Kosher salt conversion to table salt, without guesswork
A teaspoon of salt is not a fixed amount of salt. Fine table salt packs tightly into the spoon, while the hollow flakes of some kosher salts trap so much air that a teaspoon weighs less than half as much. That is why a recipe written with one salt can taste flat or far too salty with another. This kosher salt conversion calculator swaps between table salt, fine sea salt, dense kosher salt, flaky kosher salt, coarse sea salt and flaky sea salt by volume or by weight.
Enter the amount the recipe gives, choose the salt it was written for and the salt in your cupboard, and read the spoon measure to use. The table underneath shows the same amount of salt in every type, the grams and the sodium. Everything is worked out in your browser.
How to use the Kosher Salt to Table Salt Converter
- Type the amount from the recipe and pick the unit: teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, millilitres, grams or ounces.
- Choose the salt the recipe uses. If a US recipe just says “kosher salt”, check whether the author names flaky or dense crystals; flaky is the safer guess, because it is the lighter one.
- Choose the salt you have, or press the swap button to reverse the direction.
- Read the spoon measure. For a salt not on the list, choose “Your salt” and enter the weight of one level teaspoon.
Kosher Salt to Table Salt Converter features
Six salt types
Table, fine sea, dense kosher, flaky kosher, coarse sea and flaky sea salt, named by crystal type rather than by brand.
Volume or weight
Spoons, cups and millilitres are converted through grams per teaspoon; grams and ounces convert one for one.
Kitchen fractions
Answers are rounded to the nearest ⅛ teaspoon and written as tablespoons plus teaspoons where that is easier to measure.
Sodium shown
Each conversion shows the sodium in milligrams and as a share of the 2,300 mg daily value.
Your own salt
Weigh a level teaspoon of any salt and the converter uses that figure.
Salt conversion chart: grams per level teaspoon
These are the weights the calculator uses. Table salt comes from the USDA FoodData Central portion weight; the two kosher figures are the serving sizes printed on common US kosher salt boxes; the sea-salt figures are typical values that vary from brand to brand.
| Salt | g per tsp | 1 tsp table salt equals |
|---|---|---|
| Table salt (fine) | 6.0 | 1 tsp |
| Fine sea salt | about 6 (5.5–6) | about 1 tsp |
| Dense kosher salt | 4.8 | 1 ¼ tsp |
| Flaky kosher salt | 2.8 | 2 ⅛ tsp |
| Coarse sea salt | about 4.5 (4–5) | about 1 ⅜ tsp |
| Flaky sea salt | about 3 (2.5–3.5) | about 2 tsp |
Why weighing salt is the reliable answer
By weight, every one of these salts is almost pure sodium chloride, so 10 g of flaky kosher salt seasons food the same as 10 g of table salt. Only the volume differs. Bakers and charcutiers weigh salt for that reason, and the brine calculator and baker’s percentage calculator both work in grams.
When a recipe gives only spoons, convert through grams as this page does. Sea salts carry a little moisture and trace minerals, so gram for gram they are very slightly less salty; the difference is too small to taste in most cooking.
Kosher salt equivalent in the UK and India
Kosher salt is hard to find outside North America. For a US recipe, flaky sea salt crushed between your fingers is the closest texture to flaky kosher salt, and fine sea salt or table salt works if you use the converted, smaller spoon amount. In India, ordinary iodised table salt and fine sea salt both behave like the table-salt row. Iodised salt does not change the conversion, but avoid it in pickling and fermentation, where it can cloud the brine; for other swaps see the ingredient substitution finder.
Kosher Salt to Table Salt Converter FAQ
How much table salt equals 1 teaspoon of kosher salt?
For flaky kosher salt, about ½ teaspoon of table salt. For dense kosher salt, a little over ¾ teaspoon. Choose the right kosher salt above for the exact figure.
Can I use table salt instead of kosher salt?
Yes, as long as you use less of it by volume. Table salt is denser, so a straight spoon-for-spoon swap can make a dish about twice as salty when the recipe used flaky kosher salt.
Is kosher salt saltier than table salt?
No. Gram for gram they are equally salty. A spoonful of kosher salt simply holds less salt because the crystals are bigger and pack loosely.
What is the kosher salt equivalent in the UK?
Flaky sea salt is the closest substitute for texture. For measuring, convert the recipe amount here and use fine sea salt or table salt in the smaller amount shown.
Why are there two kinds of kosher salt?
They are made differently. Hollow, flaky crystals are light and crush easily; compact, dense crystals weigh almost twice as much per teaspoon. Recipe writers usually say which one they used.
How many grams of salt are in a teaspoon?
About 6 g of table salt, 4.8 g of dense kosher salt and 2.8 g of flaky kosher salt per level US teaspoon.