Ingredient Weight Converter · leavener
Active Dry Yeast: cups to grams
1 cup of active dry yeast weighs 144 grams. Use the converter below for any other amount, or check the quick-reference table.
By Andrew Flores, Editor and publisher, Nathan Management. Last reviewed .
Density source: USDA FoodData Central, cross-checked against the King Arthur Baking weight chart. How these figures are derived and corrected is documented in our editorial standards.
Active Dry Yeast baseline: 1 cup = 144 g.
Common amounts
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces (weight) | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4.0 | 36 g | 1.27 oz | 59 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.3 | 48 g | 1.69 oz | 79 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8.0 | 72 g | 2.54 oz | 118 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 10.7 | 96 g | 3.39 oz | 158 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 12.0 | 108 g | 3.81 oz | 177 mL |
| 1 cup | 16.0 | 144 g | 5.08 oz | 237 mL |
| 1.5 cups | 24.0 | 216 g | 7.62 oz | 355 mL |
| 2 cups | 32.0 | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 473 mL |
| 3 cups | 48.0 | 432 g | 15.24 oz | 710 mL |
| 4 cups | 64.0 | 576 g | 20.32 oz | 946 mL |
Spoon weights
Derived from the same 144 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 9.0 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 3.0 g |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 1.5 g |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 0.75 g |
Active Dry Yeast at a glance
- Standard packet
- 2 1/4 teaspoons = 7 g = 1/4 oz — enough for about 4 cups of flour
- Blooming water
- 105–115 °F. Above roughly 130 °F the yeast dies
- Salt
- Never dissolve yeast directly in salt — mix salt into the flour instead
What a cup of active dry yeast actually weighs
The published 144 g assumes one specific way of filling the cup. Here is what the same cup weighs under the other common handling methods and product forms, and how far off the recipe you end up.
| How it was measured | Grams per cup | vs. published | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spooned and leveled | 144 g | published figure | Listed for completeness. Yeast is a teaspoon-and-gram ingredient: 1 teaspoon is about 3 g. |
Why measuring active dry yeast by cup goes wrong
Active dry yeast and instant yeast come from the same organism with slightly different processing and particle size. Active dry has larger granules with a dead-cell coating and traditionally gets bloomed in warm water (105–115 °F) before mixing; instant yeast is milled finer and can go straight into the dry ingredients. A standard packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons or 7 grams.
Practical tips for working with active dry yeast
Yeast measured by the cup is impractical — measure by the teaspoon or by the gram. To test an older packet, dissolve a teaspoon in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar; in 5 minutes it should be foamy and smell yeasty. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead and the bread won't rise. Less yeast plus a longer, cooler rise almost always tastes better than more yeast and a fast one.
Note from this ingredient's record: Sold by the gram for a reason. A standard packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons or 7 g — enough to raise 4 cups of flour.
Substitutions that work — and what they cost you
Instant yeast for active dry
Ratio: Use about 25% less instant (3/4 teaspoon instant per 1 teaspoon active dry), added straight to the flour
Trade-off: Instant needs no blooming and rises faster. If you keep the same amount, watch the dough rather than the clock.
Fresh (cake) yeast for active dry
Ratio: About 3 times the weight of active dry
Trade-off: Crumble it into the liquid. It is more perishable — two weeks refrigerated — and largely a bakery product now.
When active dry yeast ruins the recipe
| What you see | What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dough did not rise at all | Dead yeast, or water hot enough to kill it. | Proof the yeast first in 105–115 °F water with a pinch of sugar. No foam in 5–10 minutes means start over with new yeast. |
| Bread tastes yeasty and boozy | Too much yeast, or a warm over-long rise. | Cut the yeast and let the dough rise in the fridge overnight. Slow fermentation builds flavor; fast fermentation builds only gas. |
Storing active dry yeast
Unopened packets keep in the pantry to their date. Once open, seal the jar and keep it in the freezer — yeast survives freezing well and lasts a year or more there. Use it straight from the freezer.
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