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Yeast Converter — Instant, Active Dry & Fresh Yeast

Swap one yeast for another by weight — instant, active dry, or fresh — with packets and teaspoons for active dry.

Recipes call for whichever yeast the author had on hand, but most of us keep just one kind in the pantry. The three common baking yeasts — instant (rapid-rise), active dry, and fresh (cake or compressed) — can be swapped for one another by weight using the long-standing baking convention instant : active dry : fresh ≈ 1 : 1.25 : 3. Enter an amount and its yeast type below to see the equivalent weight of the other two, plus teaspoons and packets for active dry. These are standard guidelines that match the leavening power; the loaf itself still depends on dough temperature, hydration, and proofing time.

Active dry
12.5g
Fresh (cake)
30g
Active dry — by packet & teaspoon

12.5 g active dry ≈ 4.018 tsp ≈ 1.786 packets

1 US packet = 7 g active dry ≈ 2.25 tsp.

How to use

  1. Enter the amount in grams

    Type the quantity your recipe gives (or that you have on hand) in grams. The conversions update as you type — there is no submit button.

  2. Pick the yeast type you're starting from

    Choose instant, active dry, or fresh from the selector. The two boxes show the equivalent weight of the other two yeasts.

  3. Read the equivalents

    Each tinted box is the by-weight equivalent in grams. The bottom box also gives active dry as teaspoons and packets (1 US packet = 7 g ≈ 2.25 tsp).

Worked examples

HaveWantResult
10 g instantactive dry12.5 g (≈ 4 tsp)
10 g instantfresh30 g
7 g active dry (1 packet)instant5.6 g
30 g freshinstant10 g

Frequently asked questions

Can I substitute instant yeast for active dry?
Yes. By weight you need about 25% less instant than active dry, because instant is more concentrated and finer. Using the 1 : 1.25 ratio, 10 g of instant replaces roughly 12.5 g of active dry. Going the other way, multiply the instant amount by 1.25 to get the active dry equivalent.
Do I need to proof (dissolve) instant yeast first?
No. Instant yeast is designed to be mixed straight into the dry ingredients — no blooming in warm water required. Active dry yeast traditionally benefits from proofing in warm liquid first, though modern active dry can often be added directly too. Fresh yeast is usually crumbled into the liquid.
How long does fresh yeast keep?
Fresh (cake/compressed) yeast is highly perishable: about 2 weeks refrigerated, sometimes a little longer. It should be firm and smell yeasty; discard it if it turns dark, dry, crumbly, or develops an off smell. Dry yeasts last far longer — months in the pantry, longer still sealed in the freezer.
How many grams are in a packet of yeast?
One US standard packet of active dry (or instant) yeast contains 7 g, which is approximately 2.25 teaspoons. So 1 packet = 7 g ≈ 2.25 tsp, and 1 teaspoon is roughly 3.11 g.
Why is the fresh yeast amount so much larger?
Fresh yeast contains a lot of water and live cells suspended in moisture, so it's much less concentrated than dry yeast. That's why you need about three times the weight of fresh yeast to match instant — the 1 : 3 part of the ratio.
Will these conversions guarantee the same rise?
They match the leavening power closely, which is the right starting point. But bread is a living process: dough temperature, hydration, salt, sugar, and proofing time all affect the final rise. Treat the converted amount as a reliable baseline and judge the dough by how it proofs, not the clock.

About

Where the 1 : 1.25 : 3 ratio comes from

Major yeast producers and baking authorities publish near-identical substitution guidance: active dry is roughly 25% more than instant by weight, and fresh is about three times instant by weight. We express everything relative to instant grams and route each conversion through that base, so a single factor table is the only source of truth. These are standard guidelines, not laboratory constants — small recipe-to-recipe variation is normal.

Why convert by weight, not volume

Volume measures (teaspoons) vary with how packed the granules are and differ between instant and active dry. Weighing yeast on a scale is far more repeatable, which is why this tool works in grams and only offers teaspoons/packets as a convenience for active dry, where the 7 g = 2.25 tsp US packet standard is well established.

Sources & references

Authoritative references behind the math, constants, and tables on this page. Verified by Buğra Sözeri on the dates shown and re-checked at every deploy.