Ingredient Weight Converter · leavener
Baking Soda: cups to grams
1 cup of baking soda weighs 220 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.
Baking Soda baseline: 1 cup = 220 g.
Common amounts
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces (weight) | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4.0 | 55 g | 1.94 oz | 59 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.3 | 73 g | 2.58 oz | 79 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8.0 | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 118 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 10.7 | 147 g | 5.18 oz | 158 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 12.0 | 165 g | 5.82 oz | 177 mL |
| 1 cup | 16.0 | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 237 mL |
| 1.5 cups | 24.0 | 330 g | 11.64 oz | 355 mL |
| 2 cups | 32.0 | 440 g | 15.52 oz | 473 mL |
| 3 cups | 48.0 | 660 g | 23.28 oz | 710 mL |
| 4 cups | 64.0 | 880 g | 31.04 oz | 946 mL |
Spoon weights
Derived from the same 220 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 14 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 4.6 g |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.3 g |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 1.1 g |
Baking Soda at a glance
- Working dose
- 1/4 teaspoon (about 1.2 g) per cup of flour, paired with an acid
- Strength
- About 3–4 times as powerful as baking powder — they are not interchangeable spoon for spoon
- It also browns
- Soda raises pH, which speeds Maillard browning. That is why it appears in pretzel and cookie recipes that want color
What a cup of baking soda actually weighs
The published 220 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 | 220 g | published figure | Listed for completeness. In practice: 1 teaspoon is about 4.6 g. |
Why measuring baking soda by cup goes wrong
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. It needs an acid (buttermilk, lemon juice, yogurt, molasses, brown sugar, natural cocoa powder) to release the carbon dioxide that lifts a batter. A cup weighs 220 grams. Like baking powder, the practical unit is the teaspoon — about 4.6 grams — and the rule of thumb is 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour, paired with an acid.
Practical tips for working with baking soda
If a recipe contains both baking soda and baking powder, it's because the baker calculated exactly how much acid the recipe has. Soda neutralizes the acid (so the cake doesn't taste sour) and powder provides additional lift. Doubling the soda alone leaves a flat, soapy result. Older baking soda still works — it doesn't degrade the way powder does — but keep an open box in the fridge for odor absorption and a sealed box for baking.
Note from this ingredient's record: Pure sodium bicarbonate. Needs an acid (buttermilk, lemon juice, brown sugar) in the recipe to lift dough.
Substitutions that work — and what they cost you
Baking powder for baking soda
Ratio: About 3 teaspoons powder per 1 teaspoon soda
Trade-off: That much powder brings its own acid and a lot of salt-like aftertaste. It works in a pinch and never tastes quite right.
When baking soda ruins the recipe
| What you see | What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies taste soapy and have a coppery aftertaste | More soda than the recipe's acid can neutralise; the leftover bicarbonate stays in the crumb. | Measure level. If the recipe has no obvious acid — no buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, or natural cocoa — it probably wanted baking powder. |
| Batter fizzed in the bowl and the cake came out flat | Soda meets acid on contact and starts spending its gas immediately. | Mix wet and dry at the last moment and get it into a preheated oven right away. |
Storing baking soda
Sealed, dry, effectively indefinite — sodium bicarbonate is stable. The open box in the fridge is doing odor duty and should never go back into a recipe.
Other ingredients
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