Yeast Converter
In the baking world, yeast is one of the primary ingredients, and this yeast converter helps you achieve the perfect balance of yeast and flour for your bread 🍞! Since there are different types of yeast available, we may often find ourselves needing to convert active dry yeast to instant, or convert fresh yeast to dry yeast to obtain the optimal yeast-to-flour ratio.
Last updated: January 23, 2026
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Conversion Ratio
Active dry yeast → Instant yeast: 2:3
Conversion Result
1 tbsp active dry yeast
In the baking world, yeast is one of the primary ingredients, and this yeast converter helps you achieve the perfect balance of yeast and flour for your bread 🍞! Since there are different types of yeast available, we may often find ourselves needing to convert active dry yeast to instant, or convert fresh yeast to dry yeast to obtain the optimal yeast-to-flour ratio.
Be it Thanksgiving 🥧 or someone's birthday 🎂 or even an impromptu pizza party🍕, baked goods form an integral part of the celebrations, and are one of the unseen stars behind those perfect pies, cakes, and pizzas, is yeast!
Why is Yeast Needed, and What are Its Types?
When it comes to baking 🧤, yeast is most commonly used as a leavening agent that helps the dough rise and gives the bread a spongy texture. A few food items for which the dough is prepared using yeast are:
- • Bread
- • Waffle
- • Pie 🥧
- • Pretzel 🥨
- • Bagel
- • Doughnut 🍩
- • Shortcake 🍰
- • …and many more!
⚠️ Important: If you have pets 🐕, yeast is generally not considered a healthy addition to dog food 🐶 since it may cause allergies. So you may want to steer clear of it when it comes to your pet food!
The 4 common types of yeast you can find in the market are:
The most common type of dry yeast. Requires proofing (activation in warm water) before use. Has a longer shelf life and is widely available in grocery stores.
Also known as rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast. More concentrated than active dry yeast and doesn't require proofing. Can be added directly to dry ingredients.
Also known as fresh yeast or cake yeast. Has a shorter shelf life and needs refrigeration. Provides a more traditional flavor profile.
Also known as beer yeast. Much less concentrated than active dry yeast. Primarily used in brewing but can be used in baking with proper conversion.
Some recipes may call for one type of yeast while you have the other one, but fret not! Using our yeast conversion chart, it's perfectly okay to substitute yeast of one type with yeast of another type.
Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast Conversion
To convert instant yeast to active dry yeast, the magic number is 1.5! Active dry yeast quantity should be1.5 times the quantity of instant yeast to achieve the same dough consistency.
Active dry yeast = Instant yeast × 1.5
Conversely, if you want the active dry yeast to instant yeast conversion, you'll need todivide by 1.5, which is equivalent to multiplying the active dry yeast quantity by ²/₃.
Example 1: Instant to Active Dry
If the recipe calls for 4 tbsp of instant yeast, you will need4 × 1.5 = 6 tbsp of active dry yeast.
Example 2: Active Dry to Instant
If the recipe calls for 9 tbsp of active dry yeast, you will need9 × ²/₃ = 6 tbsp of instant yeast.
In this manner, we can easily find the quantity of instant yeast vs. active yeast if we know one of the quantities. This will help us substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast, or vice versa, to get the perfect yeast-to-flour ratio in the dough!
Fresh Yeast to Dry Yeast Conversion
If you're wondering how to convert fresh yeast to dry yeast (or rather, fresh yeast to active dry yeast), wonder no more!
Active dry yeast = Fresh yeast ÷ 2
The equivalent active dry yeast substitute for fresh yeast can be found by dividingthe fresh yeast quantity by 2! This simple hack will help you with your fresh-to-dry yeast conversion!
Alternatively, if you are looking for active dry yeast to fresh yeast conversion, then you wouldmultiply the quantity by 2!
This handy tip will help you with your cooking measurement 🥄 to get that perfect consistency!
Compressed Yeast to Instant Yeast Conversion
Compressed yeast, also known as compressed fresh baker's yeast, can be substituted with instant yeast by taking a quantity that is one-third of the compressed yeast quantity.
Instant yeast = Compressed yeast ÷ 3
So, for example, if you want to bake a pizza 🍕 and the recipe calls for 12 tbsp of compressed yeast, you can substitute it with4 tbsp of instant yeast!
What is the Difference Between Brewers' Yeast and Active Dry Yeast?
Brewers' yeast is commonly also known as beer yeast. It's much less concentrated than active dry yeast. So if we want to substitute brewers' yeast with active dry yeast, we'd need roughly half of the corresponding quantity since the active yeast is more concentrated.
For example, 2 tbsp of brewers' yeast will be equivalent to about 1 tbsp of active dry yeast.
How do I Use the Yeast Converter?
If you find yourself having a type of yeast that's different from the one mentioned in the recipe, then this yeast conversion calculator will come to your rescue! All you need to do is the following:
- Select the type of yeast you want to convert from.
- Choose the type of yeast you want to convert to.
- Specify the quantity of the yeast and select the appropriate unit.
- Voila! The yeast converter will show you the equivalent amount for the type of yeast you want!
Using this yeast conversion calculator, you can:
- • Convert fresh yeast to dry yeast;
- • Convert instant yeast to active dry yeast;
- • Convert fresh yeast to instant yeast;
- • …and choose many more such combinations!
The next time you plan to cook 🍳 some deliciously fluffy and light pancakes 🥞, don't forget to include yeast in your shopping list, along with eggs 🥚 and butter! Check out our perfect pancake calculator for more.
To make things easier for you, you can also do the following conversions in this calculator for a single type of yeast by simply changing the units (e.g., convert grams to teaspoons, ounces to tablespoons, etc.).
Yeast Conversion Table
To summarize the various conversions involved, here is a nice yeast conversion table for your ready reference:
| Convert from… | Convert to… | Operation to do |
|---|---|---|
| Active dry yeast | Instant yeast | Multiply by ²/₃ |
| Active dry yeast | Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Multiply by 2 |
| Active dry yeast | Brewers' yeast | Divide by 0.45 |
| Instant yeast | Active dry yeast | Multiply by ³/₂ |
| Instant yeast | Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Multiply by 3 |
| Instant yeast | Brewers' yeast | Multiply by 10/3 |
| Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Active dry yeast | Divide by 2 |
| Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Instant yeast | Divide by 3 |
| Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Brewers' yeast | Multiply by 10/9 |
| Brewers' yeast | Active dry yeast | Multiply by 0.45 |
| Brewers' yeast | Instant yeast | Multiply by 3/10 |
| Brewers' yeast | Compressed fresh baker's yeast | Multiply by 9/10 |
So the next time you dig into a super-soft and delicious croissant 🥐 or a baguette 🥖, you know the secret ingredient behind it! Have a yeasty meal 🍽️!
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