How to Substitute Salt: Simple Salt Conversion Chart

Knowing the differences between the five most common types of salt will help you choose the best salt for every dish.

1. 1. Table salt: Table salt, also known as granulated salt, is the most common type of salt. It is produced by washing away trace minerals from mined salt, then evaporating the salt in a closed container. The closed-container process yields small, uniformly cube-shaped crystals. Table salt is the densest of all the different types of salt, which means it tastes saltier and dissolves more slowly than other salt varieties. Unless it’s non-iodized, most table salt contains added potassium iodine, an essential mineral that tastes somewhat metallic. Table salt also usually contains additives like anti-caking agents, which can look cloudy when dissolved in water.
2. 2. Kosher salt: Kosher salt is traditionally used in the Jewish practice of koshering meats (removing blood by adding salt) sinces its larger crystals draw out liquid from meat and are easy to rinse off afterwards. Kosher salt dissolves quickly, it doesn’t have the off flavors and excessive saltiness associated with table salt, and it’s affordable and readily available. At the supermarket, you’ll likely see two brands: Morton’s kosher salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Although both are labeled kosher, these two salts are actually different. Morton’s salt is made by rolling cubes of salt (evaporated in a closed container) into thinner flakes, while Diamond Crystal’s salt is evaporated in an open container, yielding hollow, pyramidal flakes. As a result of the differences in crystal structure, Morton salt is about twice as salty by volume as Diamond Crystal. Diamond Crystal also dissolves quickly (about twice as fast as table salt), and its larger surface area means that it readily sticks to foods.
3. 3. Flaky salt: Flaky salt can refer to any type of salt that forms large flakes, but it’s often sea salt that has evaporated slowly in an open or partially open system—such as Maldon salt. The open evaporation gives the salt a hollow pyramid shape that allows it to dissolve quickly in water (up to five times faster than table salt). Flaky salt has a noticeably crunchy texture that’s ideal for sprinkling on baked goods.
4. 4. Unrefined sea salt: Most salt is washed to remove impurities before drying. Unrefined sea salts retain the trace amounts of minerals (such as magnesium chloride, sulfate, and calcium sulfate), sediment (such as clay), algae, and bacteria that coat the sodium chloride crystals. Unrefined sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, and French sel gris (“gray salt”) are all often slightly colored due to the retained sediment. Sea salt comes in different levels of coarseness, but finely ground sea salt can dissolve up to 20 times faster than table salt and coarse sea salt.
5. 5. Fleur de sel: Fleur de sel is a type of flaky sea salt in a class all its own. It consists of crystals that form on the top of the salt beds in west-central France. It doesn't contain the same sediment as French sel gris, so fleur de sel flakes are white, but they do contain some trace minerals. One of the most expensive types of salt, fleur de sel is almost exclusively used as a finishing salt.

When measuring ingredients, there are typically two avenues: volume (tablespoons, milliliters) or weight (ounces, grams). Volume measures how an ingredient fills a container—it’s good for liquids, which take the shape of the vessel in which they’re placed. But it’s not as accurate for solid ingredients like salt, which have their own unique shapes. Also, the accuracy of a volume measurement depends entirely on the container; when it comes to home baking tools, slight variations in measuring spoons can throw a recipe into chaos.

Meanwhile, weight refers to how heavy an ingredient is, regardless of the container. (Note: the metric standard is grams, while the United States relies on ounces. The former is a bit more precise, so use that whenever possible.) Unlike volume measurements, which might be impacted by the size and shape of an ingredient itself, the weight remains constant. For instance, consider three common types of salt crystals:

This is one way volume can be misleading. Following the exact same recipe, the food made with table salt will taste much saltier than food made with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Many times, these differences won’t be enough to ruin a dish. But when it comes to precise applications like bread recipes, getting the right measurements can separate delicious from disaster. The good news? Super-accurate digital kitchen scales are relatively inexpensive.

You can substitute any type of salt for any other, but there are a few instances in which the size of the granules matter. The best type of salt for cooking depends on what you’re using it for: Finer, quick-dissolving salts like kosher salt and sea salt are best used for baking, seasoning, or preserving food, while larger flakes add both texture and flavor as finishing salt. A few good rules of thumb:

1. 1. Use large flakes for finishing. Finishing salt should taste good on its own and have a pleasant crunch. If you substitute finer salts, they will likely just dissolve, and might make your food taste too salty.
2. 2. Use fine salts for baking. When baking, stick to salts that dissolve quickly, such as fine sea salt or table salt.
3. 3. Substitute half as much table salt for kosher salt. If your recipe calls for Diamond Crystal kosher salt (a chef’s favorite) but all you have is table salt, half the amount of salt in the recipe. Keep in mind that the table salt will be slower to dissolve and might add metallic flavors.
4. 4. Allow larger flakes more time to dissolve. Fine sea salt and Morton’s kosher salt can be used interchangeably, but the Morton’s will likely take longer to dissolve.

If you have a kitchen scale and your recipe provides a weight measurement for salt, you’re in luck; you can use any type of salt for the recipe—all you have to do is weigh out the proper amount. If you don’t have a scale, or your recipe only provides a volume measurement, use this chart to convert different types of salt:

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