You’re standing over a pot of boiling pasta water or perhaps a bowl of cookie dough, recipe in hand, and it asks for exactly six grams of salt. You reach for your measuring spoons. Then you pause. Is a teaspoon five grams? Six? Does it even matter if you’re off by a hair?
Honestly, it matters a lot more than most home cooks realize.
If you want the quick, "standard" answer that most culinary schools and government health agencies like the CDC or the USDA use, how many grams of salt are in a teaspoon is generally cited as 5.69 grams. Most people just round that up to 6 grams for convenience. But here is the kicker: that number only applies to standard table salt. If you grab a box of Kosher salt or sea salt, that "standard" measurement completely falls apart. You might end up with half the salt you actually need, or double, depending on the brand sitting in your pantry.
Why the weight of your salt keeps changing
Salt isn't just salt. It's geometry.
Table salt is made of tiny, uniform cubes. Because these cubes are so small and regular, they pack together tightly in a spoon. There is very little air between the grains. This makes table salt dense. When you scoop a level teaspoon of the fine stuff, you are getting a very concentrated amount of sodium chloride.
Now, think about Kosher salt. Specifically, think about the two brands that dominate the American market: Morton and Diamond Crystal. They are not the same. At all. Morton Kosher salt is made by flattening salt crystals into hard flakes. Diamond Crystal is made using a patented process called the Alberger process, which creates hollow, pyramid-shaped crystals.
Because Diamond Crystal is hollow and light, it takes up a ton of space. A teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt weighs roughly 2.8 grams. Meanwhile, a teaspoon of Morton Kosher salt weighs about 4.8 grams.
Do you see the problem?
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If a recipe was developed by a chef who uses Diamond Crystal (which most professional chefs do because it's easier to pinch), and you use a teaspoon of table salt, you are putting nearly twice as much salt into your food as intended. Your dinner is ruined. It’s salty. It’s inedible. All because the density changed while the volume stayed the same.
The chemistry of the grain
We have to look at the crystal structure to understand the weight. Table salt usually contains anti-caking agents like calcium silicate. These additives keep the salt flowing freely even in humid kitchens. These tiny grains settle into the bottom of a teaspoon like sand. Sea salt is different. Depending on whether it’s flaky sea salt (like Maldon) or fine-grind sea salt, the weight can fluctuate wildly.
Maldon sea salt is famous for its massive, crunchy pyramids. If you try to measure how many grams of salt are in a teaspoon using Maldon, you might only get 3 grams. There is just too much air in the spoon.
Understanding the health implications of the teaspoon
Most adults should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. That’s the recommendation from the American Heart Association.
To put that in perspective, 2,300 mg of sodium is roughly what you find in one level teaspoon of table salt.
If you are just "eyeballing" your salt intake, you are probably overdoing it. Most people don't realize that sodium isn't just about the salt shaker. It's the weight. If you're tracking your macros or your heart health, you cannot rely on volume. You have to use a scale.
A single gram of salt contains about 388 mg of sodium. If your teaspoon of table salt weighs 5.7 grams, you're hitting your entire daily limit in one go. If you use a teaspoon of flaky salt that only weighs 3 grams, you're only getting about 1,164 mg of sodium. That is a massive discrepancy for someone managing hypertension.
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The moisture factor
Salt is hygroscopic. That’s a fancy way of saying it sucks moisture out of the air. If you live in a swampy climate or it’s a humid summer day, your salt might actually weigh more than it does in the winter. The salt absorbs water molecules, increasing its mass without changing its volume. While this usually only accounts for a tiny percentage of the weight, in a precision laboratory setting or a high-end bakery, it's enough to throw off a formula.
How to convert salt measurements like a pro
Since we know that volume is a lie, we have to look at the conversion rates that professional bakers use. In the world of sourdough and patisserie, everything is done in grams. No one uses teaspoons.
