Grams of Sugar to Teaspoons Converter

How it works

teaspoons = grams ÷ grams per teaspoon (4 g nutrition-label rule; 4.2 g granulated, 4.6 g packed brown, 2.5 g powdered, 7 g honey) · tablespoons = teaspoons ÷ 3 · calories ≈ grams × 3.87 (sugar) or × 3.04 (honey)

Nutrition labels list sugar in grams, which is hard to picture. Dietitians and public-health campaigns convert with 4 grams per teaspoon; a level teaspoon of granulated sugar actually weighs about 4.2 g. The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of energy (about 50 g a day on 2,000 kcal) and ideally below 5% (25 g), while the American Heart Association suggests no more than 25 g of added sugar for women and 36 g for men.

Worked example

A can of soda with 39 g of sugar, at 4 g per teaspoon, holds 39 ÷ 4 = 9.8 teaspoons (3.3 tablespoons, about 151 kcal) — 78% of the WHO daily limit and more than the whole AHA limit for women (156%).

Sources: WHO — Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children (2015) · American Heart Association — Added sugars

Frequently asked questions