1 teaspoon of mashed bananas weighs 4.73 g. A teaspoon is one forty-eighth of a cup, and a cup of mashed bananas is 227 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 227 ÷ 48 = 4.73 g. The same cup divided by 16 gives the tablespoon weight of 14.2 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.
Mashed banana is the ingredient that turns a cup measure into a guessing game, because a banana mashes down to a different volume depending on how ripe it is and how hard you press the fork. That is why the spoon weights on this page matter: a recipe that calls for a teaspoon of mashed banana in a mug cake or a single-serve pancake is really asking for about 4.73 g of soft, ripe banana, and the spoon is far more repeatable than eyeballing a dollop. Ripe bananas also do double duty as an egg replacer, so the same spoon measure shows up in vegan baking as well as in banana bread.
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 | 4.73 g |
| 2 tsp | 9.46 g |
| 3 tsp | 14.19 g |
| 4 tsp | 18.92 g |
| 5 tsp | 23.65 g |
| 6 tsp | 28.38 g |
| 7 tsp | 33.10 g |
| 8 tsp | 37.83 g |
| 9 tsp | 42.56 g |
| 10 tsp | 47.29 g |
| 11 tsp | 52.02 g |
| 12 tsp | 56.75 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 | 14.2 g |
| 2 tbsp | 28.4 g |
| 3 tbsp | 42.6 g |
| 4 tbsp | 56.8 g |
| 5 tbsp | 70.9 g |
| 6 tbsp | 85.1 g |
| 7 tbsp | 99.3 g |
| 8 tbsp | 113.5 g |
| 9 tbsp | 127.7 g |
| 10 tbsp | 141.9 g |
| 11 tbsp | 156.1 g |
| 12 tbsp | 170.2 g |
| 13 tbsp | 184.4 g |
| 14 tbsp | 198.6 g |
| 15 tbsp | 212.8 g |
| 16 tbsp | 227.0 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 | 56.8 g |
| 1/3 cup | 75.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 113.5 g |
| 2/3 cup | 151.3 g |
| 3/4 cup | 170.2 g |
| 1 cup | 227.0 g |
One cup of mashed bananas weighs 227 g, so a quarter cup is 56.8 g and half a cup is 113.5 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. Very ripe bananas mashed to a pulp. Banana bread, pancakes, smoothies and egg replacement.
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 mashed bananas 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-serve mug cake
A mug cake for one needs 3 teaspoons (14.19 g) of mashed banana stirred into the flour, sugar and milk before microwaving, and the banana is doing two jobs at once: sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The amount matters because too much banana makes the cake gummy in the middle, while too little leaves it dry and bland.
Banana as an egg replacer in pancakes
A vegan pancake batter for two replaces one egg with 12 teaspoons (56.75 g) of mashed banana, which is a quarter of a cup, and the banana binds the batter the way an egg would. Level the spoons rather than heaping them, since an extra spoonful of banana thins the batter and makes the pancakes hard to flip.
A spoonful in overnight oats
A jar of overnight oats takes 2 teaspoons (9.46 g) of mashed banana stirred in with the oats and milk, just enough to sweeten the jar without turning it into banana porridge. Two teaspoons is only a small slice of one banana, so a single banana goes a long way in a recipe like this.
Practical guidance
Mash the banana on a plate with a fork until it is smooth, then spoon it into the measure and level it off — do not scoop the mash straight from the bowl, because air pockets make the spoon light. The riper the banana, the softer and heavier the mash: a firm yellow banana mashes to a lighter spoon than a speckled, almost-black one, and the King Arthur figure assumes a well-mashed ripe banana. If your banana is under-ripe, the spoon will hold lumps and air, so mash it thoroughly or weigh it instead.
Banana bread is the classic case where spoon measures fail and the scale wins: a recipe that calls for 2 cups of mashed banana is asking for about 454 g, and counting out 96 teaspoons is nobody's idea of baking. Use the spoon table for mug cakes, pancakes and single servings, and switch to the scale or a cup measure for a full loaf. Leftover mashed banana freezes well in spoon-sized dollops, and a frozen dollop weighs the same as a fresh one once it thaws.
Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of mashed bananas, count out about 21.1 teaspoons, and for 50 g, about 10.6 teaspoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 teaspoons means using 2 teaspoons, or 9.46 g, and doubling it means 8 teaspoons, or 37.83 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 mashed bananas 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 mashed bananas 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. Use fresh; freeze overripe bananas for baking.
- 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 mashed bananas?
One level teaspoon of mashed bananas weighs approximately 4.73 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 227 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.
How much mashed banana is one whole banana?
One medium banana mashes to several tablespoons — the exact amount depends on the size of the banana and how ripe it is, so for a full loaf of banana bread weigh the mash rather than counting bananas.
Can I use mashed banana instead of an egg?
Yes, a quarter of a cup — 12 teaspoons, about 56.75 g — of mashed banana replaces one egg in muffins, pancakes and quick breads, where the egg is mainly a binder and a moistener. It does not work where the egg has to whip or set, such as meringues or custards, and it adds a noticeable banana flavour.
Does the ripeness of the banana change the weight?
Yes, a little. A very ripe banana mashes softer and packs more densely, so a level teaspoon weighs slightly more than a teaspoon of firmer, less-ripe banana. The difference is a few tenths of a gram per spoon, which only matters in a recipe that has to be exact — for those, weigh the mash.
How many teaspoons of mashed bananas are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, so 1 tablespoon of mashed bananas weighs approximately 14.2 g, which is three times the teaspoon weight of 4.73 g. Use the tablespoon table on this page when a recipe switches between the two units.
How should I store mashed bananas?
Use fresh; freeze overripe bananas for baking. 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.