100 grams of pastry flour is about 15.1 tablespoons. A tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, and a cup of pastry flour is 106 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 1600 ÷ 106 = 15.1 tbsp — or, the other way round, one tablespoon weighs 6.6 g. If you cook from recipes written in grams and spoons, this page is the bridge between the two, and the worked examples show the conversion inside real dishes rather than in isolation.
Pastry flour is the flour for pie crusts, tarts, biscuits and scones — the bakes where a tender, flaky texture matters more than structure. A hundred grams is about 15.1 tablespoons, because pastry flour is light per cup at 106 g. It sits between cake flour and all-purpose flour in strength: lower in protein than all-purpose, so it makes less gluten and gives a more tender crust, but stronger than cake flour, so a pastry made with it still holds together. The practical point that matters most is the temperature of the fat, not the flour — but the flour weight decides the dough, so the table still matters.
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 tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every tablespoon figure here is the gram amount divided by the weight of one tablespoon. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
| Grams | Tablespoons (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 10 g | 1.5 tbsp |
| 20 g | 3.0 tbsp |
| 25 g | 3.8 tbsp |
| 30 g | 4.5 tbsp |
| 40 g | 6.0 tbsp |
| 50 g | 7.5 tbsp |
| 60 g | 9.1 tbsp |
| 75 g | 11.3 tbsp |
| 80 g | 12.1 tbsp |
| 100 g | 15.1 tbsp |
| 120 g | 18.1 tbsp |
| 125 g | 18.9 tbsp |
| 150 g | 22.6 tbsp |
| 200 g | 30.2 tbsp |
| 250 g | 37.7 tbsp |
| 300 g | 45.3 tbsp |
| 500 g | 75.5 tbsp |
The reverse table is just as useful: when a recipe gives tablespoons and you want to know the weight before you reach for the scale.
| Tablespoons | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 6.6 g |
| 2 tbsp | 13.2 g |
| 3 tbsp | 19.9 g |
| 4 tbsp | 26.5 g |
| 5 tbsp | 33.1 g |
| 6 tbsp | 39.8 g |
| 7 tbsp | 46.4 g |
| 8 tbsp | 53.0 g |
| 9 tbsp | 59.6 g |
| 10 tbsp | 66.2 g |
| 11 tbsp | 72.9 g |
| 12 tbsp | 79.5 g |
| 13 tbsp | 86.1 g |
| 14 tbsp | 92.8 g |
| 15 tbsp | 99.4 g |
| 16 tbsp | 106.0 g |
One tablespoon of pastry flour weighs 6.6 g, and one cup weighs 106 g. Those two figures are all you need to move between grams, tablespoons and cups for this ingredient.
Cups to grams for reference
When a recipe jumps from spoons to cups, use this table instead of counting out 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 | 26.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 35.3 g |
| 1/2 cup | 53.0 g |
| 2/3 cup | 70.7 g |
| 3/4 cup | 79.5 g |
| 1 cup | 106.0 g |
How the measurement works
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Low-protein flour between cake and all-purpose flour in strength. Pie crusts, tarts, biscuits and scones.
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 pastry flour 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 pie crust for one tart
A pie crust for a small tart takes 100 g of pastry flour, which is about 15.1 tablespoons spooned and levelled, rubbed with cold butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. The amount matters because pastry flour is what makes the crust tender: too much and the crust is tough, too little and it falls apart when you slice it. Keep the butter cold — warm butter makes a greasy crust whatever the flour weight.
A batch of scones
A batch of six scones takes 200 g of pastry flour, which is about 30.2 tablespoons — and this is the amount where the spoon table stops being practical and the scale takes over. Counting out 30 spoonfuls invites mistakes, so weigh the flour and use the tablespoon table only to check that the amount looks right.
A spoonful to dust the bench
Rolling out a pastry takes about 2 tablespoons (13.2 g) of pastry flour dusted on the bench, and the spoon measure keeps the dusting light instead of heavy. Too much flour on the bench gets worked into the dough and toughens it, while too little leaves the pastry sticking to the surface.
Practical guidance
Spoon pastry flour into the measure and level it off, and never scoop: pastry flour is fine and packs readily, and a scooped spoon can hold much more than a level one. Pastry is a cold business — cold flour, cold butter, cold water — because warm fat melts into the flour and the crust turns greasy instead of flaky. Chill the flour in the fridge for twenty minutes before you start, and handle the dough as little as possible, or the gluten develops and the crust turns tough.
Pastry flour is not the same as cake flour, though both are low-protein: cake flour is milled finer and has even less protein, so it makes a softer crumb but a weaker crust. If you have no pastry flour, all-purpose flour works in a pie crust — the crust will be a little tougher, but it will hold together. Do not use bread flour for pastry: its high protein makes a crust that is tough and chewy instead of tender and flaky.
Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of pastry flour, count out about 15.1 tablespoons, and for 50 g, about 7.5 tablespoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 tablespoons means using 2 tablespoons, or 13.2 g, and doubling it means 8 tablespoons, or 53.0 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 tablespoons one by one is slow and error-prone, and a cup is faster and more accurate.
When should you weigh pastry flour 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 pastry flour 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. Airtight container, cool and dry, 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 tablespoons is 100 g of pastry flour?
100 g of pastry flour is about 15.1 tablespoons, measured spooned and levelled. Because a level tablespoon is not always exactly the same, treat that as an approximation and verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe has to work the first time.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of pastry flour?
One level tablespoon of pastry flour weighs approximately 6.6 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 106 g by 16, 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.
What is the difference between pastry flour and cake flour?
Pastry flour sits between cake flour and all-purpose flour in strength. It has less protein than all-purpose flour, so it makes a tender crust, but more than cake flour, so the pastry still holds together. Cake flour is milled finer and is better for cakes; pastry flour is better for pie crusts, tarts, biscuits and scones.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of pastry flour?
Yes, in a pie crust or a scone — the crust will be a little tougher, but it will hold together. Both flours are close in weight: pastry flour is 106 g per cup and all-purpose is 120 g, so do not swap them spoon for spoon without checking the weight. Weigh the flour when you swap.
Why does pastry need cold butter?
Because the butter has to stay in pieces until the pastry hits the oven. Cold butter melts in the oven and the steam it releases creates the flaky layers. Warm butter melts into the flour while you work, and the crust turns greasy and dense instead of flaky — whatever the flour weight.
How should I store pastry flour?
Airtight container, cool and dry, 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.