A pinch is costed the same way as a kilo: pack price ÷ grams in the pack = cost per gram, then grams used × cost per gram. The only difference is that you have to measure your own teaspoon, because every spoon and every spice weighs differently. Once you do the sums, you will usually find that salt, pepper and nutmeg add up to cents per batch and can sit on one line. The exception is when the spice is the flavour of the product or goes in by the spoonful: then it gets costed on its own, like any other ingredient.
Cost per gram: the starting point
The cost per gram comes from the pack you buy:
cost per gram = pack price ÷ grams in the pack
A 45 g jar of ground cinnamon at $3.60 costs $0.08 a gram. A 40 g jar of nutmeg at $4.00, $0.10 a gram. It is the same method as costing an ingredient you buy by the package; with spices you just have to be careful with the decimals.
If you can buy the same spice in a small jar, a refill bag or in bulk from a wholesaler, the difference per gram can be large. The unit price tool compares pack sizes per kilo and shows which is cheaper.
Measure your teaspoon
Recipes talk in teaspoons, tablespoons and pinches. To cost them you need grams, and that step you have to measure yourself: a teaspoon of dried oregano does not weigh what a teaspoon of salt does, and your spoon is not someone else's.
- Fill a teaspoon level, the way you fill it when cooking.
- Tip 10 of those teaspoons onto a plate on the scale.
- Divide the weight by 10.
Weighing ten at once helps because many kitchen scales cannot read 2 or 3 grams reliably. Do the same with a pinch: 10 pinches, weigh, divide. For liquids such as vanilla extract, go by the volume marked on your measuring spoon and on the bottle. Write each result on your recipe card next to the spice. The guide to units and conversions for costing shows how to build that table for everything you measure by spoon or cup.
Worked example: a batch of cinnamon rolls
You bake cinnamon rolls, 12 to a batch. In these rolls the spices are not background. The spoon weights are the ones you measured; your spoon and your spices may give different numbers.
| Item | Pack | Cost per unit | Your measurement | In the recipe | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground cinnamon | 45 g jar at $3.60 | $0.08 per g | 10 tablespoons = 75 g, so 7.5 g | 3 tablespoons = 22.5 g | $1.80 |
| Vanilla extract | 60 ml bottle at $9.00 | $0.15 per ml | your teaspoon is marked 5 ml | 2 teaspoons = 10 ml | $1.50 |
| Nutmeg | 40 g jar at $4.00 | $0.10 per g | 10 pinches = 2 g, so 0.2 g | 1 pinch = 0.2 g | $0.02 |
| Salt | 1 kg at $1.20 | $0.0012 per g | weighed directly | 8 g | $0.01 |
| Spices and flavourings | $3.33 |
The sums: 22.5 × 0.08 = 1.80; 10 × 0.15 = 1.50; 0.2 × 0.10 = 0.02; 8 × 0.0012 = 0.0096. Total 1.80 + 1.50 + 0.02 + 0.0096 = $3.33 a batch, or 3.33 ÷ 12 = $0.28 per roll.
Split it up and the lesson is clear. Cinnamon and vanilla together are $3.30 of that $3.33. Salt and nutmeg together are about three cents a batch, a quarter of a cent per roll. Those two can go on a flat seasoning line. Cinnamon and vanilla cannot: they are the product, and if the price of vanilla extract doubles, your roll costs $0.125 more ($1.50 ÷ 12).
In a savoury dish the picture flips. A pot of chilli or a tray of roast vegetables might use a teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of pepper and some salt; work it out once with the same table and you will likely find a few cents per batch that a flat line covers.
When to group and when not to
Group spices on one flat line per batch when:
- All of them together are a very small part of the batch cost. You set the limit.
- None of them is the flavour that defines the product.
- You use similar amounts every time.
Do not group them when:
- The spice is the flavour: cinnamon in cinnamon rolls, vanilla in a custard, chilli flakes in a hot sauce. There it goes in by the spoonful and its price moves your cost.
- The spice is expensive per gram, such as vanilla pods or saffron. Even a little costs real money.
- It is a paste or blend you use by the ladle, like a curry paste or a chipotle paste. That is an ingredient, not a pinch.
Review the flat line when spice prices change or when you change the recipe. At least once a year, redo the full sum.
Waste in the spice drawer
A large bag of spice is cheaper per gram, but if it goes damp, clumps or loses its aroma before you finish it and you throw it out, what you threw out is waste. Buy the size you will finish in time and keep spices closed and away from the heat of the stove. If a pack gets binned, add it to the cost of that month's batches. To see how other ingredient groups are costed, see the guide to ingredient costs by category.
Do it with the calculator
In the food cost calculator, add minor spices as one flat line per batch, or each one in grams when it is the main flavour. Pastes, extracts and anything that defines the product always go in as their own ingredient, with their own price per gram or millilitre.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a teaspoon of cinnamon?
It depends on your spoon, how you fill it and how fine the spice is, so measure it yourself. Fill 10 level teaspoons, weigh them together and divide by 10. Write the result on your recipe card.
Can I use a flat seasoning amount per batch instead of costing each spice?
Yes, when all of them together are a very small part of the batch cost and none of them is the main flavour. Work it out once, round up and review it when prices change.
Do I need to cost salt?
Yes, but it usually costs very little per batch. Weigh it in grams, since you use more than a pinch, and fold it into the seasoning line.
My scale cannot read 2 grams. What do I do?
Weigh several measures together: 10 teaspoons, 10 pinches. The total is big enough for your scale to read, and you divide by 10.