How much does a spoon of potato starch weigh?
Bob’s Red Mill labels one tablespoon of potato starch as 12 g and 40 kcal. That is a serving for its product, not the weight of every heaped spoon. Weigh dry starch before adding it to a recipe for a closer count.
Grams in a tablespoon or teaspoon
Bob’s Red Mill declares one tablespoon of its potato starch as 12 g. The King Arthur Baking ingredient chart lists 152 g for one cup of potato starch. Dividing a cup into 16 tablespoons gives 9.5 g per tablespoon from that chart. This is a volume conversion, not a separate spoon measurement.
The examples differ. A level measure, a packed spoon, and a heaped spoon need not weigh the same. Neither source gives a separately measured teaspoon weight. One-third of the two tablespoon examples is roughly 3.2–4 g, useful only as an estimate.
For your own spoon, tare a dry bowl on a scale, add several level spoonfuls, and divide the total weight by the number of spoonfuls. For a recipe calling for a heaped spoon, weigh the amount you actually add. The potato starch measurement card is a quick lookup; this article covers measuring an actual recipe.
Calories per spoon and per 100 grams
The Bob’s Red Mill label gives 40 kcal and 10 g of carbohydrate per 12 g tablespoon. Soubry lists 320 kcal and 80 g of carbohydrate per 100 g of its dry potato starch. These figures describe different products and serving bases. For an exact entry, pair your measured grams with the nutrition value on that same package.
| Source | Declared amount | Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Bob’s Red Mill | 1 tbsp, 12 g | 40 kcal |
| Soubry | 100 g dry product | 320 kcal |
| King Arthur Baking | 1 cup, 152 g | no calorie value in the weight chart |
If your own package says 320 kcal per 100 g, a weighed 10 g contributes 10 × 320 ÷ 100 = 32 kcal. Replace 320 with the number on your package if it differs. Our nutrition-label guide explains how to match a serving size to the per-100-g figure.
Logging starch in sauce or baking
- Weigh the dry starch before mixing it with water or other ingredients.
- Use grams × package kcal per 100 g ÷ 100. If the label gives calories per serving instead, check how many grams that serving contains.
- Record the other recipe ingredients separately. Water increases the mixture's weight without adding calories to the starch.
- Divide the finished recipe according to the amount eaten. The full method is in counting homemade food.
Dry powder and thickened sauce have different weights because the sauce contains liquid and other ingredients. A spoon estimate is useful for a quick entry; weighing the dry ingredient works better for a recipe using several spoonfuls.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams of potato starch are in a tablespoon?
- Bob’s Red Mill declares 12 g for a tablespoon of its product. Dividing the King Arthur Baking cup weight by 16 gives 9.5 g. Weigh your own heaped spoon for its actual mass.
- How many calories are in a tablespoon of potato starch?
- A Bob’s Red Mill label gives 40 kcal for its 12 g tablespoon. The amount changes with the product and how full the spoon is.
- How many calories are in 100 g of potato starch?
- Soubry lists 320 kcal per 100 g of its dry potato starch. Check the label on your own package for a product-specific value.
- Should I log starch dry or after cooking?
- Record the amount of dry starch you added, then include the other ingredients in the full recipe. Water is not part of the dry starch weight.
Read next
- How to determine portion size without a scale — Portion weight is the most inaccurate variable in any calculation, including analysis by photo.
- Calories and macros on the label: why the numbers don't match reality — The same buckwheat in three different apps gives three different calorie counts, and the package shows a fourth.
- How to count calories in homemade food — Processed foods are counted by the label, and restaurant meals by a reference guide.
This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.