If you are forced to convert, use these rough guidelines for one level teaspoon:
- Table Salt: ~5.7g
- Fine Sea Salt: ~5.5g
- Morton Kosher Salt: ~4.8g
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: ~2.8g
- Maldon Flaky Salt: ~3g (but varies wildly)
You’ll notice that Diamond Crystal is almost exactly half the weight of table salt. This is why many chefs say "add a teaspoon of salt, or two if it's Kosher." They are usually referring to Diamond Crystal. If you followed that advice with Morton, you'd be in trouble.
The spoon itself matters
Let’s talk about the hardware. Not all teaspoons are created equal. In the United States, a legal teaspoon is defined as 4.93 milliliters. In the UK and much of the Commonwealth, a metric teaspoon is exactly 5 milliliters.
It sounds small. It’s only 0.07 ml. But when you are measuring dense minerals like salt, these tiny variations in the manufacturing of your measuring spoons add up. Then there's the human element. Are you scooping and leveling with a knife? Are you "heaping" the spoon? A heaping teaspoon can easily hold 10 grams of salt, effectively doubling the "standard" amount.
Why the "pinch" is more accurate than the spoon
It sounds counterintuitive. How can a "pinch" be better than a calibrated measuring tool?
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Experienced cooks use their fingers because they can feel the texture and weight of the salt. When you use a spoon, you are blind to the density. When you use your hand, you develop a tactile memory for how much how many grams of salt are in a teaspoon equivalent.
Most people’s "three-finger pinch" (thumb, index, and middle finger) is roughly 1/8th to 1/4 of a teaspoon. For Diamond Crystal, that’s about 0.5 grams. For table salt, it’s closer to 1 gram. Once you know your own hand, you become much more consistent than a cheap plastic spoon could ever make you.
Salt around the world
In Europe, recipes almost exclusively list salt in grams. This eliminates the confusion entirely. If a French recipe calls for 10 grams of salt, it doesn't matter if you use rock salt, grey sea salt (Sel Gris), or fine table salt. Ten grams is ten grams. The mass remains constant regardless of how much air is trapped between the crystals.
The US insistence on volume measurements is one of the biggest hurdles for amateur bakers. If you’re making bread, the "salt percentage" is usually 2% of the flour weight. If your flour is 500 grams, you need 10 grams of salt. Trying to figure out how many teaspoons that is based on the specific brand of salt you bought at the grocery store is a headache you don't need.
The final verdict on the teaspoon
So, you’re looking for a definitive number.
If you are calculating nutritional info: 5.7 grams.
If you are baking bread with table salt: 6 grams.
If you are using Kosher salt: 3 to 5 grams.
The reality is that salt is a physical object with varying shapes. Think of it like a room full of beach balls versus a room full of marbles. Both rooms are the same size (the teaspoon), but the weight of the objects inside will be drastically different because the marbles pack together while the beach balls leave huge gaps of air.
Actionable steps for your kitchen
Stop guessing. If you want your food to taste the same every time you cook it, you need to change your approach to seasoning.
- Buy a digital scale. You need one that measures in 0.1-gram increments. Standard kitchen scales that only do whole grams aren't sensitive enough for salt. A 0.5-gram error is a big deal when it comes to sodium.
- Pick one brand of salt and stick to it. Don't jump between brands. If you like the way Morton Kosher salt handles, use it for everything. You will eventually learn exactly how it behaves.
- Check the label. If you are worried about health, look at the "Serving Size" on the back of the salt container. Most will list the weight in grams for 1/4 teaspoon. Multiply that by four to get the most accurate weight for your specific brand.
- Level your spoons. If you must use volume, use the back of a straight knife to sweep across the top of the measuring spoon. A "rounded" teaspoon can weigh 20-30% more than a level one.
- Taste as you go. This is the most important rule. No matter what the math says, your tongue is the ultimate arbiter. If the math says 6 grams but it tastes flat, add more. If it tastes sharp, take a note for next time.
Weight is the only universal language in the kitchen. Once you stop thinking in teaspoons and start thinking in grams, your cooking will instantly become more professional and your health tracking will actually be accurate.