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Home » Main Courses

How many teaspoons are in a sprig? A conversion guide for common culinary herbs

Published: Mar 25, 2021 · Modified: Jan 11, 2023 by Nicole B.

Jump to:
  • About this guide:
  • What is a sprig / How much is a sprig:
  • How to calculate specific amounts:
  • How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
  • How many tablespoons are in a cup?
  • Basil:
  • Chive:
  • Cilantro:
  • Dill:
  • Lavender:
  • Marjoram:
  • Mint:
  • Oregano:
  • Parsley (curly leaf):
  • Parsley (flat leaf):
  • Rosemary:
  • Sage:
  • Tarragon:
  • Thyme:
  • More cooking conversion guides:
  • Comments

About this guide:

A lot of recipes call for a specific amount of a finely chopped fresh herb. But how do you know what length of sprig or how many sprigs you need for that?

That’s what this guide is for. It’s a handy reference that tells you approximately how many teaspoons are in a sprig of a particular herb.

You can use this guide in the grocery store when shopping for a recipe. Or you can reference it before taking scissors to the potted herb plants in your kitchen or your garden.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that this resource is meant as a guide only. The amounts given for each herb are approximate because no two sprigs of a particular herb are the exact same and the number and size of leaves will vary to some extent.

What’s in this guide:

This guide is organized by herb (in alphabetical order). How many teaspoons are in a sprig depends both on the herb and the size of the sprig. For each herb this guide lists:

  • the length of the sprig measured
  • the approximate amount of leaves that can be harvested from a sprig of that length
  • the approximate amount of finely chopped herb that a sprig of that length will yield

I also included photographs to provide a visual reference for what each measured herb sprig looked like.

How was this guide created?

To create this guide, I analyzed sprigs of all common culinary herbs. I included basil, chive, cilantro, dill, lavender, marjoram, mint, rosemary, parsley (flat leaf and curly leaf), oregano, sage, tarragon and thyme.

I did each measurement three times, meaning I selected three sprigs of the same length for each herb. For each measurement, I cut the leaves off the sprig and packed them into a measuring spoon or cup and noted the amount. Then I finely chopped the leaves, transferred them into a measuring spoon and noted their volume. The amounts reported in this guide are the average of the three measurements.

What is a sprig / How much is a sprig:

A sprig of an herb is a small branch of the herb plant (usually between 4 and 6 inches long, unless otherwise specified).

Sprigs can vary dramatically in size, even within a given plant. Because of that I have included the length of each sprig measured in this guide.

How to calculate specific amounts:

You can calculate the specific amounts of finely chopped herb you need using the conversions for teaspoons to tablespoons and tablespoons to cups listed below.

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

Unit:Equals:
1 tablespoon3 teaspoons

How many tablespoons are in a cup?

Unit:Equal:
4 tablespoons¼ cup

Basil:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig basil⅓ cup packed basil leaves (about 10 medium/large leaves)1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
A basil sprig, basil leaves and finely chopped basil.

Chive:

Sprig Size:Equals about:
one 6-inch chive⅜ teaspoon finely chopped chive
A sprig of chive and finely chopped chive.

Cilantro:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig cilantro1 teaspoon packed cilantro leaves¼ teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
Cilantro sprig, cilantro leaves and finely chopped cilantro.

Dill:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 8-inch sprig dill1 tablespoon packed dill leaves1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
Dill sprig, dill leaves and finely chopped dill.

Lavender:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig lavender½ teaspoon lavender buds½ teaspoon finely chopped lavender

Note: Lavender buds will pack tightly together. That’s why the volume of whole lavender buds and that of finely chopped lavender will be about the same.

A lavender sprig, lavender buds and finely chopped lavender.

Marjoram:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig marjoram1 teaspoon packed marjoram leaves¼ teaspoon finely chopped marjoram
A marjoram sprig, marjoram leaves and finely chopped marjoram.

Mint:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig mint1 tablespoon packed mint leaves (about 6 medium/large leaves)1 teaspoon finely chopped mint
Mint sprig, mint leaves and finely chopped mint.

Oregano:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig oregano1 tablespoon packed oregano leaves1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
An oregano sprig, oregano leaves and finely chopped oregano.

Parsley (curly leaf):

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig curly leaf parsley2 tablespoons packed curly leaf parsley leaves1 tablespoon finely chopped curly leaf parsley
A sprig of curly leaf parsley, parsley leaves and finely chopped parsley.

Parsley (flat leaf):

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig flat leaf parsley½ tablespoon packed flat leaf parsley leaves¾ teaspoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
A sprig of flat leaf parsley, parsley leaves and finely chopped parsley.

Rosemary:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig rosemary½ tablespoon packed rosemary leaves1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
Rosemary sprig, rosemary leaves and finely chopped rosemary.

Sage:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig sage1 tablespoon packed sage leaves (about 6 medium/large leaves)1 tablespoon finely chopped sage

Note: Finely chopped sage leaves won’t pack very tightly together because of their cotton-like texture. That’s why the volume of packed whole sage leaves and that of finely chopped sage will be about the same.

Sage sprig, sage leaves and finely chopped sage.

Tarragon:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 6-inch sprig tarragon1 tablespoon packed tarragon leaves1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon
A tarragon sprig, tarragon leaves and finely chopped tarragon.

Thyme:

Sprig Size:Equals about:Also equals about:
one 4-inch sprig thyme¼ teaspoon thyme leaves⅛ teaspoon finely chopped thyme
Thyme sprig, thyme leaves and finely chopped thyme.

More cooking conversion guides:

  • Onion to cups conversion (rough-chopped, medium-diced, minced)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Richard

    November 22, 2022 at 8:13 am

    Thank you for this information, i’m a new cook and greatly appreciate.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      November 22, 2022 at 5:18 pm

      You’re so welcome, I’m very happy to hear that you find it useful!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How Much Dried Thyme Equals 2 Sprigs? #1 Best Answer says:
    June 8, 2022 at 9:41 am

    […] sizes vary from plant to plant, it can be difficult to precisely figure this out. Thankfully, some very dedicated cooks have tried to accurately quantify these measurements for the benefit of the general […]

    Reply

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