Yeast Conversion Calculator
The recipe calls for fresh yeast, you have instant — or the other way round. Enter the amount and get the equivalent for every type.
The conversion rule
The three types differ in how much live yeast each gram contains: 1 g instant ≈ 1.25 g active dry ≈ 3 g fresh yeast. Fresh yeast is ~70% water, so you need roughly three times the weight; active dry carries more dormant cells and inert material than instant, hence the 25% bump.
What else changes between types
| Instant | Mix straight into the flour, no proofing needed. The standard 7 g sachet leavens about 500 g of flour. |
|---|---|
| Active dry | Traditionally dissolved in warm water (~40 °C) for 5–10 minutes first. Modern active dry usually works mixed in directly, but proofing confirms it's alive — worth it for an old jar. |
| Fresh (cake) | Crumble into the liquid or rub into the flour. Keeps only a couple of weeks refrigerated; if it's darkened or smells sour beyond its usual tang, replace it. |
Rise times shift slightly with the swap — fresh and instant work a bit faster than active dry — so judge by the dough (doubled, airy) rather than the recipe's clock. Baking bread by percentages? Yeast is typically 0.5–1.5% of flour weight in our baker's percentage calculator.