How Many Tablespoons In A Cup?

Questions like how many tablespoons in a cup pop up when we’re trying to adapt a recipe to a different pot or to make a different number of servings. We have some premade conversions that will get you cooking asap. Some of these are so easy you’ll memorize them very soon!

Some recipes are more forgiving with measurement errors, while others can be easily ruined by changing the ingredient ratios. This is especially true for baked goods.

Converting cups to tablespoons may come in handy when you don’t have a measuring cup or you’re trying to scale the recipe up or down.

How Many Tablespoons In A Cup?

If you’re looking for the short answer, here it is: there are 16 tablespoons in a cup.

Use this formula when you want to convert cups to tablespoons:

1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons

1 Tablespoon = 1/16 Cup

Using the formula above you can find out how any number of tablespoons translates into cups.

2 Tablespoons = 2 x 1/16 Cup = ⅛ Cup

Or skip the math and use the table below for the most common conversions:

⅛ Cup	2 Tablespoons
¼ Cup	4 Tablespoons
⅓ Cup	5 ⅓ Tablespoons
½ Cup	8 Tablespoons
⅔ Cup	10 ⅔ Tablespoons
¾ Cup	12 Tablespoons
1 Cup	16 Tablespoons

What Is A Tablespoon?

A tablespoon is a measuring unit of volume in the US customary system. It’s typically used in cooking and baking, for ingredients such as oil, sauces, liquid condiments, sugar, spices, and leavening agents.

In recipes, it often appears in abbreviated forms such as tbsp, tb, and t.

One tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons, ½ fluid ounce, or 15 milliliters.

What Is A Cup?

A cup is another unit of volume part of the US customary system. There are cups specifically made for measuring liquid or dry ingredients and it’s best to use each for its intended purpose.

Often abbreviated as c or C, a cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, 8 fluid ounces, or 237 milliliters.

Types Of Cups

For the purpose of this guide, we’re referring to the US Standard (customary) cup. There are other types of cups used in various parts of the world and they have different volumes. Here are the most common ones:

• US Standard (customary) cup – Used in the United States to measure liquid and dry ingredients in cooking and baking. A US customary cup is equivalent to 8 fluid ounces, or 236.59 milliliters.
• US Legal cup – Used for nutrition labeling, this cup is preferred by official organizations in the United States, such as the USDA and the FDA. It has a slightly larger volume than the US customary cup, being equivalent to 240 milliliters.
• Metric cup – A unit of volume part of the metric system, this cup is equivalent to 250 milliliters. It’s used in countries that have adopted the metric system such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Tablespoons Vs. Cups

Both are units of volume and part of the US customary system, but do they have different purposes?

There’s always the option to use whichever you prefer, but the general rule is to rely on cups for larger amounts of ingredients, and tablespoons for small amounts.

Recipes call for cups of sugar, flour, breadcrumbs, and other ingredients that are needed in a bigger quantity. On the other hand, it’s pretty common to see tablespoons of oil, or spices among a recipe’s ingredients.

If you cook and bake often, having a set of measuring cups and spoons will make your life a whole lot easier. Using the unit of volume called by the recipe will always guarantee the most accurate measurements.

Cups To Tablespoons Conversions

One cup is 16 tablespoons, and the table above is helpful for basic conversions.

So what about when you need to convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, and milliliters? Here’s a ready-made conversion chart to make things easy!

Cups	Tablespoons	Teaspoons	Fluid Ounces	Milliliters
1 cup	16 tbsp	48 tsp	8 fl oz	237
¾ cup	12	36 tsp	6 fl oz	177
⅔ cup	10 ⅔ tbsp	32 tsp	4 ⅔ fl oz	156
½ cup	8 tbsp	24 tsp	4 fl oz	118
⅓ cup	5 ⅓ tbsp	16 tsp	2 ⅓ fl oz	78
¼ cup	4 tbsp	12 tsp	2 fl oz	59
1/6 cup	2 ⅔ tbsp	8 tsp	1 ⅓ fl oz	39
⅛ cup	2 tbsp	6 tsp	1 fl oz	30
1/16 cup	1 tbsp	3 tsp	½ fl oz	15

Measuring Tips

Any recipe you want to make will turn out better if you measure the ingredients correctly. Here’s the equipment you should have and how to use it:

• Ingredients required in small amounts are best measured with tablespoons and teaspoons.
• Measuring cups are best used for dry ingredients needed in larger amounts, such as flour and sugar.
• Liquid measuring cups: Use a liquid measuring cup for wet ingredients such as water, milk, juice, or oil.
• When a recipe calls for ingredients by weight, a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure them.

When measuring dry ingredients, all you need to do is scoop the ingredient into your measuring cup or spoon and use a straight-edge utensil or a finger to level it off.

Refrain from over-packing or underpacking the ingredient. Just scoop it and level off the top.

For liquid ingredients, place the cup on a flat surface, keep it at eye level, and fill it to the appropriate measurement line.

How Many Teaspoons In A Tablespoon?

1 Tablespoon = 3 Teaspoons

1 Teaspoon = ⅓ Tablespoon

To measure smaller quantities, there are other measuring spoons smaller than a teaspoon.

• Dash – ⅛ Teaspoon
• Pinch – 1/16 Teaspoon
• Smidgen – 1/32 Teaspoon

F.A.Q.

Final Words

Questions like how many tablespoons are in a cup, or how many cups in a pound appear when we’re trying to scale a recipe or work with a limited set of measuring tools.

Other issues can appear when cooking and baking such as conversions between ingredients, and various types of pans.

Our free kitchen conversion chart is good to have on hand whenever you want to adapt a recipe. It includes volume conversions, oven temperature conversions, as well as ingredient conversions.

If you’re having trouble switching between different pans, this baking pan conversion chart has all the math done for you!

With these ready-made calculations, you’ll never have to quit a recipe when you need to substitute an ingredient, use a different pan, or don’t have a certain measuring tool.