3 Teaspoons in Tablespoons
3 teaspoons is 1 tablespoon. Three teaspoons make one tablespoon, and it is the conversion every cook learns first, because baking powder, salt, vanilla and spices are all measured in teaspoons and scaled in tablespoons. The figure is exact, but the mistakes it prevents are real: miscounting by one teaspoon changes a cake's rise. This page gives the figure, the table and the worked examples that show the conversion in the recipes where it matters most.
Why this conversion exists
Millilitres, cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces and grams are all units for the same things, volume or weight, and the conversion between two units of the same kind is exact. One US cup is 236.59 ml, one tablespoon is 14.79 ml, one teaspoon is 4.93 ml, one ounce is 28.35 g and one pound is 453.59 g, and those definitions do not change between sources. The confusion comes from the other system: the metric cup is 250 ml, the metric tablespoon is 15 ml and the imperial pint is 568 ml, so a recipe's origin decides which cup it means. This page uses the US customary figures throughout, because that is the system American recipes are written in, and it says so wherever the metric figure differs. The tables below give the conversion for the amounts recipes actually ask for, and the worked examples show it in the dishes where it actually appears.
3 Teaspoons in Tablespoons conversion table
| Teaspoons | Tablespoons |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 0.33 tbsp |
| 2 tsp | 0.67 tbsp |
| 3 tsp | 1 tbsp |
| 6 tsp | 2 tbsp |
| 9 tsp | 3 tbsp |
| 12 tsp | 4 tbsp |
| 24 tsp | 8 tbsp |
| 48 tsp | 16 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for. One teaspoon is 0.33 tablespoons, and every row is that factor multiplied by the amount in the first column, so the table is exact to the rounding shown. Where the conversion is exact, like 2 cups to 1 pint, the table says so in whole numbers; where it is rounded, like 500 ml to 2.11 cups, the unrounded value is close enough that the difference is smaller than the error in any cup measure.
The reverse conversion
The table above converts in the direction this page is about. The table below converts back, so a recipe written in the other unit converts just as easily, and the two tables together cover every direction a cook is likely to need.
| Tablespoons | Teaspoons |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 3 tsp |
| 2 tbsp | 6 tsp |
| 4 tbsp | 12 tsp |
| 8 tbsp | 24 tsp |
| 16 tbsp | 48 tsp |
Worked examples
Lemon vinaigrette calling for 3 tsp
A lemon vinaigrette recipe that calls for 3 tsp needs 1 tbsp. A vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part acid, and the spoon is the unit the ratio is written in, so a miscounted tablespoon throws the whole dressing off balance. For a sticky ingredient, weigh it instead of spooning it, because what clings to the spoon never reaches the bowl. That is the figure to measure: 3 tsp in the units the recipe uses, or 1 tbsp in the units your jug or scale shows. Because the conversion is exact, the only error that can creep in is the measuring itself, so the tool matters more than the arithmetic. A recipe that calls for 3 tsp and gets 1 tbsp will behave exactly as written, and a recipe that gets a rounded figure will behave almost exactly as written, which is close enough for cooking and usually close enough for baking too.
Spice rub for roast chicken calling for 6 tsp
A spice rub for roast chicken recipe that calls for 6 tsp needs 2 tbsp. A spice rub is measured in teaspoons and tablespoons, and the salt in it is the part that cannot be guessed, because too much salt ruins the bird and too little leaves it bland. Level each spoonful with the back of a knife, because a heaped spoonful can hold half as much again as a level one. That is the figure to measure: 6 tsp in the units the recipe uses, or 2 tbsp in the units your jug or scale shows. Because the conversion is exact, the only error that can creep in is the measuring itself, so the tool matters more than the arithmetic. A recipe that calls for 6 tsp and gets 2 tbsp will behave exactly as written, and a recipe that gets a rounded figure will behave almost exactly as written, which is close enough for cooking and usually close enough for baking too.
Chocolate chip cookies calling for 2 tsp
A chocolate chip cookies recipe that calls for 2 tsp needs 0.5 tbsp. Cookie dough is sensitive to its liquid and its leavening, both of which are measured in spoons, so the tablespoon conversion is part of getting the spread right. Count the spoonfuls out loud as you add them, because losing count halfway through is the commonest spoon error. That is the figure to measure: 2 tsp in the units the recipe uses, or 0.5 tbsp in the units your jug or scale shows. Because the conversion is exact, the only error that can creep in is the measuring itself, so the tool matters more than the arithmetic. A recipe that calls for 2 tsp and gets 0.5 tbsp will behave exactly as written, and a recipe that gets a rounded figure will behave almost exactly as written, which is close enough for cooking and usually close enough for baking too.
Scaling the recipe up and down
Scaling works the same way in both directions, because the conversion is exact. Double the recipe and 3 tsp becomes 6 tsp, which is 2 tbsp. Halve it and you need 2 tsp, which is 0.5 tbsp. When you scale, always do the arithmetic before you start measuring, and scale by the same factor in both units, because scaling mid-recipe is how errors creep in. Remember that a US cup is 236.59 ml while a metric cup is 250 ml: if the recipe comes from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, one cup means 250 ml, and the figures on this page need adjusting by that 6 percent. Check which cup your recipe uses before you convert, and when the recipe really matters, weigh the ingredient on a scale, because grams do not change with the cup.
