★ FOOD · COOKING · REFERENCE
1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs — the 3:1 rule that rescues most recipes. This chart converts 21 spices between whole, ground, fresh and dried forms, so a recipe that calls for fresh basil never stops you when all you have is the jar. Use the live converter below, or look the spice up in the table.
Not a substitution chart: this page converts amounts between forms of the same spice — dried basil into fresh basil, ground cinnamon into sticks. Swapping one ingredient for a different one, like butter for oil or baking powder for baking soda, is a different job: see the baking substitutions chart.
Pick a spice, enter the amount you have, and pick the form you need. The converter uses the standard equivalents in the chart below — for leafy herbs, 1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh; for cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground = 1 stick.
A spice is the same plant in different forms, and the forms differ in three ways: water, density and surface area. Fresh herbs are mostly water — up to 85% by weight — so when the water dries out, the flavour concentrates: that is why 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon of dried, a 3:1 ratio that holds for every leafy herb. Whole spices are dense and sealed, so they keep their flavour for years; grinding them breaks the seal and exposes far more surface area to the air, which is why ground spices lose their punch in months and why a teaspoon of whole seeds weighs more than a teaspoon of the same spice ground. None of this changes the amount of spice — only how much space and water it carries — so conversions are volume ratios, not weight ratios. Where a spice is sold in a countable unit — a cinnamon stick, a garlic clove, a cardamom pod — the table gives the count, because nobody weighs a bay leaf.
| Spice | Standard equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The 3:1 herb rule (all leafy herbs) | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Applies to every leafy herb below — oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, parsley. |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. |
| Basil | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. Fresh basil wilts fast, so measure it loosely packed. |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. Strip fresh leaves from the woody stems first. |
| Rosemary | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. Chop fresh rosemary finely; the needles are tough. |
| Dill | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. Dried dill seed is a different thing — do not use it here. |
| Parsley | 1 tsp dried = 1 tbsp fresh | Leafy herb — the 3:1 rule. Flat-leaf and curly parsley convert the same way. |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground = 1 stick (3-inch) | Grind the stick yourself, or drop the whole stick into a simmering liquid and fish it out. |
| Ginger | 1 tsp ground = 1 tbsp fresh grated = 1-inch piece | Fresh ginger is sharper and brighter; ground ginger is warmer and mellower. |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground = 1 tbsp fresh grated = 1-inch piece | Same ratio as ginger. Fresh turmeric stains — wear gloves and use a dark board. |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground = 1 tsp whole seeds | Same volume either way. Toast whole seeds in a dry pan first for a deeper flavour. |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp ground = 1 tsp whole peppercorns | Same volume either way. Freshly cracked pepper is noticeably hotter than pre-ground. |
| Cloves | 1 tsp ground = 1 tsp whole | Same volume either way. Whole cloves are very strong — count them, do not guess. |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground = 1 tsp whole berries | Same volume either way. Named for tasting like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove at once. |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground = 1/2 whole nutmeg; 1 whole nutmeg ≈ 2–3 tsp ground | Whole nutmegs vary in size, so the 2–3 tsp range is approximate. Grate fresh — it keeps for years whole. |
| Bay leaf | 1/4 tsp ground = 1 leaf | One leaf per pot is the usual amount. Remove whole leaves before serving. |
| Garlic | 1/8 tsp garlic powder = 1 clove; 1/2 tsp garlic flakes = 1 clove | Powder is the most concentrated form. Fresh cloves vary in size — a large clove counts as two small ones. |
| Onion | 1 tsp onion powder = 1/3 medium onion; 1 tbsp onion powder = 1 medium onion | Powder dissolves into sauces; dried minced onion (1 tbsp ≈ 1/4 medium onion) keeps some texture. |
| Mustard | 1 tsp dry mustard = 1 tbsp prepared mustard = 1 tsp whole seeds | Dry mustard is hotter than prepared mustard, which is diluted with vinegar and water. |
| Chili powder / cayenne | 1/2 tsp cayenne = 1 tsp chili powder | Cayenne is pure heat; chili powder is a blend with cumin and oregano. Do not swap them 1:1. |
| Cardamom | 1 tsp ground = 10 pods | Crack the pods and grind the black seeds inside; the green husks are mostly fibre. |
| Saffron | 1/4 tsp powder = 1/2 tsp threads | Threads are the whole form. Soak threads in warm water for 20 minutes before adding. |
| Paprika | Ground only — no whole or fresh form | Made from dried peppers, sold ground. Sweet, smoked and hot paprika all weigh the same. |
When a recipe gives grams instead of spoonfuls, use this table. The figures are standard densities for ground spices, rounded to one decimal — grind fineness shifts them by a few percent either way, so treat them as approximate.
