Garlic Powder
One US cup of garlic powder weighs between 127.3 and 155.2 grams, depending on how the cup is filled and which source measured it. That range is the answer; a single number would not be. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.
Also called garlic powder, powdered garlic, dried garlic powder, dehydrated garlic powder, ground garlic.
Most sites print one number for a cup of garlic powder. This page prints 127.3 to 155.2 grams, because that is what USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Spices, garlic powder and Chef's Resources dry spice conversion table actually measured, and it names the method behind every figure rather than picking a favourite.
Two or more sources describe the same way of filling the cup and still disagree, by 21.9%. That is more than this site will average over, so both figures stand and neither is chosen. USDA SR Legacy (155.2 g/cup) and a foodservice direct cup measurement (127.3 g/cup) differ by 21.9%, exceeding the 10% spice tolerance. The spread tracks grind: products sold as garlic powder range from fine dust to near-granulated, and the coarser grind packs heavier.
| Volume | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 127.3–155.2 g |
| 3/4 cup | 95.5–116.4 g |
| 2/3 cup | 84.9–103.5 g |
| 1/2 cup | 63.6–77.6 g |
| 1/3 cup | 42.4–51.7 g |
| 1/4 cup | 31.8–38.8 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 8–9.7 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.7–3.2 g |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, spooned and leveled | 155.2 g | USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Spices, garlic powder |
| Standard, spooned and leveled | 127.3 g | Chef's Resources dry spice conversion table |
Why this page publishes a range
A US cup of garlic powder weighs between 127 and 155 grams, and ExactCups publishes that range because the two credible measurements disagree by 22%, and the disagreement tracks a real product confusion: what is sold as garlic powder runs from a fine, flour-like dust to something close to granulated garlic.
Garlic powder is dehydrated garlic cloves milled to a powder. The spice trade sells dried garlic by grind, with powder the finest, granulated garlic coarser, and minced or chopped garlic coarser still. Retail labels blur the first two, and some store brands describe their garlic powder as granulated. Because a shopper cannot reliably tell which grind is in the jar, this entry covers everything sold under the garlic powder name.
The data splits along that line. USDA's SR Legacy record lists 9.7 grams per tablespoon and 3.1 grams per teaspoon, which scale to 155 and 149 grams per cup. A foodservice conversion table built from measurements across several vendors puts garlic powder at 4.49 ounces per cup, or 127 grams, and granulated garlic at 5.65 ounces, or 160 grams. The USDA figure sits much closer to foodservice granulated than to foodservice powder. USDA does not specify grind, so the most plausible reading is that its sample sat at the coarse end of what is sold as powder. The same foodservice page gives a slightly lower 120 grams per cup in its prose section; the table's direct cup measurement is used here.
The physics explains the direction of the split. Garlic powder is almost fat-free, under 1% fat against roughly 73% carbohydrate and 17% protein by USDA composition. Without the oily film that makes paprika tacky, particle size governs how it packs, and the finer grind is the lighter one. Fine powders are cohesive: particles cling, bridge, and trap air as they are spooned. Coarser granules flow freely and settle into a tighter bed. That is why granulated garlic measures about a quarter heavier per cup than garlic powder in the same foodservice table. Garlic powder also clumps readily once opened in a humid kitchen, and clumps spoon unevenly. Within the spice family it sits at the heavy end, well above paprika and ground nutmeg and overlapping the upper ranges of ground cloves and black pepper.
In practice, a teaspoon of garlic powder weighs 2.6 to 3.2 grams and a tablespoon 8.0 to 9.7 grams. For seasoning a dish that difference rarely matters. It does matter when swapping between powder and granulated garlic. Both are the same dehydrated garlic, so equal grams deliver equal garlic; by volume, use about four-fifths as much granulated as the powder a recipe calls for. McCormick's own guidance is a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder per fresh clove. For dry rubs and seasoning blends made in quantity, weigh it. Spoon it into the measure and level without pressing, break up clumps first, and keep the jar tightly closed.
Sources
Standard, spooned and leveled — no single figure published
USDA SR Legacy (155.2 g/cup) and a foodservice direct cup measurement (127.3 g/cup) differ by 21.9%, exceeding the 10% spice tolerance. The spread tracks grind: products sold as garlic powder range from fine dust to near-granulated, and the coarser grind packs heavier.
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Spices, garlic powder155.2 g per cupPortion weights of 3.1 g per teaspoon and 9.7 g per tablespoon. Tablespoon basis x16 = 155.2 g/cup; teaspoon basis x48 = 148.8 g/cup. Tablespoon figure used as range maximum. Grind not specified.
- Chef's Resources dry spice conversion table127.3 g per cupFoodservice table measured across several vendors: garlic powder 4.49 oz per cup = 127.3 g/cup (10.70 tsp per oz, consistent). Same table lists granulated garlic at 5.65 oz per cup = 160.2 g/cup. The page's prose section gives 0.40 tsp/g (120 g/cup) for garlic powder; the direct cup measurement is used as range minimum.
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