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!
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 |
What Is A Tablespoon?
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?
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.
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 |
How To Measure 1/4 Cup On A Scale
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:
- How Many Tablespoons In An Ounce?
- How Many Tablespoons In A Cup?
- How Many Tablespoons In A Quarter Cup?
- How Many Cups In A Pound?
- Free Kitchen Conversion Chart
- Baking Pan Conversion Chart
- How To Cut A Recipe In Half Free Printable
F.A.Q.
No. One cup is the equivalent of 16 tablespoons, so ¼ cup equals 4 tablespoons.
A quarter cup equals 4 tablespoons, 12 teaspoons, 2 fluid ounces, or 59 milliliters.
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.
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.
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.
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
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