Conversions · Updated Oct 2026
Sugar to Simple Syrup Conversion for Drinks and Baking
Use 1½ times as much 1:1 simple syrup as sugar: 1 tsp sugar ≈ 1½ tsp syrup, 1 cup ≈ 1½ cups. Rich 2:1 syrup swaps about one for one. Charts both ways inside.
To replace sugar with classic 1:1 simple syrup, use 1½ times the volume: 1 teaspoon of sugar equals about 1½ teaspoons of syrup, and 1 cup of sugar equals about 1½ cups. With rich 2:1 syrup, the swap is roughly one for one. Going the other way, 1 tablespoon of 1:1 syrup holds about 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Sugar to simple syrup chart
These amounts match the sweetness of granulated sugar. The 1:1 column assumes syrup made with cups, the usual home method.
| Granulated sugar | 1:1 simple syrup | Rich 2:1 syrup |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp (4 g) | 1½ tsp (7.5 ml) | 1 tsp (5 ml) |
| 2 tsp (8 g) | 1 tbsp (15 ml) | 2 tsp (10 ml) |
| 1 tbsp (12.5 g) | 1½ tbsp (22 ml, or ¾ oz) | 1 tbsp (15 ml) |
| ¼ cup (50 g) | 6 tbsp (90 ml) | ¼ cup (60 ml) |
| ⅓ cup (67 g) | ½ cup (120 ml) | ⅓ cup (80 ml) |
| ½ cup (100 g) | ¾ cup (180 ml) | ½ cup (120 ml) |
| 1 cup (200 g) | 1½ cups (360 ml) | 1 cup (240 ml) |
| 2 cups (400 g) | 3 cups (720 ml) | 2 cups (470 ml) |
Why 1½? One cup of sugar dissolved in one cup of water makes about 1½ cups of syrup, so every 1½ cups of syrup carries one cup of sugar. Rich syrup packs twice the sugar into less water, which is why it lands close to one for one.
Simple syrup to sugar chart
Use this when a recipe calls for syrup and you'd rather use sugar, or when you want to know how much sugar is in your drink.
| Simple syrup | Sugar in 1:1 syrup | Sugar in rich 2:1 syrup |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp (5 ml) | ⅔ tsp (2.7 g) | 1 tsp (4.4 g) |
| 1 tbsp (15 ml) | 2 tsp (8 g) | 1 tbsp (13 g) |
| 1 fl oz (30 ml) | 4 tsp (16 g) | 2 tbsp (26 g) |
| ¼ cup (60 ml) | 2⅔ tbsp (33 g) | ¼ cup (52 g) |
| ½ cup (120 ml) | ⅓ cup (65 g) | ½ cup (105 g) |
| 1 cup (240 ml) | ⅔ cup (130 g) | 1 cup (210 g) |
A standard sour uses ¾ oz (22 ml) of simple syrup, which is about 1 tablespoon (12 g) of sugar.
Converting by weight
If you have a scale, the math gets exact and easy, because 1:1 and 2:1 syrups made by weight have fixed sugar contents.
- 1:1 by weight is exactly half sugar. Use 2 g of syrup for every 1 g of sugar. For 100 g of sugar, use 200 g of syrup.
- 2:1 by weight is two-thirds sugar. Use 1.5 g of syrup for every 1 g of sugar. For 100 g of sugar, use 150 g of syrup.
Weighing also tells you exactly how much water you're adding, which matters for baking.
of finished syrup
- Sugar
- 1 cup200 g
- Water
- 1 cup235 ml
Using simple syrup instead of sugar in baking
Syrup is sugar plus water, so swapping it in adds liquid. That works in some recipes and ruins others.
Where it works
- Drinks, sorbets and granitas, where the sugar would be dissolved anyway.
- Soaking syrups and glazes. Brushing cake layers with syrup is the classic use.
- Fruit salads and macerated berries, which get glossy without gritty sugar.
- Whipped cream, in small amounts: about 1 tablespoon of syrup per cup of cream.
- Muffins and quick breads, if you cut the other liquid to match.
Where it doesn't
- Creamed butter cakes and cookies. Beating butter with sugar crystals traps the air that makes them rise. Syrup can't do that, so cakes turn dense and cookies spread.
- Meringues and candy. These rely on sugar dissolving into egg whites or cooking to a precise temperature. Italian meringue does use a syrup, but it's cooked to 240°F (116°C), far past simple syrup.
How to adjust the liquid
Each cup of sugar you replace with 1½ cups of 1:1 syrup adds about 1 cup (237 ml) of water. Reduce the recipe's milk, water or juice by that much. If the recipe doesn't have that much liquid to cut, use rich syrup, which adds only about ½ cup of water per cup of sugar, or replace no more than half of the sugar.
Drinks: coffee, tea and punch
For everyday drinks, the 1½ rule is all you need.
- Coffee and tea: if you take 2 teaspoons of sugar, use 1 tablespoon of 1:1 syrup. More ideas are in the coffee syrups guide.
- Iced tea and lemonade: 1 cup of sugar per pitcher becomes 1½ cups of syrup. Cut about 1 cup of water from the recipe to keep the strength the same.
- Old punch recipes that call for sugar: use 1½ cups of simple syrup per cup of sugar, or make an oleo saccharum for more citrus flavor.
- Sugar-free: allulose syrup is about 70% as sweet, so use roughly a third more than the 1:1 amounts above.
For batches of any size, the syrup calculator works out sugar, water and yield for you.
FAQ
How much simple syrup equals 1 teaspoon of sugar?
About 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) of 1:1 simple syrup matches the sweetness of 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. With rich 2:1 syrup, use about 1 teaspoon.
How much simple syrup replaces 1 cup of sugar?
Use about 1½ cups (360 ml) of 1:1 simple syrup, or about 1 cup of rich 2:1 syrup. In baking, also reduce the other liquids by about 1 cup for the 1:1 version.
How much sugar is in 1 oz of simple syrup?
One fluid ounce of 1:1 simple syrup made with cups holds about 16 g of sugar, roughly 4 teaspoons. The same amount of rich 2:1 syrup holds about 26 g.
Can I substitute simple syrup for sugar in baking?
Sometimes. It works in drinks, sorbets, glazes, soaking syrups and quick breads where you can cut other liquid. It doesn't work in creamed butter cakes, cookies or meringues, which need sugar crystals.
Make it
Recipes from this guide
classic6 min
Classic Simple Syrup
clean · neutral sweetness
classic8 min
Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)
clean · dense sweetness · silky body
specialty26 min
Simple Syrup for Cakes (Cake Soaking Syrup)
vanilla · light sweetness
sugar-swap5 min
Sugar-Free Simple Syrup (Allulose)
clean · lightly sweet · no aftertaste