| Ground spice | 1 tsp | 1 tbsp | 1/4 cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon | 2.6 g | 7.8 g | 31.2 g |
| Turmeric | 3.0 g | 9.0 g | 36.0 g |
| Cumin | 2.5 g | 7.5 g | 30.0 g |
| Ginger | 1.8 g | 5.4 g | 21.6 g |
| Black pepper | 2.3 g | 6.9 g | 27.6 g |
| Garlic powder | 3.1 g | 9.3 g | 37.2 g |
| Onion powder | 2.4 g | 7.2 g | 28.8 g |
| Cayenne | 1.8 g | 5.4 g | 21.6 g |
| Nutmeg | 2.2 g | 6.6 g | 26.4 g |
Setup: spice basil; amount 1; from dried; to fresh.
Line 1 — the rule. Leafy herbs follow the 3:1 rule: 1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh.
Line 2 — the base. 1 tsp dried basil is 1 tsp of ground-spice equivalent, because dried and ground are the same dry form.
Line 3 — the fresh unit. 1 tablespoon of fresh basil is also 1 tsp of ground-spice equivalent, because 1 tbsp fresh = 1 tsp dried.
Line 4 — the answer. 1 × 1 ÷ 1 = 1 tbsp fresh basil.
Line 5 — the check. The ratio is 3:1 by volume (fresh : dried), which is exactly the rule in the table — the converter and the chart agree.
3 tsp dried oregano → 3 tbsp fresh oregano. Oregano is a leafy herb, so the 3:1 rule applies: 3 × 1 = 3 tbsp. A recipe calling for 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano needs exactly 1 tablespoon of dried — the same ratio, read backwards.
2 tsp ground cinnamon → 2 sticks. One 3-inch stick grinds to about 1 teaspoon, so 2 teaspoons need 2 sticks. Drop them whole into a simmering sauce, or grind them yourself for the full strength.
1 tbsp fresh ginger → 1 tsp ground ginger. One tablespoon of freshly grated ginger dries down to 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Fresh ginger is sharper, so if the recipe was written for ground, taste after adding three-quarters and top up.
4 cloves garlic → 1/2 tsp garlic powder. One clove equals 1/8 teaspoon of powder, so 4 × 1/8 = 1/2 teaspoon. Garlic powder is the most concentrated form on this page — a little goes a long way.
1 tsp ground nutmeg → 1/2 whole nutmeg. A whole nutmeg grinds to about 2–3 teaspoons, so 1 teaspoon is half a nutmeg. Grate it fresh — pre-ground nutmeg loses its top notes within weeks.
1 tsp onion powder → 1/3 medium onion. One tablespoon of onion powder stands in for a whole medium onion, so one teaspoon — a third of a tablespoon — stands in for a third of an onion.
Reverse — cardamom and saffron. 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom needs 10 pods cracked and ground, and 1/2 teaspoon of saffron threads grinds to 1/4 teaspoon of powder. Both run the converter backwards from the ground form to the whole form, and both match the table.
