How Many Tablespoons In A Quarter Cup?

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Measuring ingredients accurately is essential for cooking and baking. If you need to know how many tablespoons in a quarter cup, or how to convert between cups and tablespoons and other measurement units, you’re in the right place!

Two images of person holding measuring spoons and measuring cup with baking ingredients. — How to measure a quarter cup using tablespoons

Contents hide

1 How Many Tablespoons In ¼ Cup?

2 What Is A Tablespoon?

3 What Is A Cup?

4 Other Types Of Cups

5 Tablespoon And Cup Conversions

6 How To Measure 1/4 Cup On A Scale

7 Measuring Tips

8 More Unit And Kitchen Conversions

9 F.A.Q.

Many cooking recipes offer room for error when it comes to measuring. This doesn’t apply in baking. Doughs such as puff pastry, the many kinds of batter like the one for muffins, sweets like fudge, and most baked goods, require precise measuring.

If you’re trying to double or cut a recipe in half, you might have some unit conversions to make. Cups to tablespoons is definitely one of the most common, and we’ll discuss it in detail.

How Many Tablespoons In ¼ Cup?

Short answer: there are 4 tablespoons in ¼ cup. Since one cup equals 16 tablespoons, a quarter cup is the equivalent of 4 tablespoons.

1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons

¼ Cup = 16/4 Tablespoons = 4 Tablespoons

Use the simple conversion chart below to convert cups to tablespoons and vice-versa.

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

Basic Cups To Tablespoons Conversions

What Is A Tablespoon?

Person holding a set of measuring spoons. — The tablespoon is great for measuring ingredients required in small amounts

A tablespoon is a measuring unit of volume used in America for cooking and baking. It’s part of the US customary system and it’s usually abbreviated in recipes as “tbsp” or “tbs“, “tb“, or “t“.

In general, the tablespoon is used to measure ingredients needed in smaller amounts such as spices, leavening agents, oil, and liquid condiments.

One tablespoon is equivalent to 1/16 cup, 3 teaspoons, ½ fluid ounce, or 15 milliliters.

What Is A Cup?

Measuring cup with egg, baking sheet, and meringue. — A measuring cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons

A cup is also a unit of volume in the US customary system used to measure dry and liquid ingredients for recipes.

The short form c or C is often used in recipes and one cup equals 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, 8 fluid ounces, or 237 milliliters.

Person blending liquid in measuring cup. — This measuring cup is made for liquid ingredients

The cups made for measuring dry ingredients hold the same volume as the ones designed to measure liquids, but each is best for its original purpose.

I recommend you invest in a good set of measuring tools for your kitchen and use both dry and liquid measuring cups. These are the key to success when cooking or baking!

Other Types Of Cups

There are other kinds of measuring cups with different volumes.

The US legal cup is used to measure ingredients for nutrition labeling by organizations such as the FDA and USDA.

Another common type is the metric cup, a unit of volume in the metric system. It’s used in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries that have adopted the metric system.

Here’s how the different types of cups compare:

1 US customary cup = 236.59 milliliters

1 US legal cup = 240 milliliters

1 Metric cup = 250 milliliters

Note: In this guide, all conversions and values refer to the US customary cup, which is the most common one used for cooking and baking in America.

Tablespoon And Cup Conversions

There’s no need to calculate how many tablespoons in a quarter cup or other unit conversions when you’re trying to adjust a recipe.

This conversion chart includes ready-made conversions between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, and milliliters.

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

Cups, Tablespoons, Teaspoons, Fluid Ounces, and Milliliters Conversions

How To Measure 1/4 Cup On A Scale

Person weighing ingredients in bowl. — A kitchen scale will give you the most accurate measurements

There are 4 tablespoons in a quarter cup, but what if you don’t have any measuring cups or spoons?

We know that a quarter cup equals 2 fluid ounces. A digital kitchen scale will solve all your problems. Here’s how to use it for measuring 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons:

Start the scale and place the bowl or container on it.
Press the “zero” or “tare” button. This will disregard the weight of the bowl and reset the scale counter.
Select fluid ounces (fl oz) as the measuring unit.
Add your ingredient into the bowl until the scale counter reads 2 ounces.

Measuring Tips

Measuring your ingredients incorrectly can negatively affect the outcome of your recipe. You might notice changes in flavor, texture, and appearance, especially for baked goods where ingredient ratios are stricter.

These measuring tips will ensure your recipes always turn out great:

Start with a set of clean and dry measuring cups and spoons. Anything stuck to the bottom of the cup might cause an incorrect measurement. Avoid using wet cups and spoons to prevent dry ingredients from sticking to them.
When measuring dry ingredients, scoop the ingredient and level off your cup or spoon using a straight edge knife, spatula, or a finger.
Sift dry ingredients if there are any clumps.
Always use a liquid measuring cup for liquid ingredients. Fill it to the appropriate line, place it on a flat surface, and hold it at eye level to measure accurately.
When a recipe calls for an ingredient in ounces or pounds, a kitchen scale will provide the most accurate measurement.

More Unit And Kitchen Conversions

Depending on the situation, you might need to sweets between other measurement units. These guides and free printables will help you perform other common kitchen and unit conversions with ease:

F.A.Q.

Is A Quarter Cup The Same As 3 Tablespoons?

No. One cup is the equivalent of 16 tablespoons, so ¼ cup equals 4 tablespoons.

What Is Equivalent To ¼ Cup?

A quarter cup equals 4 tablespoons, 12 teaspoons, 2 fluid ounces, or 59 milliliters.

How Many Tablespoons In ¼ Cup Of Butter?

There are 4 tablespoons in ¼ cup of butter. Both tablespoons and cups are units of volume, so the number above is the same for any ingredient.

A quarter cup is equivalent to 4 tablespoons, regardless if you’re measuring butter, flour, oil, sugar, mayo, or another ingredient.

How Do I Measure ¼ Cup Without Measuring Tools?

If you don’t have any measuring tools or a kitchen scale, use these references when you want to measure cups, tablespoons, or teaspoons.

¼ cup is about the size of a goofball or a large egg.
½ cup is about the size of a tennis ball.
1 cup is about the size of an apple, baseball, or human fist.
1 tablespoon is about the size of an ice cube.
1 teaspoon is about the size of the tip of your index finger.

Can I Use A Regular Spoon To Measure A Tablespoon?

The closest match is a large dinner spoon. It’s not exactly the same as measuring tablespoon, which is a unit of volume part of the US customary system.

A measuring tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons or 2 fluid ounces. For the most accurate measurements, it’s not recommended to replace it with another type of spoon.