Herbs & Spices
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt Conversion
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt weighs 128g per US cup.
| Amount | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 128.0 g | 4.52 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 64.0 g | 2.26 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 32.0 g | 1.13 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 8.0 g | 0.28 oz |
| 1 tsp | 2.7 g | 0.09 oz |
| 100 g | 100.0 g | 3.53 oz |
Need a different amount? Use the full Ingredient Converter tool.
Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs just 128 grams per cup — less than half of table salt's 288g — because its crystals are manufactured into hollow, irregular pyramid-shaped flakes rather than table salt's small, dense, uniform grains, trapping a large amount of air between flakes in any given volume.
That light, flaky structure is exactly why many professional chefs and cookbook authors specify Diamond Crystal by name rather than just "kosher salt" generically — its texture is easy to pinch and sprinkle with fine control by feel, and its lower density per volume makes it more forgiving to over-salt with than a denser salt, since a pinch measures out to genuinely less sodium.
This is also exactly why a volume-for-volume salt substitution is genuinely dangerous without adjustment: swapping Diamond Crystal 1:1 by volume for table salt in a recipe roughly doubles the actual saltiness, since the same cup or teaspoon of table salt packs in more than twice the salt mass — always check this site's substitutes ratio (roughly 2:1 by volume) rather than assuming any "kosher salt" swaps evenly.
Diamond Crystal's famously light, hollow-pyramid crystal structure gives it the lowest density of the common salts on this site (128g/cup) — that structure comes from how the salt is manufactured (evaporated in a specific process that produces flaky, irregular crystals rather than dense cubes), and it's exactly why recipes developed around Diamond Crystal specifically call for roughly double the volume of table salt to match saltiness.
That same light, flaky structure is also why many professional cooks prefer Diamond Crystal for hand-seasoning meat before cooking — it's easier to judge and distribute evenly by pinch and feel than a denser salt, where a pinch delivers meaningfully more sodium for the same gesture.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Diamond Crystal kosher salt weigh so much less than table salt?
Diamond Crystal's flakes are produced as hollow, irregularly shaped pyramids with real empty space trapped between them, a sharp contrast to table salt's small, solid, tightly packed grains — pack the same measuring cup with each and the flaked salt simply contains less actual sodium chloride by weight.
Why do so many chefs specify Diamond Crystal by brand name instead of just "kosher salt"?
Its specific flake shape and low density make it easy to pinch and control by feel, and recipe developers who cook with it constantly build their salt measurements around its particular density — a genuinely different density than other kosher salt brands, which is why the brand distinction matters.
Is Diamond Crystal kosher salt interchangeable with Morton kosher salt?
No, not by volume — Morton's flakes are denser and less airy than Diamond Crystal's, so the two kosher salts aren't interchangeable 1:1 despite both being labeled "kosher salt"; check this site's specific conversion for each rather than assuming they match.
Does Diamond Crystal kosher salt contain iodine or anti-caking additives?
No — it's pure salt with no iodine and no anti-caking agents, which is part of why professional cooks favor its clean flavor and why it dissolves and clings to food differently than table salt's treated crystals.
Why is kosher salt called "kosher" if it's not certified kosher food?
The name comes from its traditional use in koshering meat (drawing out blood per Jewish dietary law) due to its large flake size, not from a religious certification on the salt itself — most kosher salt is also certified kosher as a food product, but the name's origin is about its function, not just its certification.