100 g of pistachios is about 13.3 tablespoons, approximately. One tablespoon of pistachios weighs 7.5 g, and one teaspoon weighs 2.5 g, so the arithmetic is simple: 100 g divided by 7.5 g per tablespoon gives 13.3 tablespoons. The figure comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled, and every result on this page is labelled approximate. Keep the scale nearby for anything that has to be exact.
Nuts are sold by weight and eaten by the handful, and recipes split the difference by measuring them in cups and tablespoons. That split is where the trouble starts: a cup of whole nuts holds a lot of air, a cup of chopped nuts holds much less, and the same recipe can come out with very different amounts of nut depending on how they were measured. Weighing 100 g of pistachios removes that guesswork — it is about 13.3 tablespoons, and it is the same every time.
About Pistachios
Shelled pistachio kernels, green and mildly sweet. Baklava, salads, pesto and ice cream. That is why pistachios shows up in recipes measured by the tablespoon as well as the cup: a tablespoon is the right unit for a garnish or a small addition, while a cup is the unit for a cake or a batch of granola. Knowing that one tablespoon weighs 7.5 g lets you move between the spoon and the scale without stopping to work it out. Pistachios are usually bought in the shell, so 100 g shelled is a much bigger bowl than 100 g in the shell.
Storage. Airtight container in a cool place; refrigerate for longer.
Grams to tablespoons table
The table below converts grams of pistachios into tablespoons, using 7.5 g per tablespoon. Use it when a recipe gives a weight and you want to measure by spoon, or when a packet tells you the weight and you want to know how many spoonfuls that is. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
| Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|
| 10 g | 1.3 tbsp |
| 20 g | 2.7 tbsp |
| 25 g | 3.3 tbsp |
| 30 g | 4 tbsp |
| 40 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 50 g | 6.7 tbsp |
| 60 g | 8 tbsp |
| 70 g | 9.3 tbsp |
| 75 g | 10 tbsp |
| 80 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 90 g | 12 tbsp |
| 100 g | 13.3 tbsp |
Tablespoons to grams table
Working the other way round, here is what each spoonful of pistachios weighs. One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every figure below is the cup weight of 120 g divided by 16. Sixteen tablespoons make one cup, which is why the last row of the table matches the cup weight exactly.
| Tablespoons | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 7.5 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 15 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 22.5 g |
| 4 tablespoons | 30 g |
| 5 tablespoons | 37.5 g |
| 6 tablespoons | 45 g |
| 7 tablespoons | 52.5 g |
| 8 tablespoons | 60 g |
| 9 tablespoons | 67.5 g |
| 10 tablespoons | 75 g |
| 16 tablespoons | 120 g |
Cups to grams for reference
Most recipes switch between cups and tablespoons, so here is the same ingredient measured in cups. Use this table when a recipe gives a cup amount and you want to weigh it, or when you have already measured in tablespoons and want to check the total.
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4 tablespoons | 30 g |
| 1/3 cup | 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon | 40 g |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tablespoons | 60 g |
| 2/3 cup | 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons | 80 g |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tablespoons | 90 g |
| 1 cup | 16 tablespoons | 120 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 24 tablespoons | 180 g |
| 2 cups | 32 tablespoons | 240 g |
Worked examples
A tray of granola for the week
A granola recipe that calls for half a cup of pistachios needs 60 g, or 8 tablespoons at 7.5 g each. Nuts are the most expensive ingredient in most granola, so weighing the 60 g matters twice over: it keeps the cost down and it keeps the balance right, because too many nuts makes the granola heavy and too few makes it mostly oats. Toss the weighed nuts with the oats and honey before baking, and stir halfway through so they toast evenly instead of burning on top.
Chopped nuts folded into cookie dough
A cookie recipe that asks for 4 tablespoons of chopped pistachios needs about 30 g, and the word chopped matters: chopping changes how the nuts pack, so 4 tablespoons of chopped nuts weighs more than 4 tablespoons of whole ones. Weigh the nuts first, then chop them, and fold them into the dough last so they stay evenly distributed instead of sinking to the bottom of the bowl. Four tablespoons is enough to give every cookie a few pieces without making the dough hard to scoop.
A 100 g bag turned into a salad topping
A 100 g bag of pistachios is about 13.3 tablespoons, which is more than a single recipe usually needs — it is a topping for several salads or a snack for several days. Toast a few tablespoons at a time in a dry pan until they smell fragrant, then cool them before scattering over the salad, because hot nuts wilt the leaves. Keep the rest of the bag sealed, because nuts go stale and their oils turn rancid faster than most pantry ingredients.
