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Baking soda:
grams to cups.
Baking soda weighs 220 g per cup — slightly denser than baking powder (192 g) because pure sodium bicarbonate has no added starch fillers. A teaspoon of baking soda weighs about 4.6 g, and in small quantities, the difference between 4 g and 5 g per teaspoon can significantly affect how a recipe rises.
Baking Soda: grams to cups
Approximate cup fractions for common gram amounts. Based on 220 g per cup.
| Grams | Cups (approx) | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | ⅙ | 0.11 |
| 50 g | ¼ | 0.23 |
| 100 g | ½ | 0.46 |
| 150 g | ⅔ | 0.68 |
| 200 g | 1 | 0.91 |
| 250 g | 1 ⅙ | 1.14 |
| 500 g | 2 ¼ | 2.27 |
Baking Soda: cups to grams
Based on 220 g per cup.
| Volume | Grams (g) |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 220 g |
| ¾ cup | 165 g |
| ½ cup | 110 g |
| ⅓ cup | 73 g |
| ¼ cup | 55 g |
| 1 tbsp | 14 g |
| 1 tsp | 5 g |
Convert baking soda instantly
Pure sodium bicarbonate: denser and more potent than baking powder
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), without any acid or cornstarch filler. Baking powder is a blend of baking soda, an acid, and cornstarch — which is why baking powder is less dense per cup. Baking soda is also approximately 3–4× stronger per gram as a leavening agent than baking powder: about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda can produce as much CO₂ as 1 teaspoon of baking powder. This means over-measuring baking soda is easy to do and impactful — even a small extra pinch in a delicate cake can leave a soapy, metallic aftertaste from the excess alkalinity. Weighing 4.6 g for 1 teaspoon removes this risk.
Baking soda requires acid in the recipe: what that means for measurement
Unlike baking powder, baking soda has no built-in acid and only activates when it encounters an acidic ingredient — buttermilk, yogurt, brown sugar, honey, citrus, or cocoa powder (natural, not Dutch-process). The amount of baking soda needed is calibrated to the acid available. A recipe with a lot of buttermilk can handle more baking soda; one with little acid source needs very little baking soda. This is why baking soda quantities in recipes are often unusual-looking fractions like ¾ teaspoon — they've been precisely calibrated against the acid content. Weighing rather than measuring by spoon preserves that calibration.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams is 1 teaspoon of baking soda?
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda weighs about 4.6 g (220 g ÷ 48 teaspoons per cup).
- How many grams is ½ teaspoon of baking soda?
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda weighs about 2.3 g.
- Can I substitute baking soda for baking powder at the same teaspoon weight?
- No — baking soda is 3–4× more potent per gram than baking powder. Use about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder called for, and add an acidic ingredient to activate it.
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