One tablespoon of peanut butter weighs 16.9 g (scooped, King Arthur Baking). Peanut butter is one of the heaviest spoon-measured ingredients in the kitchen — denser than butter, heavier than cream cheese — because it is a concentrated paste of ground peanuts with very little air and very little water. The tablespoon figure is the number you need for baking, where peanut butter is measured by the spoonful in cookies and sauces, and for nutrition, where a tablespoon carries about 100 calories and the difference between one tablespoon and two is the difference between a snack and a meal. All weights on this page are approximate; natural peanut butter with separated oil weighs slightly less per tablespoon than stabilised commercial peanut butter, so verify with a scale when it matters.
How much does 1 tablespoon of peanut butter weigh?
One level tablespoon of peanut butter weighs 16.9 g, scooped, according to King Arthur Baking. 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 270 g per cup, so the whole table is consistent. Treat all of these as approximate: scooped 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 | 5.6 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 16.9 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 33.8 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 50.6 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 67.5 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 135 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 202.5 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 270 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 11.2 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
Peanut butter cookies for a bake sale
A peanut butter cookie recipe uses 1 cup of peanut butter — 16 tablespoons, or about 270 g — creamed with butter and sugar. When you halve the recipe, that becomes 8 tablespoons, or 135 g. Weighing the peanut butter matters because it is the recipe's main fat and its main flavour: too much and the cookies spread flat and greasy, too little and they turn dry and crumbly. Scooping peanut butter by the tablespoon is also slow and messy — a scale lets you spoon it straight into the bowl until you hit 135 g, with no counting and no scraping. The weight also tells you how much to buy: a standard 340 g jar holds about 20 tablespoons, enough for one full batch with a little left over.
A satay sauce for four
A satay sauce for a stir-fry uses 4 tablespoons of peanut butter whisked with soy sauce, lime juice and chilli — about 68 g. The weight matters because the sauce's thickness depends on the peanut butter-to-liquid ratio: too much peanut butter and the sauce turns into a paste that clumps on the noodles, too little and it never coats anything. Weighing 68 g lets you adjust the sauce precisely — add a tablespoon of hot water at a time until it pours in a ribbon. If you are using natural peanut butter, stir the jar first: the oil separates to the top, and a tablespoon scooped from an unstirred jar is mostly oil and weighs less than the recipe expects.
A peanut butter smoothie
A breakfast smoothie uses 2 tablespoons of peanut butter — about 34 g — blended with a banana, milk and oats. That is the serving that adds about 200 calories and 7 g of protein, and the weight is what makes the nutrition numbers meaningful: most people spoon peanut butter straight from the jar into the blender and add closer to 3 tablespoons, or 51 g, without realising it. Weighing the peanut butter once teaches your eye what 34 g looks like, and after that you can spoon it with confidence. For a lighter smoothie, a tablespoon of peanut butter powder mixed with water gives the flavour for a fraction of the fat.
How to measure a tablespoon of peanut butter correctly
Peanut butter is measured scooped, and the scoop is the problem: it sticks to the spoon, traps air, and leaves a residue that makes levelling approximate at best. The practical method is to weigh it. Tare the bowl on the scale, spoon the peanut butter in, and stop at the target weight — 16.9 g per tablespoon. If you must use a spoon, fill the tablespoon measure generously, press the peanut butter in to remove air pockets, and level the top with a knife. A light spray of oil on the spoon helps it release cleanly. Natural peanut butter needs stirring before measuring, because the oil separates and the solids settle; an unstirred jar gives you a tablespoon that is mostly oil at the top and mostly dry solids at the bottom. The King Arthur figure of 16.9 g per tablespoon is for smooth commercial peanut butter; crunchy peanut butter weighs almost the same, but the nut pieces make levelling less precise, so weigh it when the recipe is sensitive.
When the weight matters most
Peanut butter's tablespoon weight matters most in baking, where it is a fat, a flavour and a structure all at once. In cookies, the peanut butter replaces some of the butter, and its weight decides whether the dough holds together or spreads flat: peanut butter has no water, so it makes a drier dough than butter, and a recipe balanced at 270 g of peanut butter will fail if you add 300 g by accident. In sauces, the weight decides the thickness, and in smoothies and porridge it decides the nutrition — a tablespoon is 100 calories, and the gap between one tablespoon and the heaped spoon most people actually use is about 50 calories. The weight also matters for allergies and labelling: a recipe that serves four with 68 g of peanut butter gives each person 17 g, and knowing the per-serving weight is what lets you tell someone with a mild sensitivity exactly how much they are eating.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is the heaped tablespoon. A heaped tablespoon of peanut butter can weigh 25 g or more — half as much again as the level 16.9 g — and in baking that extra fat changes the dough. Always level the spoon, or better, weigh it. The second mistake is not stirring natural peanut butter: the oil on top and the dry solids at the bottom are two different ingredients, and a spoonful from an unstirred jar is unpredictable. The third mistake is confusing peanut butter with peanut butter powder, which weighs about 6 g per tablespoon and is mostly defatted peanut flour — swapping them 1:1 gives a dry, flavourless result. Finally, do not store peanut butter in the fridge: it turns rock hard and impossible to spread or measure. Keep it in a cool cupboard and stir it before use.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of peanut butter?
One tablespoon of smooth peanut butter weighs 16.9 g, scooped, according to King Arthur Baking. One teaspoon weighs about 5.6 g. These are approximate weights — natural peanut butter varies with how well it is stirred, so weigh it for the most accurate result.
How many tablespoons of peanut butter are in 100 g?
There are about 6 tablespoons in 100 g of peanut butter (100 divided by 16.9 is 5.9). A standard 340 g jar holds about 20 tablespoons.
Can I use almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Yes, 1:1 by weight. Almond butter, cashew butter and sunflower seed butter all work as direct replacements in baking and sauces. Sunflower seed butter is the best nut-free option. Check for nut allergies before serving, and expect a slightly different flavour.
Why does natural peanut butter separate?
Natural peanut butter contains no stabilisers, so the peanut oil rises to the top over time. This is normal. Stir the jar thoroughly before use, and store it upside down to slow the separation. Commercial peanut butter contains emulsifiers that keep it mixed.
How long does peanut butter last once opened?
About 3 to 6 months in a cool cupboard. Discard it if it smells rancid, tastes bitter, or shows mould. Do not refrigerate it — it turns hard and difficult to spread or measure.
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 Peanut Butter cups to grams page or work backwards from a gram amount on the Peanut Butter grams to cups page.
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