There are about 16 to 17 grams in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Jar labels such as Skippy creamy list 2 tbsp as 32 g, or 16 g per tablespoon, and the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart lists 1/2 cup at 135 g, which works out to 16.9 g per tablespoon.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1/2 tsp | 2.8 g |
| 1 tsp | 5.6 g |
| 1 tbsp | 16.9 g |
| 2 tbsp | 33.8 g |
| 1/4 cup | 67.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 90 g |
| 1/2 cup | 135 g |
| 1 cup | 270 g |
The table is based on the King Arthur figure. Your jar's label may be a gram or so lower per tablespoon.
Why a spoonful of peanut butter varies so much
Peanut butter is thick and sticky, which makes it one of the hardest things to measure with a spoon. A few reasons the weight moves around:
- Level vs heaped. Peanut butter holds its shape, so a rounded spoonful can carry far more than a level one. It's easy to scoop a "tablespoon" that's really closer to two.
- Natural vs stabilized. Natural peanut butter separates, with oil on top and thick paste underneath. If you don't stir it well, one spoonful is runny and the next is dense.
- Creamy vs crunchy. Chunks of peanut leave small gaps in the spoon, so crunchy can weigh a bit differently per spoonful.
- What sticks. Plenty stays on the spoon or in the measuring cup, so you get less in the bowl than you measured.
Grams in a tablespoon of peanut butter vs the label serving
Most peanut butter labels list a serving as 2 tbsp, and many put that at 32 g. If you want to match the label, skip the spoon count and weigh 32 g directly. That's the only reliable way to get the same amount every time, because a heaped spoonful and a level one can look similar but weigh very differently.
Different brands use slightly different serving weights, so check the label on your own jar.
How to weigh peanut butter cleanly
- Stir natural peanut butter well until the oil is mixed back in.
- Set your bowl, toast plate or blender jar on the scale and press tare.
- Scoop with a spoon and scrape it off with a second spoon or a small spatula until you hit the target.
- For big amounts, try the reverse method: weigh the whole jar, scoop out what you need, and weigh again. The difference is what you used.
Weighing directly into the bowl also means no measuring cup to scrape out later.
Recipe examples
- Peanut butter cookies: 1 cup is 270 g.
- Peanut sauce for noodles: 3 tbsp is about 50.6 g.
- Smoothie: 1 tbsp is about 16 to 17 g.
- Converting grams to spoons: 100 g is about 6 tbsp, since 100 divided by 16.9 is about 5.9.
A practical tip: a MeasureMate digital measuring spoon scoops and weighs in one step, so you see the weight of what's actually in the spoon, heap and all. Press tare first, scoop, and read it in 0.1 g steps. The spoon head comes off, which makes cleaning sticky peanut butter easier.
Quick questions
Is 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 32 grams?
On many labels, yes. Skippy creamy lists 2 tbsp as 32 g, but check your own jar since brands differ slightly.
Does natural peanut butter weigh the same?
Close, but stir it first. Unstirred natural peanut butter gives uneven spoonfuls, so weighing is more reliable.
How do I measure peanut butter without a mess?
Weigh it straight into your bowl on a scale. No measuring cups, and nothing left clinging to the sides.
Weights based on the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and the Skippy creamy peanut butter nutrition label.