Dried herbs in grams: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and dill per teaspoon compared

A US teaspoon of a dried herb weighs between half a gram for parsley flakes and about 1.1 grams for rosemary, and a cup between about 20 and 53 grams. The cut decides most of it: flat, flaky leaves leave the spoon mostly air, small thick leaves and short needles pack tighter, and grinding any of them roughly doubles the weight.

All weights are for a US cup of 236.5882365 ml; a tablespoon is a sixteenth of it. A range means the sources disagree by more than this site’s tolerance for that kind of ingredient, so no single figure is chosen. King Arthur’s figure is shown where this site records one, with the verdict on it. Each ingredient’s own page has every source and the full reasoning.

Dried herbs are the lightest things measured by the spoon. A teaspoon of granulated sugar weighs 4 grams and a teaspoon of most ground spices 2 to 3; a teaspoon of dried herb leaves weighs about 1 gram or less, because dried leaves are thin and stiff and cannot lie flat against each other. Most of the spoon is air, and how much depends on the size and shape of the pieces.

Flaky herbs are the lightest. Parsley flakes weigh about half a gram a teaspoon, by USDA's figure and McCormick's label, and crushed basil 0.7 grams, where USDA's teaspoon and tablespoon agree exactly. Crushed oregano, a smaller and thicker leaf, weighs 1 gram. Herbs with fine or small leaves pack better: dried dill, short soft wisps, weighs 1 gram a teaspoon with four sources within 3.3 percent; whole thyme leaves about 0.9 grams; and rosemary needles about 1.1 grams.

Ground herbs weigh about twice as much as their leaves, because grinding destroys the flakes and lets the powder fill the spoon. USDA weighs a teaspoon of ground basil at 1.4 grams against 0.7 for leaves, ground thyme at 1.4 against 1.0, and ground oregano at 1.8 against 1.0. A recipe that says "dried basil" means leaves; using the same spoonful of ground basil doubles it.

The cut also explains why most of these herbs are published as ranges. Bulk sellers count cups to the pound for cut and sifted herbs, and their figures run lighter than jarred herbs where the pieces are bigger: Herbco's basil at 26.7 grams a cup against USDA's 33.6, its oregano at 41.2 against 48. For rosemary the same seller lists whole needles at 34.9 grams a cup and chopped needles at 100.8, nearly three times as much. Each page shows every figure and recommends the one that fits the jarred herb.

For cooking, the spoon is accurate enough: a gram either way of a dried herb changes the flavour, not the recipe. For spice blends, rubs and sausage made in quantity, weigh, and use the ground or leaf figure that matches what is in the jar. Dried herbs replace fresh at about one part to three by volume, which is a matter of strength, not weight.