6 tbsp to cups is a common conversion you’ll probably need more than once if you’re not a stranger in the kitchen. Whether the recipe is calling for 6 tablespoons, or you’re trying to scale it, once you know how to convert tablespoons to cups, these adjustments will come naturally!
Are you the family cook? Then you probably noticed some recipes are more forgiving when it comes to measuring ingredients. Add too many carrots to a stew and it will simply taste a little sweeter but still delicious.
Add too much flour to a cake batter, and it will probably turn out dry and bulky. Baked goods, in general, are more pretentious when measuring ingredients.
Learning to convert 6 tbsp to cups and other units and quantities often called for by recipes will help you get the perfect results every time, for any type of dish!
What Is A Cup?
A cup is a measuring unit of volume primarily used to weigh cooking ingredients. It’s part of the U.S. Customary System and you’ll often find it abbreviated as “c” or “C” in recipes.
1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 8 fluid ounces = 237 milliliters
There are both dry and liquid cups created to accurately measure each type of ingredient. They have the same volume although the liquid cup will help you better measure fluids.
Liquid measuring cups are transparent and have markings for various measurement units that will help you get an accurate reading. Most also have a beak to help with the pouring of liquids.
I wholeheartedly recommend you keep both types of cups in your kitchen. They’ll help you measure ingredients faster and easier. Cooking shouldn’t be stressful, right?
What Is A Tablespoon?
Tablespoons are a unit of volume in the U.S. Customary System, just like cups and teaspoons. Tbsp, tb, and t are all abbreviated forms you’ll find in recipes and cookbooks.
For ingredients needed in smaller amounts, tablespoons and teaspoons allow us to perform a much more accurate measurement compared to using cups.
Examples of such ingredients include leavening agents, sugar, condiments, herbs, sauces, and oil.
1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoons = 1/2 Fluid ounce = 15 Mililiters
Types Of Cups
The US customary cup is not the only kind available. There are other types of cups with different volumes in both US and the rest of the world.
US Customary Cup
This is the cup most Americans use to measure cooking and baking ingredients. It’s also the one we’re using throughout this guide and all our other cup conversion guides.
1 US customary cup = 8 fluid ounces = 236.59 mililiters
US Legal Cup
Official organizations like the FDA and the USDA rely on this cup for the purpose of nutrition labeling.
1 US legal cup = 240 mililiters
Metric Cup
Countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand rely on the metric system, so they use the metric cup.
1 metric cup = 250 mililiters
Tablespoons Vs. Cups
Tablespoons and cups are units of volume so how are they different and why do we need both?
Lower volumes are best measured with tablespoons since they’re smaller than cups. Most recipes have some ingredients needed in small amounts such as salt, baking powder, oil, and spices.
When a recipe calls for ingredients in cups, it’s probably because this is the tool you need to easily measure them.
While it also depends on the number of servings, you’ll often find foods like flour, sugar, and milk called for in cups.
The rule of thumb is to use the measuring unit required by the recipe for the easiest and most accurate measurement.
How To Convert 6 Tbsp To Cups
You can make any tablespoons to cups conversion if you know the formulas below:
1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons
1 Tablespoon = 1/16 Cup
Based on these numbers, it’s easy to calculate how many cups are 6 tablespoons:
6 Tablespoons = 6 x 1/16 Cup = 3/8 Cup = 0.375 Cup
6 Tablespoons = 0.375 Cup
There you have it. You’ll just need to measure 3/8 cup which is a little over 1/3 cup to get the same volume as 6 tablespoons.
How To Measure 3/8 Cups
3/8 cup is not a common marking on measuring cups. If yours doesn’t have one, you can split 3/8 cup into smaller, easier-to-measure fractions.
Math comes to our rescue again:
3/8 Cup = 1/8 Cup + 2/8 Cup = 1/8 Cup + 1/4 Cup
The 1/4 cup and 1/8 cup markings are more common on measuring cups, and depending on the ones your cup has you have two options:
Measure 1/4 cup once, and 1/8 cup the second time.
Measure 1/4 cup once and half of another 1/4 cup. This method is useful if your cup doesn’t have a 1/8 cup marking.
Some online resources replace 6 tablespoons with 1/3 cup. 6 tablespoons are 0.375 cup, not 0.333 cup (the equivalent of 1/3 cup). This makes 1/3 cup over 10% less than 3/8 cup.
This difference can drastically affect how your recipe turns out, especially for baked goods.