How the figure is measured
Pistachios is measured spooned and levelled: spoon it loosely into the tablespoon, then sweep the top flat with the back of a knife. Do not scoop directly from the bag or jar, because scooping packs the ingredient down and a scooped spoon can weigh far more than a spooned one. The spoon-and-level method is the one the source data assumes, so it is the method that makes the numbers on this page true.
The cup weight of 120 g comes from King Arthur Baking. The tablespoon figure is that cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place, which is why the table is consistent from one row to the next. All results are approximate: brand, grind, humidity and temperature all move the real weight a little, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use these numbers as a guide.
Scaling the recipe up and down
Tablespoons scale cleanly once you know the weight of one spoon. A recipe that calls for 8 tablespoons of pistachios needs 60 g, and doubling it to 16 tablespoons means 120 g, exactly one cup. Halving works the same way: 4 tablespoons is 30 g, and 2 tablespoons is 15 g. The rule that matters is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance.
When a recipe gives a weight instead of spoonfuls, work backwards: 100 g of pistachios is about 13.3 tablespoons, and 50 g is about 6.7 tablespoons. Round to the nearest half tablespoon when you are measuring by hand, and accept that the result will be a gram or two off, which is fine for most cooking. For large amounts, stop counting spoons and switch to a cup measure or a scale: counting out 16 tablespoons is slow and error-prone, and a cup is faster and more accurate.
If you do not have a scale
If you do not own a kitchen scale, the tables on this page are your best substitute — but they only work if the spoon is filled the right way. Use a proper set of measuring spoons, fill the tablespoon spooned and levelled, and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not use a tablespoon from the cutlery drawer, do not heap the spoon, and do not scoop straight from the bag, because each of those habits adds an unpredictable amount. For a single tablespoon the error is small in absolute terms but large as a percentage, so for baking and for any recipe you plan to repeat, a basic digital scale is worth the small cost: it turns every conversion on this page from an approximation into a certainty.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons is 100 g of pistachios?
About 13.3 tablespoons. The calculation is 100 g divided by 7.5 g per tablespoon, which gives 13.3. In practice, measure that many level tablespoons and accept that the result will be a gram or two off, or weigh the ingredient directly if the recipe needs to be exact.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of pistachios?
One tablespoon of pistachios weighs 7.5 g, approximately. The figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 120 g by 16, since one tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup. One teaspoon is 2.5 g, and one cup is 120 g.
How many tablespoons of pistachios are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in one US cup, so one cup of pistachios is 16 tablespoons and weighs 120 g. Half a cup is 8 tablespoons (60 g), a quarter cup is 4 tablespoons (30 g), and three quarters of a cup is 12 tablespoons (90 g).
Is 7.5 g per tablespoon exact or approximate?
It is approximate. The cup weight of 120 g comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled, and the real weight of a tablespoon varies with brand, grind, humidity and how the spoon is filled. For most cooking the approximation is fine, and for baking or any recipe that has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
Do whole nuts and chopped nuts weigh the same per tablespoon?
No. Chopped pistachios packs more tightly than whole pistachios, so a tablespoon of chopped nuts weighs more than a tablespoon of whole ones, even though the spoon is the same size. The table on this page assumes the nuts are measured as the data source measured them, spooned and levelled. The practical fix is to weigh the nuts before chopping them, so the amount is right whatever you do to them afterwards.
How should I store pistachios so it stays fresh?
Airtight container in a cool place; refrigerate for longer. Nuts go stale because their oils oxidise, and the first sign is a bitter, paint-like smell. If a bag smells off, it is past saving for baking — the bitterness survives the oven. Buy in smaller amounts if you bake rarely, and keep what you have sealed and cool.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring whole nuts in a cup and chopped nuts in a cup as if they weighed the same — chopped nuts pack tighter and weigh more.
- Scooping directly from the bag, which packs the nuts down and makes a spoonful weigh far more than a spooned one.
- Leaving the spoon heaped instead of levelling it, which adds an unpredictable extra amount every time.
- Storing nuts at room temperature for months, where their oils go rancid and turn bitter.
The thread running through all of these is the same: nuts are not a uniform ingredient, and the only measurement that is the same every time is the weight. Measure pistachios spooned and levelled, level it off, and check the weight on a scale when the recipe has to be right, and the numbers on this page will serve you well.