how many grams in a teaspoon of tapioca?

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• How many grams in a teaspoon of tapioca?
  About 3.5 g for a level teaspoon of small pearl or instant tapioca. Tapioca starch is slightly lighter, closer to 2.5-3 g per teaspoon. Heaping changes the number more than it does for denser ingredients — a heaped teaspoon of pearls runs 5-6 g — so level the spoon when a recipe specs teaspoons for thickening.
• When would I use tapioca starch by the teaspoon in baking?
  Gluten-free flour blends often call for 1-2 teaspoons of tapioca starch per cup of base flour to add elasticity and that slight chew you'd otherwise get from gluten. It's also used by the teaspoon in mochi-style cookies, pao de queijo, and as a small add-in to brown rice flour mixes. The amounts are small but noticeable — skipping the tapioca leaves the bake crumblier and drier.
• Can I thicken a small pan sauce with a teaspoon of tapioca?
  Yes — 1-2 teaspoons of tapioca starch (3-6 g) is enough for about 1/2 cup of liquid in a pan sauce or quick gravy. Make a slurry with cold water first, then whisk in off the heat and bring back to a simmer. Tapioca thickens fast and clear, but it doesn't reheat as well as a roux-based sauce, so finish it close to serving.

related conversions

• Tapioca: cups to grams
• Tapioca: tablespoons to grams
• Tapioca guide