How to use the fermentation salt calculator
- Enter the weight of the vegetables and choose the unit, from grams to pounds.
- Enter the salt percentage by weight from your recipe. The 2 percent shown is an example.
- Choose whether the percent applies to the vegetables only or to the vegetables and water. If you include water, enter its weight in the same unit.
- Read the grams of salt to weigh out, and the ounces, teaspoons and tablespoons if you want spoon amounts for your own salt.
Formula
Base weight = vegetables (+ water, if chosen) in grams
Salt = base weight x salt percentage
Teaspoons = salt / grams per teaspoon of your salt
Weighing salt is more accurate than measuring by volume because coarse and fine salts fill a spoon differently. The grams per teaspoon is the weight of a level teaspoon of your own salt.
1,000 g of cabbage at 2 percent
2 percent of 1,000 g is 20 g of salt, or 0.71 ounces. With a salt that weighs 6 g per level teaspoon, that is 3.3 teaspoons or 1.11 tablespoons. The total weight with salt is 1,020 g.
In pounds, 2 lb of vegetables is 907.18 g, and 2.5 percent of that is 22.7 g. If the percent applies to 800 g of vegetables plus 1,000 g of water, the base is 1,800 g and 2 percent is 36 g, which is 6 teaspoons at 6 g each. For 35 oz of vegetables at 3 percent, weigh out 29.8 g.
Salt by weight, not by spoon
Most fermenting recipes give salt as a percentage of the weight of the vegetables, or of the vegetables and water together. That makes the recipe work for any batch size, as long as you weigh. A teaspoon of fine salt can weigh twice as much as a teaspoon of flaky salt, so the spoon figures on this page depend on the grams per teaspoon you enter. Weigh a level teaspoon of your salt on a kitchen scale to get a good number.
For a brine made of salt in water, the Brine Calculator works from the water, and for jars of pickles in vinegar the Pickle Brine Calculator scales a ratio.
This tool does the arithmetic, not the food safety
A safe ferment depends on clean equipment, vegetables that stay under the liquid, a tested recipe and the right temperature. This page only converts a percentage into grams. Use a trusted recipe for the salt level and method, and follow its advice about when to eat or discard the batch. To scale a recipe up or down, the Recipe Scaler multiplies the other ingredients, and the Cooking Measurement Converter changes ounces and grams.
Assumptions and limits
- The percentage is the one you enter. The 2 percent shown is an example, not a recommendation.
- Pounds and ounces are converted exactly at 453.59237 g and 28.349523125 g.
- Three teaspoons make one tablespoon.
- All the work is done in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out how much salt to use for fermenting?
Multiply the weight of the vegetables by the salt percentage in your recipe. For 1,000 g at 2 percent that is 20 g. Weigh it rather than measure it by spoon.
Should the percentage include the water?
It depends on your recipe. Dry-salted vegetables like sauerkraut use the weight of the vegetables only. A brine ferment may state a percentage of the vegetables plus the water. This tool lets you choose.
Why are the teaspoon amounts only a guide?
Different salts weigh different amounts per teaspoon. The tool uses the grams per teaspoon you enter, with 6 as an example, so weigh your own salt to get a better figure.
Can I convert ounces or pounds?
Yes. Choose the unit of your vegetables and the tool converts it to grams first, then gives you the salt in grams and ounces.