About the Yeast Converter
This yeast converter tells you how much of one type of yeast replaces another. Enter the yeast your recipe calls for — fresh (cake or compressed) yeast, active dry, instant (rapid-rise or bread-machine) yeast or sourdough starter — in grams, teaspoons, ounces or packets, then pick the type you have. It returns the equivalent weight, teaspoons and packets, plus a table of every other form.
It is handy when a European recipe asks for fresh yeast and you only have dry packets, when you want to swap active dry for instant in a bread machine, or when you want to turn a commercial-yeast recipe into a naturally leavened sourdough loaf. When converting to or from starter, it also tells you how much flour and water to take out of the recipe so the dough keeps the same hydration.
The conversions use the widely used baker’s ratio of fresh : active dry : instant = 1 : 0.5 : 0.4 by weight. Modern active dry yeast is more vigorous than it used to be, and many brands now say their packets are interchangeable 1:1 — the difference mostly shows up as rising time, so watch the dough rather than the clock.
With the default inputs, the use this much is 10 g. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the yeast converter
- 1Choose the type of yeast your recipe calls for.
- 2Enter the amount and its unit — grams, teaspoons, ounces or packets.
- 3Choose the yeast you actually have.
- 4Use the converted amount and follow the dough adjustment, if any.
- 5Judge the rise by the dough doubling rather than by the recipe’s time.
Formula and method
Every yeast is converted to its instant-yeast equivalent and then into the target type, using the baker’s ratio fresh : active dry : instant = 1 : 0.5 : 0.4 by weight. So 10 g of fresh yeast equals 5 g of active dry or 4 g of instant, and active dry is used at 1.25× the weight of instant.
Volumes assume 7 g of dry yeast per 2¼ teaspoon packet (about 3.1 g per teaspoon) and a 17 g (0.6 oz) cake of fresh yeast. For sourdough, about 240 g (1 cup) of active 100%-hydration starter replaces one 7 g packet of instant yeast; since that starter is half flour and half water, those amounts are taken out of (or added back to) the recipe.
- k
- Grams of instant yeast equivalent to 1 g of each type
Worked examples
25 g fresh yeast to instant
Instant yeast is used at 40% of the fresh weight: 25 g × 0.4 = 10 g, about 3¼ teaspoons or just under 1½ packets.
1 packet of active dry to instant
A 7 g packet of active dry yeast equals 7 × 0.8 = 5.6 g of instant yeast — about 1.8 teaspoons, or roughly 1¾ tsp.
2¼ tsp instant yeast to sourdough starter
A packet of instant yeast (2¼ tsp, 7 g) can be replaced by about 240 g of active starter. The starter brings 120 g of flour and 120 g of water, so take those out of the recipe.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert fresh yeast to dry yeast?+
Use half the weight of fresh yeast in active dry yeast, or 40% of the weight in instant yeast. For example, 20 g of fresh yeast becomes 10 g of active dry or 8 g of instant. One 17 g (0.6 oz) cake of fresh yeast is roughly one packet of dry yeast.
Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry?+
Yes. Use about 20–25% less instant yeast than active dry by weight, and you can mix it straight into the flour without proofing. Many brands say packets are interchangeable 1:1 — that works too; the dough simply rises a bit faster.
How much yeast is in a packet?+
A standard US packet of active dry or instant yeast contains 2¼ teaspoons, which weighs about 7 g (¼ oz). A small cake of fresh yeast weighs 0.6 oz (17 g); larger 2 oz cakes are sold for bakers.
How do I replace yeast with sourdough starter?+
Replace each 7 g packet of instant yeast with about 1 cup (240 g) of active, bubbly 100% hydration starter, and remove 120 g of flour and 120 g of water from the recipe. Expect a much longer rise of 4–12 hours depending on temperature.
What is the difference between instant and active dry yeast?+
Both are dried yeast, but instant yeast has finer granules and more live cells, so it dissolves in dough directly and acts faster. Active dry yeast has larger granules and is traditionally dissolved in warm water first to wake it up.