chocolate, but not for a ganache.
Dark chocolate keeps for a year in a cool, dry place, but it blooms if it gets warm — a white, dusty coating that looks alarming but is harmless and disappears when the chocolate melts. Bloomed chocolate still bakes fine, so do not throw it away. Store it away from strong smells, because chocolate absorbs odours the way a sponge absorbs water, and a bar kept next to the onions will taste of onions.
Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of dark chocolate, count out about 28.2 teaspoons, and for 50 g, about 14.1 teaspoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 teaspoons means using 2 teaspoons, or 7.08 g, and doubling it means 8 teaspoons, or 28.33 g. The key is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance. For large amounts, switch to a cup measure or a scale, since counting out teaspoons one by one is slow and error-prone, and a cup is faster and more accurate.
When should you weigh dark chocolate instead of measuring it? Whenever the recipe has to work the first time, and whenever the amount is large. A kitchen scale costs less than a single failed bake, and it removes the biggest source of variation in home cooking, which is the way ingredients pack into a cup or a spoon. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the dark chocolate until the display shows the number you need. There is nothing to wash afterwards except the bowl, and the result is the same every time. For small amounts, a level spoon is accurate enough, and for anything where precision matters, the scale is the tool to reach for.
Storage. Cool, dry place, up to 1 year.
- Level every spoon with the back of a knife.
- Use spoons for small amounts, and a scale for large ones.
- Keep the same spoon for the whole recipe so errors stay consistent.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 teaspoon of dark chocolate?
One level teaspoon of dark chocolate weighs approximately 3.54 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 170 g by 48, and it assumes the ingredient is measured spooned and levelled. All figures on this page are approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Is chopped dark chocolate the same weight as chocolate chips per teaspoon?
Very nearly. A teaspoon of chopped dark chocolate weighs about 3.54 g, the same as a teaspoon of dark chocolate chips. The chop size is the only variable: finely chopped chocolate packs tighter and weighs slightly more per spoon than coarsely chopped pieces.
Why does a recipe call for chopped chocolate instead of chips?
Because a bar melts better. Chocolate chips contain stabilisers that help them hold their shape in an oven, so they melt thicker and less smoothly. A chopped bar melts into a glossy, fluid ganache, which is what a sauce or a truffle needs.
Does the cocoa percentage change the weight?
No, not in any way that matters. A 70% bar and a 50% bar weigh the same per teaspoon once chopped, because the density is almost identical. The percentage changes the flavour and the sweetness, not the weight, so use the same figures for any dark chocolate.
How many teaspoons of dark chocolate are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, so 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate weighs approximately 10.6 g, which is three times the teaspoon weight of 3.54 g. Use the tablespoon table on this page when a recipe switches between the two units.
How should I store dark chocolate?
Cool, dry place, up to 1 year. Keeping it stored properly also keeps its weight consistent, since an ingredient that has absorbed moisture or dried out will not weigh the same per spoon as a fresh one.