There are 4.23 US cups in a litre, and 4 metric cups in a litre. Both answers are correct, and which one you need depends on which cup you are using. An American cup holds 236.6 ml, so a litre holds 4.23 of them. A metric cup, used in Australia and in many international recipes, holds exactly 250 ml, so a litre holds exactly 4 of them. If a recipe says "1 litre of milk" and your jug is marked in US cups, measure 4 cups plus about 4 tablespoons. If your jug is marked in metric cups, measure 4 cups exactly. This page explains both, with tables and examples, so you can convert in either direction without guessing.
The conversion table
| Litres | US cups | Metric cups | US fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 litre | 1.06 cups | 1 cup | 8.45 fl oz | 250 ml |
| 1/2 litre | 2.11 cups | 2 cups | 16.91 fl oz | 500 ml |
| 3/4 litre | 3.17 cups | 3 cups | 25.36 fl oz | 750 ml |
| 1 litre | 4.23 cups | 4 cups | 33.81 fl oz | 1,000 ml |
| 1 1/2 litres | 6.34 cups | 6 cups | 50.72 fl oz | 1,500 ml |
| 2 litres | 8.45 cups | 8 cups | 67.63 fl oz | 2,000 ml |
| 3 litres | 12.68 cups | 12 cups | 101.44 fl oz | 3,000 ml |
| 5 litres | 21.13 cups | 20 cups | 169.07 fl oz | 5,000 ml |
The US cup figures are rounded to two decimal places. The metric cup column is exact, because a metric cup is defined as 250 ml.
Worked example 1: a European soup recipe in an American kitchen
A French recipe calls for 1 litre of stock, and your measuring jug is marked in US cups. One litre is 4.23 US cups, so measure 4 cups and then add about 4 tablespoons, which is roughly a quarter of a cup. For a soup, you can simply measure 4 cups and add a splash more — the difference of a quarter cup will not matter. But for a sauce that needs to reduce to a precise consistency, measure the extra 4 tablespoons, because a quarter cup is a meaningful amount in a small batch. If your jug is marked in millilitres, the job is easier: measure 1,000 ml and ignore the cups entirely.
Worked example 2: an Australian recipe and a metric cup
An Australian recipe asks for 2 litres of milk for a custard, and you are using metric cups. Two litres is exactly 8 metric cups, because a metric cup is 250 ml. The conversion is clean, which is the point of the metric cup. The trap is using an American cup instead: 8 US cups is only 1.89 litres, so you would be short by more than half a cup, and a custard that is short on milk will set too firmly. If you own both kinds of cup, check which one you are holding — a metric cup is usually marked 250 ml, and an American cup is usually marked 8 fluid ounces or 237 ml.
Worked example 3: a drinks dispenser for a party
You have a 5-litre drinks dispenser and a punch recipe written in US cups that makes 16 cups. Five litres is 21.13 US cups, so the recipe will fill about three quarters of the dispenser, leaving room for ice. If you want to fill the dispenser, scale the recipe by a third: 16 cups times 1.33 is about 21 cups, which is just under 5 litres. Working through litres makes this easier than working through cups, because the dispenser's capacity is printed in litres, and the conversion is a single multiplication.
Method and source
A litre is defined as 1,000 millilitres, or one cubic decimetre. A US cup is defined as 8 US fluid ounces, which is 236.588 millilitres, so 1,000 divided by 236.588 is 4.2268, usually rounded to 4.23. A metric cup is defined as exactly 250 millilitres, so 1,000 divided by 250 is exactly 4. The two cups exist because the United States kept its customary system while Australia, New Zealand, and other countries adopted a metric cup alongside the litre. The difference between 4.23 and 4 is about 5 percent, which is small enough to ignore in a soup and large enough to matter in a custard or a cake. When a recipe gives both litres and cups, trust the litres, because they are the same everywhere.
Practical guidance
The first thing to check is which cup the recipe means. If the recipe is American, its cup is 237 ml, and a litre is 4.23 cups. If the recipe is Australian or international, its cup is often 250 ml, and a litre is exactly 4 cups. If the recipe gives millilitres, use those directly and skip the cups. Buy a jug marked in millilitres as well as cups, and use it for liquids; for dry ingredients, weigh them, because a cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 142 grams depending on how you scoop it. When you scale a recipe, convert to millilitres first, do the multiplication, and convert back at the end, because millilitres are the smallest unit and the maths stays exact.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups are in 1 litre?
There are 4.23 US cups in 1 litre, and 4 metric cups in 1 litre. Use 4.23 if your cups are American, and 4 if your cups are metric (250 ml). The difference is about a quarter of a cup.
How many cups are in 2 litres?
There are 8.45 US cups in 2 litres, and 8 metric cups in 2 litres. For most cooking, 8 1/2 US cups is a good enough figure, but for baking, measure 8 cups plus 7 tablespoons to be precise.
How many litres are in 4 cups?
There are 0.95 litres in 4 US cups, and exactly 1 litre in 4 metric cups. Four US cups is just short of a litre, by about 54 ml, which is roughly 3 1/2 tablespoons.
Is 1 litre the same as 4 cups?
Only if the cups are metric cups of 250 ml. Four American cups hold 946 ml, which is 54 ml short of a litre. In a soup or a stew, that difference does not matter; in a custard or a cake, it can.
How many US cups are in a litre of milk?
There are 4.23 US cups in a litre of milk, the same as in a litre of any liquid. A litre carton of milk holds 4 cups plus about a quarter of a cup, which is why a recipe that needs 4 cups of milk will leave a little milk in a litre carton.
What is a metric cup?
A metric cup is a measuring cup that holds exactly 250 ml. It is used in Australia, New Zealand, and many international recipes. It is slightly larger than a US cup, which holds 237 ml, and the difference matters when a recipe is written in metric cups.