Ingredient Weight Converter

Ingredient Weight Converter · seasoning

Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal): cups to grams

1 cup of kosher salt (diamond crystal) weighs 152 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.

Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal) baseline: 1 cup = 152 g.

Common amounts

CupsTablespoonsGramsOunces (weight)Milliliters
1/4 cup4.038 g1.34 oz59 mL
1/3 cup5.351 g1.79 oz79 mL
1/2 cup8.076 g2.68 oz118 mL
2/3 cup10.7101 g3.58 oz158 mL
3/4 cup12.0114 g4.02 oz177 mL
1 cup16.0152 g5.36 oz237 mL
1.5 cups24.0228 g8.04 oz355 mL
2 cups32.0304 g10.72 oz473 mL
3 cups48.0456 g16.08 oz710 mL
4 cups64.0608 g21.45 oz946 mL

Spoon weights

Derived from the same 152 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.

AmountGrams
1 tablespoon9.5 g
1 teaspoon3.2 g
1/2 teaspoon1.6 g
1/4 teaspoon0.79 g

Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal) at a glance

Per teaspoon
about 3 g Diamond Crystal, about 5 g Morton — nearly a 2x difference under the same name
Sodium per teaspoon
about 1,100 mg Diamond Crystal, about 1,900 mg Morton
Why chefs use it
Large flakes are easy to pinch and see, so you can salt by feel and by eye

What a cup of kosher salt (diamond crystal) actually weighs

The published 152 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 measuredGrams per cupvs. publishedWhy
Diamond Crystal152 gpublished figureHollow pyramid crystals made by evaporation in an open pan. Mostly air, dissolves fast, forgiving.
Morton kosher~240 g+58%Compressed flakes, denser and slower to dissolve. Same box name, roughly 60% more salt per spoon.
Maldon or other flake finishing salt~120 g-21%Large, thin, brittle flakes with even more air. It is for crunch at the table, not for seasoning a pot.

A tilde (~) marks a working estimate rather than a published figure — it varies with brand, grind, or how hard the cup was packed.

Why measuring kosher salt (diamond crystal) by cup goes wrong

Diamond Crystal kosher salt is one of the lightest salts on the shelf: a cup weighs only 152 grams because the hollow pyramid flakes are mostly air. Morton's kosher is rolled rather than raked, so it is denser at about 240 g/cup — same name on the box, very different salting power. Most American restaurant recipes are calibrated to Diamond Crystal.

Practical tips for working with kosher salt (diamond crystal)

When converting between salts: 1 teaspoon table salt = roughly 1 1/4 teaspoons Morton kosher = roughly 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher. If you switch brands mid-recipe career, expect to recalibrate every dish for a few weeks until the new volume becomes intuition. Sea salt flakes (Maldon) are even lighter and best used as a finishing salt where the crunch matters.

Note from this ingredient's record: Diamond Crystal is roughly half the weight per volume of Morton's kosher. Brand matters more than you would think — Morton's kosher is closer to 240 g/cup.

Substitutions that work — and what they cost you

  • Table salt for Diamond Crystal

    Ratio: 1/2 teaspoon table salt per 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal

    Trade-off: Same weight, half the volume. Add in stages — table salt is much easier to overshoot.

  • Morton kosher for Diamond Crystal

    Ratio: About 2/3 as much Morton by volume

    Trade-off: The single most common seasoning error in American home cooking is treating these two as the same product.

When kosher salt (diamond crystal) ruins the recipe

What you seeWhat went wrongWhat to do
Everything tastes over-salted after switching brandsMorton substituted spoon-for-spoon where Diamond Crystal was meant.Pick one brand and stay with it, or weigh salt in grams — by weight all salts season identically.
Salt crust on meat never dissolvedLarge kosher flakes were applied right before cooking with no time to draw moisture.Salt at least 40 minutes ahead — or overnight — so the brine has time to form and reabsorb.

Storing kosher salt (diamond crystal)

Indefinite in a sealed box or a salt cellar. Keep it in an open bowl by the stove where you can pinch it; salting by feel is the point of buying it.

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