20g Chia Seeds to Cups
20 grams of chia seeds is a small amount, best measured with a spoon rather than a full cup. At 160g per cup, it works out to 2.0 tablespoons.
- Cups (US Customary)
- 0.13 (⅛)
- Tablespoons
- 2.0
- Teaspoons
- 6.0
- Milliliters
- 30 ml
20 grams of chia seeds = 0.13 cups (⅛ cup / 2.0 tbsp / 6.0 tsp)
Chia Seeds has a density of approximately 160g per cup. Dry seeds. Soaked chia gel weighs significantly more. Source: USDA FoodData Central. This is the figure used everywhere on this page, including the tablespoon and teaspoon values, so the numbers stay consistent whether you're reading the summary line, the table, or the FAQ answers below.
| Grams | Cups | Fraction | Tablespoons | Teaspoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10g | 0.06 | ⅛ | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 15g | 0.09 | ⅛ | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| 20g | 0.13 | ⅛ | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| 25g | 0.16 | ⅛ | 2.5 | 7.5 |
| 30g | 0.19 | ⅛ | 3.0 | 9.0 |
The Math for 20g of Chia Seeds
20g divided by 160g (the weight of one cup of chia seeds) equals 0.13 cups. Multiplying that by 16 gives 2.0 tablespoons, and by 48 gives 6.0 teaspoons, since one cup always equals 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons regardless of the ingredient.
Chia Seeds is lighter than water, which weighs about 236g per cup. That's why 20g of chia seeds takes up more volume (30ml) than the same weight of water would (20ml). For a side-by-side look at how other ingredients compare, see the 20 grams to cups page.
Metric and Imperial Cup Sizes
The 0.13 cup figure above uses the US Customary cup (236.588ml). Recipes written outside the US sometimes use a metric cup (250ml) or an imperial (uk) cup (284.131ml) instead. At 20g, that's ⅛ metric cups or ⅛ imperial cups of chia seeds, close to the US figure but not identical. The cup standard switch in the converter above recalculates this instantly for any gram amount.
Making More or Less Than 20g
Doubling a recipe that calls for 20g of chia seeds means weighing 40g, or measuring 0.25 cups if you're working by volume instead of weight. Halving it means 10g, or 0.06 cups. Weight scales exactly with simple multiplication; cup measurements compound any scooping error each time they're doubled or halved, so weighing is more reliable the more a recipe is scaled.
How Chia Seeds Compares to Similar Ingredients
Within nuts & seeds, density still varies by ingredient. At 20g, flaxseeds (150g per cup) measures ⅛ cup, while almonds (143g per cup) measures ⅛ cup, compared to ⅛ cup for chia seeds. Swapping ingredients in a recipe by cup measurement alone, without adjusting for this difference, changes the actual weight used.
Typical Uses for Chia Seeds
- Chia pudding for one serving typically uses 25g to 40g of chia seeds.
- Smoothies often call for just 10g to 15g mixed in.
- Homemade jam recipes usually need 15g to 20g as a thickener.
Getting an Accurate Spoon Measurement
Nuts & Seeds
Spoon in loosely and level off. Avoid shaking the cup, which settles the seeds and packs in more than the recipe expects.
For exact results
Whole nuts and seeds measure differently than chopped or ground versions of the same ingredient, since chopping reduces air pockets between pieces and increases the weight per cup.
For every gram amount at once, the chia seeds conversion chart lists chia seeds across the full range from 1g to 1000g in one table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 20 grams of chia seeds in cups?+
20 grams of chia seeds is 0.13 cups, or 2.0 tablespoons.
Should I use a spoon or a cup for 20g of chia seeds?+
At 20g, a tablespoon or teaspoon measurement is usually more practical than a fractional cup. Use 2.0 tablespoons or 6.0 teaspoons.
Is 20 grams of chia seeds the same as 20 milliliters?+
Only if it weighed the same as water. 20g of water is about 20ml, while 20g of chia seeds is 30ml, because the two have different densities.
Does the answer change for a metric or imperial cup?+
Slightly. 20g of chia seeds is ⅛ metric cups or ⅛ imperial cups, close to the US figure but not identical, since each standard defines the cup at a different volume.