Tablespoons To Cups Conversion Chart
| US Tablespoons | US Cups |
|---|---|
| 1 Tablespoon | 1/16 Cup (0.0625) |
| 2 Tablespoons | 1/8 Cup (0.125) |
| 3 Tablespoons | 3/16 Cup (0.1875) |
| 4 Tablespoons | 1/4 Cup (0.25) |
| 5 Tablespoons | 5/16 Cup (0.3125) |
| 6 Tablespoons | 3/8 Cup (0.375) |
| 7 Tablespoons | 7/16 Cup (0.4375) |
| 8 Tablespoons | 1/2 Cup (0.5) |
| 9 Tablespoons | 9/16 Cup (0.5625) |
| 10 Tablespoons | 5/8 Cup (0.625) |
| 12 Tablespoons | 3/4 Cup (0.75) |
| 16 Talespoons | 1 Cup |
What Is 6 Tablespoons In Other Volume Units?
Do you have other measuring utensils on hand? Here are more unit conversions from 6 tablespoons to help you get that recipe just right!
6 Tablespoons = 18 Teaspoons = 3 Fluid ounces = 90 mililiters
How To Measure Dry Ingredients
The dry measuring cup along with tablespoons and teaspoons are excellent for measuring dry ingredients by volume. All of them should be used the same way.
Scoop the ingredient or pour it into the measuring cup or spoon. Level it off in one swiping motion using a spatula, straight-edged knife, or your finger.
This will ensure you don’t under or overpack the ingredient which would cause an incorrect measurement.
Tip: Make sure you always start with clean and dry cups and spoons. If there’s any moisture present, the dry ingredients can stick to the cups which would make you measure a smaller quantity than required.
How To Measure Liquid Ingredients
The liquid measuring cup was made to help us easily measure fluids. Here’s what you need to do when your recipe calls for water, milk, oil, cooking cream, or another liquid ingredient.
Place the cup on a level surface such as a table or countertop. Fill it to the appropriate marking while keeping it at eye level to get an accurate reading.
More Tablespoon Conversions
Looking for more tablespoon conversions? Skip the math and check the table below. It will come in handy when you’re lacking certain measuring utensils or you want to double or cut a recipe in half.
| Tablespoons | Cups | Teaspoons | Fluid Ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 1/16 cup (0.0625) | 3 tsp | 1/2 fl oz | 15 ml |
| 2 tbsp | 1/8 cup (0.125) | 6 tsp | 1 fl oz | 30 ml |
| 3 tbsp | 3/16 cup (0.1875) | 9 tsp | 1 1/2 fl oz | 45 ml |
| 4 tbsp | 1/4 cup (0.25) | 12 tsp | 2 fl oz | 60 ml |
| 5 tbsp | 5/16 cup (0.3125) | 15 tsp | 2 1/2 fl oz | 75 ml |
| 6 tbsp | 3/8 cup (0.375) | 18 tsp | 3 fl oz | 90 ml |
| 7 tbsp | 7/16 cup (0.4375) | 21 tsp | 3 1/2 fl oz | 105 ml |
| 8 tbsp | 1/2 cup (0.5) | 24 tsp | 4 fl oz | 120 ml |
| 9 tbsp | 9/16 cup (0.5625) | 27 tsp | 4 1/2 fl oz | 135 ml |
| 10 tbsp | 5/8 cup (0.625) | 30 tsp | 5 fl oz | 150 ml |
| 12 tbsp | 3/4 cup (0.75) | 36 tsp | 6 fl oz | 180 ml |
| 16 tbsp | 1 cup | 48 tsp | 8 fl oz | 240 ml |
Other Unit And Kitchen Conversion Resources
Converting between measurement units shouldn’t be complicated. You simply need to have the right references.
Here are some more common unit conversions and resources to help you when measuring ingredients in the kitchen:
- How Many Cups In A Pound?
- How Many Tablespoons In An Ounce?
- 14.5 Oz To Cups
- How Many Tablespoons In A Cup?
- How Many Tablespoons In A Quarter Cup?
- How Many Tablespoons In A Half Cup?
- Free Printable Kitchen Conversion Chart
F.A.Q.
No. One tablespoon equals 1/16 cup so 6 tablespoons are equivalent to 3/8 cup.
6 Tablespoons equals 3/8 cup which is 0.375 cup. Compared to 1/3 cup (0.333 cup) the volume of 6 tablespoons is over 10% larger.
If you don’t have measuring spoons you can measure butter based on the markings on the butter wrapper. In general, each line is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of butter.
Keep in mind that one stick of butter is equivalent to 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup.
6 dry tablespoons are equivalent to 3/8 cup. Both cups and tablespoons are units of volume, so 6 tbsp will always equal 3/8 cup, whether you’re measuring dry or wet ingredients.
6 tablespoons of flour equal 3/8 cup. You can measure 1/4 cup first and then another half of 1/4 cup or 1/8 cup depending on the marks your cup has.
6 US tablespoons will always equal 0.375 cup (3/8 cup) regardless of what you’re trying to measure. Place the cup on a flat surface and keep it at eye level as you’re pouring the oil to get an accurate measurement.
Since 1 cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons, 4 tablespoons equals 1/4 cup. If you need to measure 1/8 cup, that is equivalent to 2 tablespoons.
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