Convert Achiote Powder measurements

Achiote Powder Measurement Converter

Use the tool below to convert achiote powder from the measurements in your recipe to the measurements that you need.

Achiote powder is ground annatto seed, the earthy spice behind the deep red colour of Yucatecan dishes like cochinita pibil. Most recipes ask for it by the tablespoon or teaspoon, where one tablespoon (15 ml) weighs about 7.8 grams and a teaspoon around 2.6 grams. A whole metric cup (250 ml) comes in at 130 grams, but few recipes call for anywhere near that much.

Achiote powder is sold both as pure ground seed and as a blend cut with cornmeal or salt, so the same spoonful can vary in colour and flavour. Weighing it keeps a marinade or spice paste consistent when you scale a batch up.

Also known as

  • annatto powder
  • ground annatto
  • achiote

Related Achiote Powder Ingredients

You can use turmeric powder if achiote is hard to find. It is denser at 150 g per cup and gives a yellow colour rather than red, so a little paprika mixed in can help match the colour. See our Turmeric Powder converter.

Garlic powder is another finely ground dry spice, denser at 150 g per cup. It often sits alongside achiote in the same rub or marinade, so its converter is handy when scaling a spice blend. See our Garlic Powder converter.

Paprika is lighter at 115 g per cup and tastes sweeter than achiote. You can use it if achiote is not on hand, and mixing it with turmeric gets the colour closer. See our Paprika converter.

Out of achiote powder? See achiote powder substitutes →

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Achiote Powder Calculators & Baking Tools

Working with achiote powder? These tools handle the jobs a converter cannot.

  • Oven to Air Fryer Converter Match the temperature and time when you swap the oven for an air fryer, fan oven, or slow cooker.
  • Recipe Scaler Scale any recipe up or down and keep every ingredient in ratio.
  • Volume Converter Switch between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and millilitres for any ingredient.
  • Weight Converter Switch between grams, ounces, pounds and kilograms for any ingredient.

Common Achiote Powder Conversions

Here are the most common achiote powder conversions from grams to teaspoons.

GramsTeaspoons
25 g9.62 tsp
50 g19.23 tsp
75 g28.85 tsp
100 g38.46 tsp
125 g48.08 tsp
150 g57.69 tsp
175 g67.31 tsp
200 g76.92 tsp
250 g96.15 tsp
300 g115.38 tsp
400 g153.85 tsp
500 g192.31 tsp

Achiote Powder Conversion Chart

The conversion chart below gives a quick reference for converting achiote powder to different measurements.

gramscupouncescup(US)tbsptsppinch
100 g0.77 cup3.53 oz0.8 cup (US)12.82 tbsp38.46 tsp615.38 pinch
150 g1.15 cup5.3 oz1.2 cup (US)19.23 tbsp57.69 tsp923.08 pinch
250 g1.92 cup8.83 oz2 cup (US)32.05 tbsp96.15 tsp1538.46 pinch
500 g3.85 cup17.65 oz4.01 cup (US)64.1 tbsp192.31 tsp3076.92 pinch
750 g5.77 cup26.48 oz6.01 cup (US)96.15 tbsp288.46 tsp4615.38 pinch

In my kitchen: Cochinita Pibil

We had friends over for lunch and my wife wanted something easy, so she landed on pulled pork. To me that means BBQ pulled pork, but she had something lighter in mind and found a recipe for cochinita pibil, a Mexican dish. The two things we did not have were banana leaves and achiote powder. We used corn husks for the banana leaves, and living in Australia rather than Cancun, we swapped the 3 tablespoons of achiote powder for a 50/50 mix of turmeric and paprika. It tasted great, though I will have to take a trip to the Yucatan to find out how authentic it was.

Notes from Ian, Cooking Converter

Frequently Asked Questions

Are achiote powder and annatto powder the same thing?
Yes. Annatto powder is another name for achiote powder, so they are the same ingredient and measure identically. A teaspoon of achiote powder weighs 2.6 grams under either name, and every conversion on this page holds whichever name your recipe uses. Recipes swap the two freely, so you can follow either without changing quantities or weighing any differently.
How much is a pinch of achiote powder?
A pinch of achiote powder is about 0.16 grams, 0.01 ounces, or 0.06 teaspoons, taking a pinch as one sixteenth of a teaspoon (about 0.3 ml). A pinch is not a standard measure and varies between cooks, with some using closer to 1/8 teaspoon. For seasoning it is to taste, but weigh small amounts when a bake has to rise or set.
What is 100g of achiote powder in ounces?
100 grams of achiote powder is 3.53 ounces. This is the same for any ingredient, since grams and ounces are both weight units and do not change with what you are weighing. 200 grams is 7.06 ounces and 50 grams is 1.77 ounces. Use the weight converter to switch between grams, ounces, pounds, and kilograms for any amount. Open the weight converter
How much does a teaspoon of achiote powder weigh?
1 teaspoon of achiote powder in grams is 2.6 grams. The ratio is fixed, so 2 teaspoons is 5.2 grams and half a teaspoon is 1.3 grams. Ingredients like achiote powder are usually measured by the spoon, so this is the amount most recipes call for. See the full teaspoon to grams chart for achiote powder for more.

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