Granulated Garlic
One US cup of granulated garlic weighs between 160.2 and 226.2 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 granules, dried granulated garlic, granular garlic, garlic, granulated.
Most sites print one number for a cup of granulated garlic. This page prints 160.2 to 226.2 grams, because that is what Chef's Resources — Dry Spice Yields chart, USDA FoodData Central Branded — Morton & Bassett Granulated Garlic and USDA FoodData Central Branded — Premium 100% Pure Spices Granulated Garlic 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 41.2%. That is more than this site will average over, so both figures stand and neither is chosen. Granulated garlic is a size class rather than a specification. Each producer sets its own grind coarseness between garlic powder (finer) and dried garlic flakes (coarser), and moisture content varies with the dryer method. Published measurements of pure granulated garlic products span 160 to 227 g per US cup, a 42 percent spread that exceeds the 10 percent spice tolerance.
| Volume | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 160.2–226.2 g |
| 3/4 cup | 120.2–169.6 g |
| 2/3 cup | 106.8–150.8 g |
| 1/2 cup | 80.1–113.1 g |
| 1/3 cup | 53.4–75.4 g |
| 1/4 cup | 40.1–56.5 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 10–14.1 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 3.3–4.7 g |
| Filling the cup | 1 cup | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, spooned and leveled | 160.2 g | Chef's Resources — Dry Spice Yields chart |
| Standard, spooned and leveled | 192.1 g | USDA FoodData Central Branded — Morton & Bassett Granulated Garlic |
| Standard, spooned and leveled | 226.2 g | USDA FoodData Central Branded — Premium 100% Pure Spices Granulated Garlic |
Why this page publishes a range
Granulated garlic does not have a single density. Published brands span roughly 160 to 227 g per US cup, because "granulated" describes a size class between powder and flakes rather than a fixed grind, and each producer cuts to its own spec.
Granulated garlic is dried garlic ground to particles coarser than garlic powder but finer than dried garlic flakes or minced garlic. Every commercial brand agrees on that general position but disagrees on where within it their product sits. McCormick describes their granulated garlic as "coarser than garlic powder" without a specific mesh size. The Spice House sells granulated garlic alongside a distinct garlic powder without publishing dimensions for either. USDA does not define a standard grind, and no producer body has published a canonical particle-size range. The result is that different brands' granulated garlic vary by grind more than they vary between the two nominal size classes.
Density follows grind. USDA Branded Foods records for pure granulated garlic products range from 160 g per US cup (Chef's Resources reference figure) to 227 g per US cup (Premium 100% Pure Spices, UPC 026164001400), a 42 percent spread. Chef's Resources publishes the finer end. Morton & Bassett's granulated garlic (UPC 016291441729) sits in the middle at 193 g per US cup. All three are legitimate measurements of a product sold as granulated garlic; none is wrong. Two other USDA Branded records were rejected here: UPC 714444002031 at 48 g per US cup is too light for any dried ground spice and is either a sub-gram serving-size labelling artifact or a mislabelled fresh product, and UPC 016291442726 is a garlic-plus-parsley blend, so its 153 g per US cup does not describe pure granulated garlic.
Counterintuitively, granulated garlic tends to pack heavier per cup than garlic powder despite having larger particles. Chef's Resources illustrates this in the same table: garlic powder 127 g per cup, granulated garlic 160 g per cup — a 26 percent lift for the coarser cut. The physical driver is cohesion. Fine garlic powder is highly cohesive because dried garlic contains residual sulfur compounds and starch that make small particles cling and bridge, trapping air across the sides of a measuring cup. Coarser granules do not cling to each other as strongly and fall through the gaps more efficiently. The same pattern shows up with onion powder versus granulated onion, and to a smaller degree with paprika at different mill settings. Moisture content adds a further 5 to 8 percent variation between drier and less-dry batches.
This entry pairs with garlic powder (127 to 155 g per US cup in the same database) as a documented disambiguation: the two ingredients are related, sold side by side in most supermarket aisles, and pack at meaningfully different densities in the direction opposite to what particle-size intuition suggests. The physical relationship (granulated heavier than powder) is consistent across every source that lists both.
King Arthur's Ingredient Weight Chart does not list either granulated garlic or garlic powder — only fresh forms (peeled and sliced, minced, whole heads). No correction to make there; the chart is silent. For recipes where granulated garlic is a background note in a rub or marinade, volume measurement carries the recipe fine. For recipes where the exact amount matters, weigh the spice and record which brand was used, so a repeat bake starts from the same actual quantity rather than the same nominal one.
Sources
Standard, spooned and leveled — no single figure published
Granulated garlic is a size class rather than a specification. Each producer sets its own grind coarseness between garlic powder (finer) and dried garlic flakes (coarser), and moisture content varies with the dryer method. Published measurements of pure granulated garlic products span 160 to 227 g per US cup, a 42 percent spread that exceeds the 10 percent spice tolerance.
- Chef's Resources — Dry Spice Yields chart160.2 g per cupTable lists Granulated Garlic at 5.65 oz/cup (160.2 g/US cup, density 0.6772 g/mL). Pairs on the same table with Garlic Powder at 4.49 oz/cup (127.2 g/US cup), a 26 percent density lift for the coarser cut.
- USDA FoodData Central Branded — Morton & Bassett Granulated Garlic192.1 g per cupUPC 016291441729. Filed as granulated garlic; some retailer listings for this UPC describe a garlic-plus-parsley variant, but the USDA Branded record and Morton & Bassett's own product listing treat it as granulated garlic. Label-derived; aqua-calc computes 203 g per metric cup (193 g per US cup, density 0.8120 g/mL).
- USDA FoodData Central Branded — Premium 100% Pure Spices Granulated Garlic226.2 g per cupUPC 026164001400. Label-derived record; aqua-calc computes 239 g per metric cup (227 g per US cup, density 0.9560 g/mL). Heaviest source in the observed range, consistent with a fine-cut or lower-moisture product.
- USDA FoodData Central Branded — Granulated Garlic UPC 71444400203148.3 g per cupLabel-derived record; aqua-calc computes 51 g per metric cup (48 g per US cup, density 0.204 g/mL). Rejected as physically implausible for a dried, ground spice — likely either a sub-gram teaspoon serving-size labelling artifact or a mislabelled fresh product.Rejected. Density 0.204 g/mL is physically implausible for a dried, ground spice; likely a sub-gram serving-size labelling artifact or a mislabelled fresh product.
- USDA FoodData Central Branded — 100% Organic Granulated Garlic with Parsley (Morton & Bassett)153.3 g per cupUPC 016291442726. Explicitly a garlic-plus-parsley blend, not a pure granulated-garlic measurement. Label-derived; aqua-calc computes 162 g per metric cup (153 g per US cup, density 0.6480 g/mL). Included here for provenance.Rejected. Product is a garlic-plus-parsley blend rather than pure granulated garlic; the added herb changes the composition and the density does not describe the ingredient this entry covers.
Corrections on this ingredient
The following published figures for granulated garlic are rejected here, with the physics or standards reasoning behind each rejection on its own page:
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