Food & baking · Bread
Yeast conversion calculator.
Recipe says fresh cake yeast but you have a jar of instant? Enter the amount and type and get the other two.
Inputs
Equivalent amounts
Enter a yeast weight.
How to convert fresh yeast to dry
King Arthur gives two multipliers: fresh yeast x 0.4 = active dry yeast, and fresh yeast x 0.33 = instant yeast. Active dry to instant is worked out through fresh yeast (instant = active x 0.33 / 0.4, about 0.83), which is a calculation from those two figures, not a separate King Arthur number. Many cooks simply swap them 1:1 as a rule of thumb. Active dry starts a little slower and needs hydrating in warm water first.
Worked example. A recipe uses 42 g of fresh yeast. 42 x 0.4 = 16.8 g of active dry, or 42 x 0.33 = 13.9 g of instant. Dry yeast weighs less, so most manufacturers suggest adding the weight difference as water to keep the dough yield: 42 - 13.9 = 28.1 g extra water for instant.
Frequently asked questions
How much instant yeast equals one packet of active dry?
Using the King Arthur fresh-yeast multipliers, instant is about 0.83 of active dry by weight, so a 7 g packet of active dry is about 5.8 g of instant. Swapping 1:1 is a common rule of thumb and also works for most home baking.
How do I replace fresh yeast with instant yeast?
Multiply the fresh weight by 0.33. For 30 g of fresh yeast use about 10 g of instant.
Do I need to proof instant yeast?
No. Instant yeast can be mixed straight into the dough. Active dry yeast should be hydrated in warm water first.
Other charts say active dry needs 25% more than instant. Who is right?
Manufacturers differ. This tool derives active dry and instant from King Arthur's fresh-yeast multipliers (0.4 and 0.33). If your dough is slow, give it more time before adding yeast.
Sources
Checked
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Scope
Yeast activity varies with age, storage and dough temperature. Treat the result as a starting point and judge the dough by how it rises.