1 teaspoon of white rice weighs 4.12 g. A teaspoon is one forty-eighth of a cup, and a cup of white rice is 198 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 198 ÷ 48 = 4.12 g. The same cup divided by 16 gives the tablespoon weight of 12.4 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.
White rice by the teaspoon is a measure for the small jobs: a spoonful stirred into a soup to thicken it, a spoonful in a stuffing, or a spoonful of rice flour's cousin measured out for a single-serve rice pudding. A teaspoon holds 4.12 g, and a cup is 198 g — rice is a dense, heavy grain per spoon, because the grains pack tightly with almost no air. The spoon table is also the bridge to the rice cooker: a recipe that calls for a cup of rice is asking for about 48 teaspoons, and knowing that helps when you are scaling a recipe down to one serving.
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 | 4.12 g |
| 2 tsp | 8.25 g |
| 3 tsp | 12.38 g |
| 4 tsp | 16.50 g |
| 5 tsp | 20.62 g |
| 6 tsp | 24.75 g |
| 7 tsp | 28.88 g |
| 8 tsp | 33.00 g |
| 9 tsp | 37.12 g |
| 10 tsp | 41.25 g |
| 11 tsp | 45.38 g |
| 12 tsp | 49.50 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 | 12.4 g |
| 2 tbsp | 24.8 g |
| 3 tbsp | 37.1 g |
| 4 tbsp | 49.5 g |
| 5 tbsp | 61.9 g |
| 6 tbsp | 74.2 g |
| 7 tbsp | 86.6 g |
| 8 tbsp | 99.0 g |
| 9 tbsp | 111.4 g |
| 10 tbsp | 123.8 g |
| 11 tbsp | 136.1 g |
| 12 tbsp | 148.5 g |
| 13 tbsp | 160.9 g |
| 14 tbsp | 173.2 g |
| 15 tbsp | 185.6 g |
| 16 tbsp | 198.0 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 | 49.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 66.0 g |
| 1/2 cup | 99.0 g |
| 2/3 cup | 132.0 g |
| 3/4 cup | 148.5 g |
| 1 cup | 198.0 g |
One cup of white rice weighs 198 g, so a quarter cup is 49.5 g and half a cup is 99.0 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. Long-grain white rice, uncooked. Pilaf, stir-fries, rice pudding and side dishes.
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 white rice 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 4 teaspoons (16.50 g) of white rice stirred in and simmered for twenty minutes, and the rice breaks down just enough to thicken the broth without turning it into porridge. The amount matters because rice keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so too much rice turns the soup into a stew by the time you serve it.
Rice in a single-serve stuffing
A stuffing for one chicken breast takes 6 teaspoons (24.75 g) of white rice mixed with herbs and a little stock, and the spoon measure keeps the stuffing light instead of dense. Cook the rice halfway first — raw rice in a stuffing steals moisture from the meat and stays crunchy.
A small rice pudding for one
A rice pudding for one starts with 8 teaspoons (33.00 g) of white rice simmered in milk with sugar and vanilla, and the spoon measure is what keeps the pudding creamy instead of stodgy. Stir it often, because rice pudding catches on the bottom of the pan and burns in minutes.
Practical guidance
Spoon white rice in level and do not shake the spoon to settle it: rice grains pack tightly on their own, and shaking adds almost nothing — but pressing the spoon down with a finger does add weight, so level it with a knife instead. Long-grain, short-grain and basmati all weigh almost the same per teaspoon once dry, so the figures hold across varieties; what changes is the cooking, not the measuring. Rinse the rice before measuring if the recipe calls for rinsed rice, and measure after rinsing — wet rice weighs more per spoon.
Rice is one of the few ingredients where the dry weight and the cooked weight are wildly different: a teaspoon of dry white rice weighs 4.12 g, but the same rice cooked weighs about three times as much, because it absorbs water. Never use the figures on this page for cooked rice — weigh it on a scale instead.
Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of white rice, count out about 24.2 teaspoons, and for 50 g, about 12.1 teaspoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 teaspoons means using 2 teaspoons, or 8.25 g, and doubling it means 8 teaspoons, or 33.00 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 white rice 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 white rice 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 2 years.
- 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 white rice?
One level teaspoon of white rice weighs approximately 4.12 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 198 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 many teaspoons of white rice are in a cup?
48 teaspoons, because there are 48 teaspoons in a cup. A cup of white rice weighs about 198 g, so a teaspoon weighs about 4.12 g. That is the figure to use when you are scaling a rice recipe down to a single serving.
Does cooked rice weigh the same as dry rice per teaspoon?
No — cooked rice weighs about three times as much as dry rice, because it absorbs water as it cooks. The figures on this page are for dry, uncooked rice only, so weigh cooked rice on a scale instead of using this table.
Do different types of white rice weigh the same per teaspoon?
Yes, for practical purposes. Long-grain, short-grain, basmati and jasmine rice all weigh about 4.12 g per teaspoon when dry. The grains are different shapes, but they pack similarly enough that the difference is smaller than the error from levelling the spoon.
How many teaspoons of white rice are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, so 1 tablespoon of white rice weighs approximately 12.4 g, which is three times the teaspoon weight of 4.12 g. Use the tablespoon table on this page when a recipe switches between the two units.
How should I store white rice?
Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 2 years. 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.