How Many Tablespoons In A Cup: Learning these simple and easy conversions can easily help you out when baking or cooking! If you're working on a recipe and need to know how many tablespoons are in a cup, you can use the information given here to easily scale recipes up and down! Memorizing some of these basic measuring conversions can save you time in the kitchen!
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Tablespoons In A Cup
The number one reason that I end up asking myself this question is for scaling recipes up or down. Once you have some of these simple conversions, it will save you all sorts of time googling the answer!
All of the conversions noted here are based on the US Standard Cup (customary or standard unit cup size), which is also used throughout the blog. Of course, each recipe posted also has metric conversions to grams and liters and notes where other measurements like ounces might apply.
Differences In Cup Measurements
Are cup measurements the same everywhere? Unfortunately, no, they're not! Depending on your recipe, this may or may not make a difference in the results.
Recipes using cups for measuring ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, or mushrooms will not impact the overall flavor of your dish by having a bit more or less of an ingredient. Baking recipes, where you are measuring out flour in particular, will need to be exact. Know where the recipe developer is located and use measuring cups of the same unit for best results.
The US Customary System (USCS)
- 1 US Cup = 236.588 mL
- 1 US Cup = 16 US tablespoons (tablespoon)
- 1 US Cup = 15.77 metric tablespoons (UK, international)
The US Legal Cup (used for nutrition labeling per FDA)
- 1 US Legal Cup = 240 mL
- 1 US Legal Cup = 16.2307 US tablespoons (tablespoon)
- 1 US Legal Cup = 16 metric tablespoons (UK, international)
Metric Cup & Imperial Cup
- 1 metric cup (international) = 250 mL
- 1 imperial cup = 284.131 mL
- 1 metric cup (Australia) = 12 Australian tablespoons
*Cup measurements from The Calculator Site.
When baking, it is always best to measure ingredients using a kitchen scale. Zero out the scale and measure your ingredients. Do measure your ingredients before sifting if the recipe calls for sifting.
Ordinarily, even in baking (particularly with recipes that I am already familiar with), I still use measuring cups. To properly use your measuring cups, fill the cup to the top and use a knife to scrape across the top and level the ingredients.
Imperial vs. Metric
Here in the U.S., the imperial system is still used for measurements. It was originally called the British Imperial System, but when the U.S. was established, we kept the Imperial System while many other countries moved to the Metric System.
Imperial measurements include things like pounds, feet, quarts, inches, and miles. Most countries have now adopted the metric system using things like grams, meters, liters, kilograms, and kilometers.
When it comes to cooking-specific measurements, however, many places recognize cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons as measurements for volume!
Basic Tablespoon Conversions
The short answer for how many tablespoons are in a cup is 16 tablespoons. So when you need 4 tablespoons, you can use ¼ cup. For 8 tablespoons, use ½ cup. Or for 12 tablespoons, use ¾ cup.
The chart below shares all of these, plus more, as well as the fluid ounces of each cup equivalency.
| Tablespoons (TBSP) | Dry Measurement (Cups) | Liquid Measurement (fl. oz.) |
| 16 tablespoons | 1 cup | 8 fluid ounces |
| 12 tablespoons | ¾ cup | 6 fluid ounces |
| 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons | ⅔ cup | 4⅔ fluid ounces |
| 8 tablespoons | ½ cup | 4 fluid ounces |
| 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon | ⅓ cup | 2⅓ fluid ounces |
| 4 tablespoons | ¼ cup | 2 fluid ounces |
| 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons | ⅙ cup | 1⅓ fluid ounce |
| 2 tablespoons | ⅛ cup | 1 fluid ounce |
| 1 tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) | ¹⁄₁₆ cup | ½ fluid ounce |
How Many Teaspoons In A Tablespoon
For each tablespoon in a recipe, there are 3 teaspoons. Or 1½ teaspoons for ½ tablespoon. For measurements smaller than a teaspoon, you can measure by hand.
- 1 teaspoon is approximately the size of your fingertip, from the furthest joint to the tip of the finger.
- ½ teaspoon is about half of the fingertip, as described above.
- ¼ teaspoon is roughly two pinches using your thumb and two fingers, the index and middle finger.
- ⅛ teaspoon or a 'pinch' is about one pinch using your thumb and two fingers as described above.
- ¹⁄₃₂ teaspoon or a 'smidge' is about one small pinch using just your thumb and index finger.
A 'dash' of a liquid ingredient is like a pinch, roughly ⅛ of a teaspoon.
For more information, I have an entire post dedicated to how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon!
Measuring Liquids (by Volume)
When measuring liquids, it is important to use a measuring cup that is intended for liquids. You should not use the standard measuring cup set that you would use for dry ingredients.
The easy part of measuring liquids is that 8 ounces of water really does weigh 8 ounces. Here are some more quick references for fluid ounce conversions:
| Fluid Ounces | Cups |
|---|---|
| 1 fluid ounce | 2 tablespoons |
| 2 fluid ounces | ¼ cup |
| 4 fluid ounces | ½ cup |
| 6 fluid ounces | ¾ cup |
| 8 fluid ounces | 1 cup |
| 12 fluid ounces | 1½ cups |
| 16 fluid ounces | 2 cups (or 1 pint) |
| 32 fluid ounces | 4 cups (or 1 quart) |
| 128 fluid ounces | 1 gallon |
If you have any other conversions you'd like to have added, just ask! I'll be adding more as time goes by, so I do hope that you check back in and let me know if you found any of these tidbits helpful!
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Tablespoons to Cups Calculator/Converter
Now you know exactly how many tablespoons are in a cup! Leave a comment down below and let me know your thoughts!
Don Grenier says
Angela, thank you for this information, To measure coffee grounds for our coffee maker I use a 1/8 cup measuring cup. I could never understand why the coffee came out STRONG and bitter. We would add hot water to the pot to make it less bitter but have a strong taste (We like strong coffee, but...)
Anyway. Now I know, thanks to your break down. (Silly. I know) just thought it was about time to look it.
Happy New Year 2022 to you and your family! Stay safe!