A level tablespoon of whole wheat flour weighs about 7.1 grams. That's based on King Arthur Baking's figure of 113 g per cup. If you're using whole wheat pastry flour, the grams in a tablespoon of whole wheat flour drop to about 6 grams, since King Arthur lists it at 96 g per cup.
| Amount | Whole wheat flour | Whole wheat pastry flour |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.6 g | 0.5 g |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.2 g | 1 g |
| 1 tsp | 2.4 g | 2 g |
| 1 tbsp | 7.1 g | 6 g |
| 1/4 cup | 28.3 g | 24 g |
| 1/2 cup | 56.5 g | 48 g |
| 1 cup | 113 g | 96 g |
Why there are fewer grams in a tablespoon of whole wheat flour
Whole wheat flour keeps the bran and germ that white flour leaves out. Those bits make the flour a little coarser and fluffier, so a cup of it holds less weight than a cup of all purpose flour, which King Arthur Baking lists at 120 g.
Whole wheat pastry flour is milled even finer and lighter. At 96 g per cup, a tablespoon is about 6 g. That's a real gap. If a recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour by the cup and you weigh it as regular whole wheat, you'll add more flour than intended.
Like any flour, how you fill the spoon matters too. Packing it in or heaping the top can push the weight well past these numbers.
How to measure whole wheat flour by the spoon
- Stir the flour first. Whole wheat flour settles and can clump a little.
- Spoon it into your measuring spoon until it's mounded.
- Level it off with a straight edge.
- Don't shake or press it down.
Check the bag too. "White whole wheat" and "whole wheat pastry" are different products, and pastry flour is the one that weighs noticeably less.
Baking with whole wheat flour
A lot of home bakers use whole wheat flour as a partial swap, replacing some of the white flour in muffins, pancakes or sandwich bread. Weighing makes that easy. Swap by grams, not by cups, so you replace the same amount of flour instead of guessing.
Whole wheat flour also soaks up more liquid than white flour. If a dough or batter feels stiff after a swap, add a splash more liquid or let it rest for a few minutes so the bran can hydrate.
Storage matters as well. The germ contains natural oils, so whole wheat flour can go stale faster than white flour. Many bakers keep it in the fridge or freezer. Let cold flour come to room temperature before measuring so it doesn't clump.
If you bake with both kinds, label your containers. Whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour look almost identical once they're out of the bag, and mixing them up changes both the weight per spoon and how the dough behaves.
Common mistakes
- Using the all purpose number. At 7.5 g per tablespoon, you'd slightly overshoot with whole wheat.
- Treating pastry flour like regular whole wheat. The difference is about 1 g per tablespoon, which adds up over a recipe.
- Scooping from the bag. It packs flour in and throws off every measurement after.
Here's a practical shortcut for small amounts: a MeasureMate digital measuring spoon scoops and weighs in one step, so you can hit 7.1 g or 6 g without leveling anything. Zero it with the tare button, scoop, and read the display in 0.1 g steps. It weighs up to 500 g, so it handles bigger scoops too.
Quick questions
Is whole wheat flour heavier than all purpose flour?
Not by volume. King Arthur Baking lists whole wheat at 113 g per cup and all purpose at 120 g per cup.
How many grams is 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour?
About 28.3 g, using 113 g per cup. For whole wheat pastry flour it's about 24 g.
How many tablespoons of whole wheat flour are in 50 grams?
About 7 level tablespoons, since each one is about 7.1 g.
Weights based on the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart.