Yeast Conversion Calculator - Yeast Converter (2024)

Quick navigation:

1. Yeast and its use in cooking
2. Fresh yeast vs Active Dry yeast vs Instant yeast
3. Are different types of yeast interchangeable?
4. Yeast conversion matrix
5. Fresh yeast to dry yeast conversion
6. Fresh yeast conversion tables
7. Instant yeast to active dry yeast conversion
8. Dry yeast conversion table
9. Standard yeast packaging

Yeast and its use in cooking

Dough recipes for breads, pizzas, cakes, pies, doughnuts, and other baked goods include yeast as a key ingredient since yeast is a leavening agent. But what is it really? Yeast is a single-cell fungus and a particular type of it called Saccharomyces cerevisiae sees widespread use in cooking. The fungi need food, warmth, and moisture to live and reproduce and in their metabolism they convert sugar and starch into carbon dioxide and alcohol through a process known as fermentation.

This resulting carbon dioxide is what makes dough rise and gives baked goods their distinctive porous (airy) and light structure. Your favorite tasty bread, pizza, or cake would not be possible without this unicellular fungus.

Fresh yeast vs Active Dry yeast vs Instant yeast

Baking recipes would often specify an amount of yeast of a particular kind, hence the need for yeast conversions. The three main commercially available types of baker's yeast are:

• Fresh yeast is soft and moist and has a short shelf life so it must be stored refrigerated or even frozen to preserve its qualities. It needs to be proofed before mixing with the other ingredients. Baker's fresh yeast's highly perishable nature makes it less preferable to home cooks who might not be baking as often as professionals.
• Active dry yeast, or just "Dry yeast" is a pressed and dried version of Fresh yeast in the form of desiccated granules. Dry yeast needs to be rehydrated and proofed, meaning mixing it in warm water (40–43 °C / 104–109 °F) with a bit of sugar, for it to become activated. Then it can be added to the other ingredients. Compared to instant yeast, dry yeast needs more time to produce its leavening effect.
• Instant dry yeast, often referred to as just "Instant yeast" to avoid confusion with Active dry yeast, is dried using a more modern process of quick-drying (airlift drying) under lower temperatures ^[1], and as result contains a larger proportion of live cells than active dry yeast. This and the larger surface area of the granules makes it relatively fast-acting and also means instant yeast does not need to be rehydrated or proofed before being added to the dough mix.

Neither type of dry yeast (active or instant) needs to be refrigerated as long as it is kept dry and sealed, as without moisture yeast cells just remain dormant. Instant yeast can maintain its qualities for up to a year even after it's been opened, as long as it is kept refrigerated.

Are different types of yeast interchangeable?

All yeast types contain the same single-cell organism and it acts the same once activated, so yes, all yeast types are fully interchangeable. If a recipe specifies an amount in fresh yeast, you can substitute it with dry yeast or instant yeast by converting it to appropriate quantities (use this yeast conversion calculator!). This goes the other way, too. If you have fresh baker's compressed yeast handy you can definitely replace active dry yeast or instant yeast in a recipe with it. See the yeast conversion examples below that cover the most commonly used conversions between yeast types and amounts found in baking recipes.

What about some people claiming fresh yeast being superior and producing better texture and flavor than the dry counterparts? While this myth has been around for some time, and even some professional chefs might subscribe to it, it really is all the same. Instead, the key to a richly flavored and delicious bread is to use less yeast and let the dough rise in a cooler environment for longer.

Yeast conversion matrix

The table chart below shows you the number you need to multiply or divide an amount of yeast of the type specified in the "Recipe amount" column to get the type of yeast in the other columns.

Importantly, the above universal conversion chart works for calculations in which both amounts of yeast are given in weight units such as grams (g) or ounces (oz). To convert to and from yeast amounts given in volume units such as tablespoons, teaspoons, or cups, one must first convert the input measurement to weight using the given yeast density, perform the conversion using the table, and then convert the resulting weight back into the desired volume measurement unit. This is where most other yeast conversion calculators get it wrong, so do not be surprised if results from this yeast converter differ from those obtained by other tools or charts. For example, 2 tablespoons of instant yeast do not equal 2 · 3 = 6 tablespoons of fresh yeast due to their different densities.

Fresh yeast to dry yeast conversion

It should be noted that if you are from the United States, then active dry yeast would be the most commonly available one to non-commercial bakers. However, instant dry yeast is typically more widely available in Europe. ^[2] Therefore, converting amounts of fresh yeast to active dry yeast would be a common task if you are in the U.S. whereas in Europe you would often need to convert fresh yeast to instant yeast. Here are some example yeast conversion calculations.

Fresh yeast to active dry yeast

Sample task: convert 1 oz of fresh yeast to ounces of active dry yeast, given that the conversion ratio is 2. Solution:

Formula:
oz of fresh yeast / 2 = oz of active dry yeast
Calculation:
1 oz of fresh yeast / 2 = 0.50 oz of active dry yeast
End result:
1 oz of fresh yeast is equal to 0.50 oz of active dry yeast

Fresh yeast to instant dry yeast

Sample task: convert 21 grams of fresh yeast to grams of instant yeast, knowing that the conversion ratio of fresh to instant yeast is 3. Solution:

Formula:
g of fresh yeast / 3 = g of instant yeast
Calculation:
21 g of fresh yeast / 3 = 7 g of instant yeast
End result:
21 g of fresh yeast is equal to 7 g of instant yeast

Fresh yeast conversion tables

For your convenience, below you will find conversion charts for some of the most used fresh yeast conversions.

Fresh yeast to active dry yeast conversion table

This table contains often used quantities of fresh yeast in ounces and cube quantities and their corresponding values in grams and packets of active dry yeast. Other quantities and measurements are supported in our yeast converter above.

Fresh yeast to instant yeast conversion table

Below is a kitchen conversion chart of fresh yeast in cubes, ounces, and grams and their corresponding values in packets, ounces, and grams of instant dry yeast.

Instant yeast to active dry yeast conversion

If you're in the United States and are working based on a baking recipe from Europe, then amounts specified in instant yeast may need to be converted to active dry yeast. Likewise, if you are in Europe and preparing an American recipe you might often end up doing an active dry yeast to instant yeast conversion calculation.

Instant yeast to active dry yeast

Example: convert 14 grams of instant yeast to ounces of active dry yeast using the yeast conversion chart and knowing that one ounce equals 28.3495 grams. Solution:

Formula:
g of instant yeast / 18.9 = oz of active dry yeast
Calculation:
14 g of instant yeast / 18.90 = 0.740741 oz of active dry yeast
End result:
14 g of instant yeast is equal to 0.740741 oz of active dry yeast

When following a cooking recipe this can be rounded to 0.75 oz (3/4 oz) which is exactly two packets of active dry yeast.

Active dry yeast to instant yeast

Example: convert 0.75 oz of active dry yeast to g of instant yeast using the yeast conversion chart and knowing that one ounce equals 28.3495 grams. Solution:

Formula:
oz of active dry yeast * 18.9 = g of instant yeast
Calculation:
0.75 oz of active dry yeast * 18.90 = 14.1750 g of instant yeast
End result:
0.75 oz of active dry yeast is equal to 14.1750 g of instant yeast

For practical purposes in the kitchen this can be rounded to 14 g, meaning exactly two packets of instant dry yeast are needed to substitute ¾ of active dry yeast.

Dry yeast conversion table

Below you will find a conversion chart for converting to and from active dry yeast and instant dry yeast. For other measurement units such as tbsp, tsp, or cups, use the yeast conversion calculator above.

Standard yeast packaging

Fresh yeast for home use is typically packaged in cubes weighing 42 g (1½ oz) each. Active dry yeast and instant dry yeast each come in standard packaging of 7 g (¼ oz) each. In the image: a cube of fresh yeast and instant yeast to the right.

Oftentimes recipes make use of this standardization and list yeast amounts in their standard packaging, e.g. a recipe might specify "1 cube of fresh yeast" and you may want to convert that to instant yeast, or it may specify "2 packets of active dry yeast" and you might want to use fresh yeast instead. Our yeast converter will help you easily convert between standard yeast packaging.