Grams of Oil to Tablespoons: Olive, Vegetable, Coconut Oil

Grams of oil in tablespoons, quick table

Liquid cooking oils weigh almost the same per spoon, so one column covers vegetable, canola, sunflower and sesame oil. Olive oil is a little lighter in the USDA data and gets its own column.

Grams of oil	Olive oil, tbsp	Vegetable, canola, sunflower, tbsp	Olive oil, tsp	Olive oil, measure as
5 g	0.37	0.37	1.1	1 tsp
10 g	0.74	0.73	2.2	2 1/4 tsp
12 g	0.89	0.88	2.7	2 3/4 tsp
14 g	1.04	1.03	3.1	1 tbsp
15 g	1.11	1.1	3.3	1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp
16 g	1.19	1.17	3.6	1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
18 g	1.33	1.32	4	1 tbsp + 1 tsp
19 g	1.41	1.39	4.2	1 tbsp + 1 1/4 tsp
20 g	1.48	1.47	4.4	1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp
25 g	1.85	1.83	5.6	1 tbsp + 2 1/2 tsp
28 g	2.07	2.06	6.2	2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp
30 g	2.22	2.2	6.7	2 tbsp + 3/4 tsp
40 g	2.96	2.94	8.9	3 tbsp
50 g	3.7	3.67	11.1	3 tbsp + 2 tsp
60 g	4.44	4.4	13.3	1/4 cup + 1 1/4 tsp
100 g	7.41	7.34	22.2	1/4 cup + 3 tbsp + 1 1/4 tsp

Level US spoons. Olive oil 13.5 g per tablespoon; the other oils 13.625 g.

Five oils, one tablespoon each

This is the USDA data behind the converter. Dividing the cup weight by 16 gives a tablespoon of 13.5 to 13.6 g; USDA’s own tablespoon entries round to 13.5 to 14 g.

Oil	Grams per cup	Cup ÷ 16, g	USDA tbsp, g	kcal per 100 g	kcal per USDA tbsp
Olive oil	216	13.5	13.5	884	119
Canola oil	218	13.62	14	884	124
Sunflower oil	218	13.62	13.6	884	120
Sesame oil	218	13.62	13.6	884	120
Coconut oil	218	13.62	13.6	892	121

All values from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy records. The calorie column multiplies the USDA tablespoon weight by the energy per 100 g.

Why a tablespoon of oil is not 15 grams

Oil is lighter than water. Olive oil weighs about 0.913 g per millilitre, and a US tablespoon holds 14.79 ml, so a level spoon weighs 13.5 g. A spoon of water weighs 14.81 g. That is why 15 g of oil is a little more than one tablespoon: 1.11 for olive oil.

You can see the same thing when oil floats on vinegar in a dressing. It is the lighter liquid.

The formula

Tablespoons = grams ÷ 13.5 for olive oil, or grams ÷ 13.62 for vegetable, canola, sunflower, sesame and melted coconut oil. Teaspoons = tablespoons × 3.

To go back from spoons to grams, multiply instead. Three tablespoons of olive oil weigh 40.5 g.

Worked examples

A recipe gives 20 g of olive oil. 20 ÷ 13.5 = 1.48 tablespoons. Measure 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp.

A meal plan allows 10 g of oil per meal. 10 ÷ 13.5 = 0.74 tablespoons, or 2.22 teaspoons. Measure 2 1/4 tsp. At USDA’s 884 kcal per 100 g, that is about 88 kcal.

28 g of canola oil for a cake. 28 ÷ 13.62 = 2.06 tablespoons. Two level tablespoons are 0.75 g short, which is close enough for baking.

Coconut oil, sprays and drizzles

Coconut oil turns solid in a cool kitchen. The USDA weights are for the liquid oil, so melt it before you measure by the spoon, or weigh it solid on a scale. Solid coconut oil pressed into a spoon leaves gaps and gives an uneven amount.

A “drizzle” or “splash” has no defined volume, and a spray releases very little oil per second. When a recipe or diet plan counts oil in grams, measure it with a spoon or a scale and pour from that.

Questions about oil measurements

How many grams is 1 tablespoon of olive oil?: 13.5 g. USDA also lists 13.5 g per tablespoon and 4.5 g per teaspoon.
How many tablespoons is 15 g of oil?: 1.11 tablespoons of olive oil, 1.1 of vegetable oil.
How many calories are in a tablespoon of olive oil?: About 119 kcal: 13.5 g × 884 kcal per 100 g, from USDA FoodData Central.
How many grams is 1/4 cup of oil?: 54 g of olive oil, 54.5 g of vegetable oil.

Where these numbers come from

Olive oil (216 g per cup) and vegetable oil (218 g per cup) are the values in the site’s density set on the cups to grams page. Canola, coconut, sunflower and sesame oil use the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy records below, which list 218 g per cup for each. Calorie figures use the USDA energy values.

Grams of Oil to Tablespoons.

Oil grams to tablespoons converter