Knowing how many tablespoons are in a cup can save you time and lessen stress with cooking, especially in those moments when you realize that you are multiplying a recipe, don't have the proper measuring cups, or the measuring cups you do have are in the dishwasher and you need something to measure with now.
I've included an easy-to-read measurement conversion chart that I created to take the guesswork out of converting tablespoons (tbsp) to cups when you are short on time.
Have you ever wanted to double a recipe but had no idea how to convert tablespoons to cups? Or, how about cutting a recipe in half and wondering how to divide a quarter of a cup in half?
I've been there! Thankfully, one major 'life skill' I learned in the food service part of my schooling was converting units of measurement. I mastered the basics by memorizing how many tablespoons are in a cup, how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, and how many ounces are in a cup. The rest is simple math that can be done with a basic calculator.
Understanding these two conversions will help make measuring ingredients easier when you cook. Let's get started!
Jump to:
- What is a Cup?
- What is a Tablespoon?
- How to Convert a Cup into Tablespoons
- How Many Tablespoons in a Cup
- How Many Tablespoons in ½ Cup
- How Many Tablespoons in ⅓ Cup
- How Many Tablespoons in ¼ Cup
- Practical Application from a Dietitian
- How to Measure Using Tablespoons and Cups
- Helpful Tips for Measuring
- Questions You May Have
- Related
- Easy Recipes
What is a Cup?
Who knew that such a simple word could be so confusing? As a dietitian, I've learned to ask clients to clarify what kind of cup they use because when they say they have a "cup of milk" or a "cup of juice" with breakfast, that could mean they are drinking anywhere from four to twenty-four ounces, depending on the size of their 'cup' at home. What a difference!
For most recipes, the term "cup" is used to reference a standard measuring cup, also known as a customary cup (US cups, 240mL), not the metric cup or imperial cup (the two main types of cups that have been used in the United Kingdom).
Measuring cups are used for measuring volume, usually in cooking and baking, and come in different sizes. They are essential for accurate measurements of ingredients when making a recipe.
In the United States (US), one cup is equal to 8 ounces or 240 milliliters (mL) of volume and is used to measure both dry and wet ingredients.
What is a Tablespoon?
A tablespoon is a unit of measurement used to measure small amounts of ingredients, such as flour, brown sugar, oil, and spices, in cooking and baking. One tablespoon is equal to approximately three teaspoons, or 15mL.
US tablespoons are used to measure wet and dry ingredients. For another point of reference, there are four tablespoons in one-quarter of a cup.
How is this information helpful? Well, if a recipe liked Chicken in White Sauce calls for 2 tablespoons of flour, knowing that I can use a one-quarter cup dry measuring cup instead of measuring out four tablespoons will save time.
How to Convert a Cup into Tablespoons
Converting one cup into tablespoons takes a little math. If you can remember that there are 4 tablespoons in one-quarter of a cup, then it might be easier to figure out that there are 16 tablespoons in one cup.
I created the simple chart above that shows how to convert cups to tablespoons to make it a little easier for you when making quick conversions.
How Many Tablespoons in a Cup
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. That's right, sixteen tablespoon equals one cup. It sounds easy, but you might second guess yourself if you don't measure often. This is why I've found it easier to remember that there are four tablespoons in a quarter of a cup.
So, now you know for the next time you ask yourself, "What is one cup in tablespoons?" The answer is 16!
How Many Tablespoons in ½ Cup
There are 8 tablespoons in a half cup. For instance, if your recipe calls for a half cup and you don't have a half cup measurement, you can use eight tablespoons instead. Easy, right?
How Many Tablespoons in ⅓ Cup
There are 5 tablespoons plus one teaspoon in a third of a cup. Another way to look at it is 5 and one-third of a tablespoon since there are three teaspoons in one tablespoon.
How Many Tablespoons in ¼ Cup
There are four tablespoons in one quarter of a cup. This is the main conversion that I have chosen to memorize because it makes it easier to divide and multiply. Now say it with me, "One-quarter of a cup equals 4 tbsp." 😉
Practical Application from a Dietitian
Here is an example of how I convert tablespoons to cups for a recipe. I make energy bites all the time. My kids love them, I love them, and they freeze well. I started to double or triple the recipe because I was making them so often.
My recipe calls for 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of honey. When I multiply the recipe by three, which I often do, instead of having to measure out 9 tablespoons and 3 teaspoons, I can measure out a half of a cup and then would have to add two tablespoon honey extra.
This is because there are 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon (so in total I would need 10 tbsp) and 8 tablespoon in a half of a cup. Since I don't have a ⅛ measuring cup, I just add the extra two tablespoons of honey separately.
How to Measure Using Tablespoons and Cups
You may have noticed that there are measuring cups with spouts and measuring cups with flat edges. The measuring cups with spouts are known as liquid measuring cups and the measuring cups with flat edges are known as dry measuring cups.
With liquid measuring cups, the measurement lines stop below the edge to make it easier to pour. To accurately measure liquid ingredients, you should get down to eye level. Most liquid measuring cups have marks for cups and fluid ounces.
When measuring dry ingredients, your measurement will be most accurate if you use a spoon to place the dry ingredient into the measuring cup with a flat edge and then use the back side of a knife to flatten the surface so that the dry ingredient is level with the edge of the cup. This is often referred to the 'scoop and sweep' method, commonly used when baking things like sheet pan cookies, lemon muffins, or banana bread.
Measuring with a tablespoon is similar to measuring with a measuring cup that has a flat edge. You want the ingredient you are measuring to come level with the edge of the tablespoon.
Helpful Tips for Measuring
- Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements of dry ingredients. This will also give you consistent results.
- Be sure to level off dry ingredients before adding them to a recipe, especially when baking. Adding a mounded cup of shredded chicken to a tortellini dish wouldn't make a difference but adding a mounded cup of flour when making cookies or a cupcakes might all the difference.
- If you need to convert tablespoons to a cup and you aren't quite sure what the conversion is, look it up. You'd rather take an extra minute to look it up rather than chancing it and possibly ruining the recipe.
- When multiplying a recipe or cutting a recipe in half, I suggest doing all of the measurement conversions ahead of time and write them down with the recipe. I've tried doing the conversions in the moment and it didn't work out very well 😉
- Please keep in mind that while for the most part tablespoons are the same around the world, measuring cups are not. The FDA has defined the US legal cup to measure 240mL for the purposes of nutrition labeling but other countries define a one cup measurement differently.
- There are several different units of measurement which can get confusing. This is why it's important to know the difference between them.
- Be sure you are using correct measuring cups. When my family visited from The Netherlands, they wanted to buy measuring cups here in the US since so many recipes reference a standard cup.
Questions You May Have
There are three teaspoons in one tablespoon.
There are 16 tablespoon in a cup of butter. You will need two sticks of butter when a recipe calls for one cup because there are usually 8 tablespoon of butter in one stick.
Most brands put markings on the outside of the wrapping on each stick of butter to show you how many tablespoons are in one stick.
Three tablespoons does not easily convert into a cup measurement. 3 tablespoons equal 0.1875 cups, which is between ⅛ and ¼ of a cup.
There are 4 tablespoons in ¼ of a cup. So, if you divide the number of tablespoons by 4 it will give you the number of 'quarter cups'. Then, you multiply that number by ¼.
In this case, 12 divided by 4 is 3 and 3 times ¼ is ¾. So, 12 tablespoons is equal to ¾ of a cup.
Did this post answer your question about how many tablespoons are in a cup? I hope so! Please leave a comment below to let me know!
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Percentage Calculator says
A handy guide for kitchen measurements! Perfect for quick reference while cooking or baking.