1 teaspoon of pearled barley weighs 4.44 g. A teaspoon is one forty-eighth of a cup, and a cup of pearled barley is 213 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 213 ÷ 48 = 4.44 g. The same cup divided by 16 gives the tablespoon weight of 13.3 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.
Pearled barley by the teaspoon is a measure for soups and stews: a spoonful stirred into a pot to thicken it, a spoonful in a risotto-style dish, or a spoonful in a grain salad where barley is the accent rather than the base. A teaspoon holds 4.44 g, which makes barley one of the heaviest grains per spoon on this site — the polished grains are dense and pack tightly. Barley also keeps absorbing liquid long after other grains have stopped, which is the practical point that matters most.
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 | 4.44 g |
| 2 tsp | 8.88 g |
| 3 tsp | 13.31 g |
| 4 tsp | 17.75 g |
| 5 tsp | 22.19 g |
| 6 tsp | 26.62 g |
| 7 tsp | 31.06 g |
| 8 tsp | 35.50 g |
| 9 tsp | 39.94 g |
| 10 tsp | 44.38 g |
| 11 tsp | 48.81 g |
| 12 tsp | 53.25 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 | 13.3 g |
| 2 tbsp | 26.6 g |
| 3 tbsp | 39.9 g |
| 4 tbsp | 53.2 g |
| 5 tbsp | 66.6 g |
| 6 tbsp | 79.9 g |
| 7 tbsp | 93.2 g |
| 8 tbsp | 106.5 g |
| 9 tbsp | 119.8 g |
| 10 tbsp | 133.1 g |
| 11 tbsp | 146.4 g |
| 12 tbsp | 159.8 g |
| 13 tbsp | 173.1 g |
| 14 tbsp | 186.4 g |
| 15 tbsp | 199.7 g |
| 16 tbsp | 213.0 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 | 53.2 g |
| 1/3 cup | 71.0 g |
| 1/2 cup | 106.5 g |
| 2/3 cup | 142.0 g |
| 3/4 cup | 159.8 g |
| 1 cup | 213.0 g |
One cup of pearled barley weighs 213 g, so a quarter cup is 53.2 g and half a cup is 106.5 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. Hulled barley with the bran polished off; cooks tender and chewy. Soups, stews, risotto-style dishes and salads.
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 pearled barley 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 spoonful to thicken a soup
A soup for two takes 5 teaspoons (22.19 g) of pearled barley stirred in and simmered for forty minutes, and the barley thickens the broth while it cooks. The amount matters because barley keeps swelling as it sits, so a soup that is perfect at lunchtime can be a stew by dinner if you add too much.
Barley in a risotto-style dish
A barley risotto for two starts with 10 teaspoons (44.38 g) of pearled barley toasted in butter before the stock goes in a ladle at a time, and the spoon measure keeps the dish creamy instead of stodgy. Stir it often, because barley catches on the bottom of the pan faster than rice does.
A grain salad for one
A grain salad for one takes 8 teaspoons (35.50 g) of pearled barley cooked and cooled, tossed with herbs and lemon, and the spoon measure keeps the salad light instead of heavy. Cook the barley ahead and chill it — warm barley wilts the herbs and turns the salad soggy.
Practical guidance
Spoon pearled barley in level and do not press it down: the dense grains pack tightly on their own, and the figures hold as long as you level with a knife. Pearled barley is barley with the bran polished off, which is why it cooks faster than hulled barley and why it weighs what it does — hulled barley is a touch lighter per spoon because the bran is rough and traps air. Do not swap them spoon for spoon without adjusting the cooking time.
Barley is the grain that most rewards a scale, because it keeps absorbing liquid after cooking: a pot of barley soup thickens as it stands, and the only fix is more stock. If you are making soup ahead, cook the barley separately and add it when you serve. Store pearled barley sealed and dry for up to a year; it is one of the hardiest grains in the cupboard.
Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of pearled barley, count out about 22.5 teaspoons, and for 50 g, about 11.3 teaspoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 teaspoons means using 2 teaspoons, or 8.88 g, and doubling it means 8 teaspoons, or 35.50 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 pearled barley 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 pearled barley 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 grams is 1 teaspoon of pearled barley?
One level teaspoon of pearled barley weighs approximately 4.44 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 213 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 pearled barley the same as hulled barley?
No. Pearled barley has the bran polished off, so it cooks faster — about 40 minutes against over an hour for hulled barley — and it is slightly heavier per spoon because the polished grains pack tighter. They are not interchangeable spoon for spoon without adjusting the cooking time.
Why does barley soup get thicker as it sits?
Because barley keeps absorbing liquid long after it is cooked. A soup that is perfect at lunchtime can be a stew by dinner. The fix is to cook the barley separately and add it when you serve, or to keep extra stock on hand to thin the soup back out.
How much does pearled barley expand when cooked?
About three times by volume, like rice. A teaspoon of dry pearled barley weighs 4.44 g and cooks into roughly a tablespoon of tender barley. The figures on this page are for dry barley only.
How many teaspoons of pearled barley are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, so 1 tablespoon of pearled barley weighs approximately 13.3 g, which is three times the teaspoon weight of 4.44 g. Use the tablespoon table on this page when a recipe switches between the two units.
How should I store pearled barley?
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.