How the conversion is defined
The figures on this page are exact standard conversions, not measured densities, so there is no dispute to report and no laboratory to cite. One US customary cup is 236.59 ml by definition, one tablespoon is 14.79 ml, one teaspoon is 4.93 ml, one ounce is 28.35 g and one pound is 453.59 g. These are definitions of the units themselves, so they do not vary between sources the way ingredient densities do. The only judgement on this page is rounding: the tables give one or two decimal places, and the headline answers are rounded to the figure a cook can actually use. Where a conversion is exact, like 2 cups to 1 pint, the table says so. Where it is rounded, like 500 ml to 2.11 cups, the unrounded value is close enough that the difference is smaller than the error in any cup measure.
Why spoon measures are the least accurate unit in the kitchen
Tablespoons and teaspoons are the least accurate measures most kitchens use, because a spoonful depends on how it is filled, how it is levelled and what is on the spoon. A level tablespoon of flour weighs about 7.5 g, but a heaped one can weigh 11 g, and a tablespoon of honey weighs 21 g while a tablespoon of cocoa powder weighs 5 g. The spoon is also the unit where the difference between a US tablespoon, at 14.79 ml, and a metric tablespoon, at 15 ml, is small enough to ignore, which is a rare piece of good news. The practical rule is simple: use spoons for small amounts of flavourings, salt and leavening, where a small error is a small error, and switch to a scale for anything structural, like flour, fat and sugar, where a spoonful is a real part of the recipe.
Common mistakes
- Using a dinner spoon instead of a measuring spoon. A dinner spoon holds an unpredictable amount, often closer to two teaspoons than one tablespoon. Measuring spoons are standardised, and a recipe written in tablespoons means the standardised spoon.
- Heaping the spoon. A heaped tablespoon can hold half as much again as a level one. Level the spoon with a straight knife unless the recipe explicitly says heaped.
- Measuring a sticky ingredient in a dry spoon. Honey, treacle and syrup cling to the spoon, so what you measured is not what reached the bowl. Weigh sticky ingredients instead, or oil the spoon lightly first.
- Counting spoonfuls instead of levelling. Spoon measures are only as accurate as the levelling. A rounded spoonful of baking powder can add enough leavening to make a cake rise and collapse, so level every spoonful.
Practical guidance
Spoons are best used for small amounts, and the practical rule is to level every spoonful with the back of a knife unless the recipe says heaped. A rounded tablespoon of baking powder can add half as much again as the recipe asked for, which is enough to make a cake rise fast and then collapse. For dry ingredients, spoon the ingredient into the measuring spoon rather than dipping the spoon into the packet, because dipping packs it. For sticky ingredients like honey or treacle, oil the spoon lightly first, or weigh the ingredient instead, because what clings to the spoon never reaches the bowl. Keep a full set of measuring spoons, a tablespoon, a teaspoon, a half teaspoon and a quarter teaspoon, because guessing a half tablespoon with a full tablespoon is how errors creep in. And when a recipe calls for more than four tablespoons of anything, switch to a cup or a jug: counting spoonfuls is slow, and every spoonful is another chance to miscount.
Frequently asked questions
How many 3 tsp are in double the recipe?
Double the recipe and 3 tsp becomes 6 tsp, which is 2 tbsp. Halve it and you need 2 tsp, which is 0.5 tbsp. When you scale a recipe, scale by the same factor in both units, and do the arithmetic before you start measuring, because scaling mid-recipe is how errors creep in.
Why do American and metric recipes disagree about this amount?
Because the two systems define their units differently: the US cup is 236.59 ml while the metric cup is 250 ml, the US tablespoon is 14.79 ml while the metric tablespoon is 15 ml, and the US pint is 473 ml while the imperial pint is 568 ml. A recipe from the United States almost always means the US figures, while a recipe from Australia or New Zealand usually means the metric ones. Check the recipe's origin, and its other units, before converting.
How many tablespoons is 3 tsp?
3 teaspoons is 1 tablespoon. That is the headline figure for this page, and the table above lists the same conversion for the amounts around it, from the smallest to the largest. The figure is exact where the conversion is a matter of definition, and rounded to one or two decimal places where it is not, so the value you use in the kitchen is the value in the table.
Is 3 tsp exactly 1 tbsp?
Yes, to the precision given on this page. The conversion is defined by the units themselves: one US cup is 236.59 ml, one tablespoon is 14.79 ml, one teaspoon is 4.93 ml, one ounce is 28.35 g and one pound is 453.59 g. The only judgement is rounding, and the tables on this page round to one or two decimal places, which is finer than any cup or spoon measure can achieve in practice.
How do I measure 3 tsp without the right tool?
If the right cup or jug is missing, use the other column of the table: a volume can be measured in a jug, a weight can be measured on a scale, and a spoon measure can be counted out with the spoon set. For a liquid, pour into a jug on a flat surface and read the meniscus at eye level. For a dry ingredient, spoon it into the cup and level it off. And for anything that matters, a kitchen scale removes the problem entirely, because the gram figure does not depend on which cups you own.
Related conversions
Use the tablespoons to cups converter, teaspoons to tablespoons converter, cups to grams converter for instant answers, or browse the units hub for every conversion on this site. Nearby pages in this series: 2 tablespoons in grams, 4 tablespoons in cups, 8 tablespoons in cups. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions and about CookScale for how our figures are sourced.