There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. That is the answer, and it is the conversion you will use more than any other in baking: 1 cup equals 16 tablespoons, which equals 48 teaspoons, which equals 8 fluid ounces. If a recipe calls for half a cup of butter, that is 8 tablespoons. If it calls for a quarter cup of sugar, that is 4 tablespoons. This page gives you the table, real baking examples, and the difference between a US tablespoon and a metric tablespoon, so you can scale recipes and substitute measuring spoons for cups with confidence.
The conversion table
| Cups | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/16 cup | 1 tbsp | 3 tsp | 1/2 fl oz | 14.8 ml |
| 1/8 cup | 2 tbsp | 6 tsp | 1 fl oz | 29.6 ml |
| 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp | 2 fl oz | 59.1 ml |
| 1/3 cup | 5 1/3 tbsp | 16 tsp | 2 2/3 fl oz | 78.9 ml |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp | 4 fl oz | 118.3 ml |
| 2/3 cup | 10 2/3 tbsp | 32 tsp | 5 1/3 fl oz | 157.7 ml |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp | 36 tsp | 6 fl oz | 177.4 ml |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp | 8 fl oz | 236.6 ml |
| 1 1/2 cups | 24 tbsp | 72 tsp | 12 fl oz | 354.9 ml |
| 2 cups | 32 tbsp | 96 tsp | 16 fl oz | 473.2 ml |
The millilitre figures are rounded to one decimal place. A US tablespoon is 14.79 ml, and a US cup is 236.59 ml, so the maths is exact: 16 tablespoons make a cup.
Worked example 1: butter by the tablespoon
A cookie recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter, and your butter is in sticks marked in tablespoons. Half a cup is 8 tablespoons, and a stick of butter is 8 tablespoons, so you need exactly one stick. That is not a coincidence: butter sticks are made to be 8 tablespoons, which is half a cup, so that a baker can measure butter without a scale or a cup. If the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter, that is 12 tablespoons, which is one and a half sticks. Cut the stick at the tablespoon marks printed on the wrapper, and you have an exact measure without washing a measuring cup.
Worked example 2: scaling a salad dressing
A vinaigrette recipe makes 1/4 cup of dressing and calls for 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of oil. You want to make a full cup for a party, so you multiply by four: 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 12 tablespoons of oil, which is 1/4 cup of vinegar and 3/4 cup of oil. Doing the maths in tablespoons keeps the numbers small and avoids fractions of a cup, and it is easier to count spoonfuls than to pour a quarter cup of vinegar into a jug. When you scale a recipe, convert the small amounts to tablespoons first, multiply, and convert back to cups at the end.
Worked example 3: a recipe written in tablespoons only
An old recipe calls for 10 tablespoons of flour, and you want to know how much that is in cups. Ten tablespoons divided by 16 is 0.625 cups, which is 5/8 of a cup — an awkward number. The practical answer is to measure 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, which is exactly 10 tablespoons. That is the trick with tablespoon-to-cup conversions: do not try to express the answer as a decimal, express it as a cup plus a number of tablespoons. A recipe that asks for 5 tablespoons of sugar is 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, and a recipe that asks for 12 tablespoons of cocoa is 3/4 cup exactly.
Method and source
A US tablespoon is defined as half a US fluid ounce, which is 14.79 millilitres. A US cup is 8 fluid ounces, or 236.59 millilitres, and 236.59 divided by 14.79 is exactly 16. The American tablespoon is part of the same powers-of-two system as the cup, the pint, and the quart: 3 teaspoons make a tablespoon, 16 tablespoons make a cup, 2 cups make a pint. The metric tablespoon is different: it is defined as 15 ml, or 20 ml in Australia, so a metric tablespoon is slightly larger than a US tablespoon, and 15.8 metric tablespoons make a US cup. In practice, the difference between 14.79 ml and 15 ml is about 1 percent, which does not matter in cooking, but it does matter if you are measuring medicine or a precise chemical, so do not use a kitchen tablespoon for those.
Practical guidance
Memorise the anchor numbers: 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, 4 tablespoons is a quarter cup, 8 tablespoons is half a cup, 12 tablespoons is three quarters of a cup, and 16 tablespoons is a full cup. If you know those five, you can convert any amount in your head. Use proper measuring spoons, not cutlery: a tablespoon from the drawer can hold anywhere from 10 to 20 ml, and that variation will ruin a small batch of baking. Level the spoon with the back of a knife for dry ingredients, and fill it to the brim for liquids. And when a recipe gives an amount in tablespoons that is larger than 16, convert it to cups for sanity — nobody wants to count 24 spoonfuls when they could measure a cup and a half.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in 1 cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. That is the standard American conversion, and it is the same for liquids and for dry ingredients measured by volume. A metric cup holds about 15.8 metric tablespoons, because a metric tablespoon is 15 ml.
How many tablespoons are in half a cup?
There are 8 tablespoons in half a cup. Half a cup is also 24 teaspoons, 4 fluid ounces, and about 118 ml. It is the same as one stick of butter.
How many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
There are 4 tablespoons in a quarter cup. A quarter cup is also 12 teaspoons, 2 fluid ounces, and about 59 ml. It is a common amount for sugar, oil, and cocoa in baking.
How many cups are in 8 tablespoons?
There is half a cup in 8 tablespoons. Eight tablespoons is also 24 teaspoons and 4 fluid ounces. It is exactly one stick of butter, which is why butter wrappers are marked in tablespoons.
Is a tablespoon the same everywhere?
Almost, but not exactly. A US tablespoon is 14.79 ml, a metric tablespoon is 15 ml, and an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml. The US and metric tablespoons are close enough to swap in cooking, but the Australian tablespoon is a third larger, so check the recipe's origin if it matters.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. That is the smallest conversion in the American system, and it is the one you will use most often when a recipe calls for a small amount of baking powder, salt, or vanilla.