Kosher Salt to Table Salt Conversion Guide

Adding a little salt can really make a dish pop, bringing out all of the flavours and adding some extra deliciousness. What happens when you need kosher salt and only have table salt, however? Can you substitute one for the other? What amounts will you need to use? You need my kosher salt to table salt conversion guide!

Kosher Salt vs Table Salt: What’s the Difference? 

Kosher salt is larger in grain size and coarser in finish than table salt is, which comes in grains so small that they can fit through a salt shaker. Size isn’t the only difference as far as these two salt types are concerned, though.  

Kosher salt is known to dissolve more slowly than table salt does, so it’s commonly used as a “finishing salt” rather than a “cooking salt”. When added to a dish right before serving, it can offer extra crunch.  

Table salt, on the other hand, dissolves quickly, leaving a salty taste but eradicating that crunchy finish.  

There are other differences between table salt and kosher salt, too. Kosher salt is additive-free, and this is especially the case with kosher-certified kosher salt. Table salt is often fortified with other things, including iodine, with amounts and minerals/vitamins dependant on geographical location.  

Kosher salt is considered to be “purer” than table salt, and also has a more authentic, ocean-salt taste.  

Kosher Salt to Table Salt Conversion Guide

If you don’t have kosher salt and need to use table salt instead (or the other way around), you will need to tweak the amount you use.  

A little pinch (roughly one-quarter of a teaspoon) of kosher salt can be replaced with a slightly smaller pinch of table salt. When you’re adding more than that, though, you will want to use quite a bit less table salt than you would kosher salt.  

If an American recipe requires one cup of kosher salt, you should use about half cup of table salt – and it is recommended to add it in slowly, tasting as you go.  

When you need to switch out one type of salt for another – especially a coarse grain salt with a fine grain salt (or vice versa) – you should add a little bit of salt at a time. If you add too much, you’ll end up with a super-salty and rather unpleasant dish.  

If you add too little, however, you can always sprinkle a little more in there.  

Don’t make the same mistake that I’ve made a bazillion times before: adding too much salt, ruining dinner, and ending up ordering a pizza.