Every figure on this page is an approximate equivalent, not a laboratory measurement. Grind fineness shifts ground-spice volumes by a few percent; moisture in a fresh herb depends on the season and how recently it was picked; a garlic clove can be small or huge, and a whole nutmeg can grind to 2 teaspoons or 3. The 3:1 fresh-to-dried herb ratio is the standard cookbook rule, but robust herbs like rosemary hold their flavour better dried than delicate ones like basil, so a recipe written for fresh basil may want slightly less dried basil than the rule says. The honest rule for every conversion here: convert, then taste and adjust — add three-quarters of what the chart says, taste, and top up. Rounding convention: kitchen quantities are shown as fractions (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/8) where they land on one, otherwise to two decimals, all computed from exact fractions.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Converted amount | amount × from-factor ÷ to-factor | 1 tbsp fresh basil — 1 tsp dried basil, converted. |
| Ground-spice equivalent | amount × from-factor | 1 tsp ground — the common base every form converts through. |
| 3 tsp dried oregano | 3 × 1 ÷ 1 | 3 tbsp fresh oregano — the 3:1 herb rule. |
| 2 tsp ground cinnamon | 2 × 1 ÷ 1 | 2 sticks — 1 stick per teaspoon. |
| 1 tbsp fresh ginger | 1 × 1 ÷ 1 | 1 tsp ground ginger — fresh grates down 3:1 by volume. |
| 4 cloves garlic | 4 × 1/8 | 1/2 tsp ground garlic — 1 clove = 1/8 tsp powder. |
| 1 tsp ground nutmeg | 1 × 1 ÷ 2 | 1/2 whole nutmeg — 1 nutmeg ≈ 2 tsp ground. |
| 1 tsp onion powder | 1 × 1 ÷ 3 | 1/3 medium onion — 1 tbsp powder = 1 onion. |
| Reverse: cardamom | 1 × 1 ÷ 1/10 | 10 pods — 1 tsp ground = 10 pods. |
| Reverse: saffron | 1/2 × 1/2 | 1/4 tsp ground saffron — 1/2 tsp threads = 1/4 tsp powder. |
The equivalents are the standard figures published in cookbooks and spice references — the 3:1 herb rule, the cinnamon stick, the garlic clove — and they are approximate by nature: a teaspoon of ground spice is not a fixed weight, because grind fineness and packing change the density, and a fresh herb’s water content changes with the season. The converter refuses forms a spice does not have (cinnamon has no fresh form, saffron has no dried form) rather than inventing a number. What no chart can do is replace tasting: dried herbs lose volatile oils over months, so a year-old jar of dried oregano is weaker than the chart assumes, and a fresh herb picked this morning is stronger. Convert with the chart, then taste and adjust — and when a recipe gives grams, use the weights table or a scale, because grams do not depend on how hard you pack the spoon. For swapping one ingredient for a different one, see the baking substitutions chart.
Bright Side Kit. "Spice Conversion Chart: Dried, Fresh & Whole Spices." https://brightoolbox.com/spice-conversion-chart/ Accessed October 24, 2026.1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh — a 3:1 ratio. Fresh herbs are mostly water, so when the water dries out the flavour concentrates threefold. The rule holds for every leafy herb: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill and parsley all convert the same way.
Usually yes, by volume — 1 teaspoon whole = 1 teaspoon ground for cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and allspice berries. The exceptions are countable spices: 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon is 1 whole stick, 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg is half a nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom is 10 pods.
About 1 teaspoon. One 3-inch cinnamon stick grinds to roughly 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, so 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon means 2 sticks. Drop whole sticks into simmering liquids and fish them out, or grind them yourself for baking.
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder = 1 clove. Garlic powder is the most concentrated form on this page — 4 cloves work out to just 1/2 teaspoon of powder. Garlic flakes are milder: 1/2 teaspoon of flakes equals 1 clove.
Half as much: 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne = 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Cayenne is pure heat, while chili powder is a blend with cumin and oregano, so swapping them 1:1 doubles the heat and loses the other flavours. Start with half and taste.
No — a teaspoon of whole spice usually weighs more than a teaspoon of the same spice ground. Whole seeds pack tightly; ground spice is fluffy with air between the particles. That is why this page converts by volume, and why the weights table exists: 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon is 2.6 g, ground cumin 2.5 g, ground turmeric 3.0 g.
Because the figures are approximate, not exact. Grind fineness, moisture, clove size and nutmeg size all vary, and different cookbooks round differently — one says a nutmeg grinds to 2 teaspoons, another says 3. Treat every figure here as a starting point, then taste and adjust.
Divide by three. A recipe calling for 1 tablespoon of fresh basil needs 1 teaspoon of dried basil; 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano need 1 tablespoon of dried. Add the dried herb earlier in the cooking than you would the fresh — dried herbs need time in heat to release their flavour, while fresh herbs go in at the end.