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Last Updated: May 2026

How Many Tablespoons in a Cup?

Tablespoon & Cup Converter

Cups
1
Tablespoons
16
Teaspoons
48

Conversions are provided for informational purposes. Weight conversions for ingredients are approximate and vary based on how ingredients are measured and their specific brand or variety. For precise baking, a kitchen scale is recommended.

1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons
= 48 Teaspoons

Cups to Tablespoons Chart

CupsTablespoonsTeaspoons
1/8 cup2 tbsp6 tsp
1/4 cup4 tbsp12 tsp
1/3 cup5 tbsp + 1 tsp16 tsp
1/2 cup8 tbsp24 tsp
2/3 cup10 tbsp + 2 tsp32 tsp
3/4 cup12 tbsp36 tsp
1 cup16 tbsp48 tsp
2 cups32 tbsp96 tsp
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How Many Tablespoons Are in a Cup?

There are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup. That is the number you need to know. It is exact. It never changes.

This page gives you the complete conversion table for every cup fraction, plus a calculator that converts any tablespoon or teaspoon amount into cups, fluid ounces, and milliliters instantly.

Complete Tablespoon to Cup Conversion Chart

CupsTablespoonsTeaspoonsFluid OuncesMilliliters
1/8 cup2 tbsp6 tsp1 fl oz29.6 ml
1/4 cup4 tbsp12 tsp2 fl oz59.1 ml
1/3 cup5 tbsp + 1 tsp16 tsp2.67 fl oz78.9 ml
1/2 cup8 tbsp24 tsp4 fl oz118.3 ml
2/3 cup10 tbsp + 2 tsp32 tsp5.33 fl oz157.7 ml
3/4 cup12 tbsp36 tsp6 fl oz177.4 ml
1 cup16 tbsp48 tsp8 fl oz236.6 ml
2 cups32 tbsp96 tsp16 fl oz473.2 ml

Why 1/3 Cup Is the Awkward One

One-third cup is the measurement that trips people up. It does not divide evenly into whole tablespoons. One cup has 16 tablespoons. Divide by 3 and you get 5.333 tablespoons.

The practical answer: 1/3 cup equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. That teaspoon is not an approximation. The math is exact: 5 tablespoons equals 15 teaspoons, plus 1 more teaspoon equals 16 teaspoons total, which equals exactly 1/3 of 48 teaspoons (the number of teaspoons in 1 cup). So 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon is the precise answer.

The same applies to 2/3 cup: 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.

Teaspoons to Tablespoons

There are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. This is the other conversion worth memorizing.

TeaspoonsTablespoons
1 tsp1/3 tbsp
2 tsp2/3 tbsp
3 tsp1 tbsp
6 tsp2 tbsp
9 tsp3 tbsp
12 tsp4 tbsp (1/4 cup)
24 tsp8 tbsp (1/2 cup)
48 tsp16 tbsp (1 cup)

When Does This Come Up in Real Cooking?

The tablespoon-to-cup conversion comes up constantly in baking and everyday cooking.

Scaling recipes: A recipe calls for 1/4 cup of olive oil but you want to halve it. Half of 1/4 cup is 2 tablespoons. Knowing that 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons makes this immediate.

Missing measuring tools: You have tablespoons but not a 1/3-cup measure. Five tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. Done.

Liquids in larger batches: You need 3/4 cup of stock and only have a 1/4-cup measure. Three fills of the 1/4-cup measure.

Checking recipe math: Doubling a recipe that calls for 6 tablespoons of butter. Six tablespoons doubled is 12 tablespoons, which is 3/4 cup. Easier to measure in one pour.

US vs. Metric Tablespoons

The US tablespoon holds 14.787 milliliters. The metric tablespoon used in Australia and some other countries holds exactly 15 milliliters. The difference is less than 2 percent. For cooking purposes they are interchangeable. For baking they are close enough that the difference will not affect results.

The UK historically used a 17.76ml tablespoon, but modern UK recipes and measuring spoons have standardized to 15ml. If you are using an old UK recipe, the tablespoon amounts may be slightly larger than a US measure.

All calculations on this site use the US tablespoon of 14.787 milliliters.

Quick Kitchen Reference

The 5 conversions worth knowing by memory:

  • 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
  • 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
  • 1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
  • 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons

Everything else follows from those five.

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Tablespoons and Teaspoons FAQ

There are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup. One cup equals 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, 8 fluid ounces, and 236.59 milliliters. This conversion is standard across all US recipes and applies equally to both liquid and dry ingredients measured by volume.

There are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup. One-quarter cup also equals 12 teaspoons and 2 fluid ounces. This is one of the most common cooking measurements. Many recipes call for 1/4 cup of an ingredient, and knowing it equals exactly 4 tablespoons makes substitution easy if you do not have a 1/4 cup measure available.

One-third cup equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. Because 16 tablespoons does not divide evenly by 3, the result is not a whole number. In decimal form, 1/3 cup equals approximately 5.33 tablespoons. The practical way to measure 1/3 cup using only a tablespoon is to use 5 full tablespoons and then add 1 level teaspoon.

There are 8 tablespoons in 1/2 cup. One-half cup also equals 24 teaspoons, 4 fluid ounces, and 118.29 milliliters. This is a clean, simple conversion since 1/2 of 16 tablespoons is exactly 8. It is one of the easiest substitutions to make in the kitchen when a 1/2 cup measure is not available.

Two-thirds cup equals 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, or approximately 10.67 tablespoons total. Like 1/3 cup, two-thirds does not divide evenly into whole tablespoons. The precise way to measure 2/3 cup is to use 10 full tablespoons and then add 2 level teaspoons.

There are 12 tablespoons in 3/4 cup. Three-quarters cup also equals 36 teaspoons and 6 fluid ounces. This is a clean conversion since 3/4 of 16 tablespoons equals exactly 12. Many baking recipes call for 3/4 cup of sugar or flour, and 12 tablespoons is the precise equivalent.

There are 12 teaspoons in 1/4 cup. Since 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons and 1/4 cup equals 4 tablespoons, multiply 4 tablespoons by 3 teaspoons to get 12 teaspoons total. For a 1/2 cup, there are 24 teaspoons. For a full cup, there are 48 teaspoons. Knowing teaspoon equivalents is useful when measuring very small amounts of strong ingredients like spices or extracts.

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