How Many Tablespoons in a Cup

There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. That’s the number to memorize, and everything else scales from it: a half cup is 8 tablespoons, a quarter cup is 4. It’s a lifesaver when you don’t have a clean measuring cup but you do have a tablespoon.

The conversions

One US cup equals 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, or 8 fluid ounces. One tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons. So if a recipe calls for 3/4 cup and you only have a tablespoon, you need 12 level tablespoons.

Cup-to-tablespoon chart

Cups Tablespoons Teaspoons
1 16 48
3/4 12 36
2/3 ~10⅓ 32
1/2 8 24
1/3 ~5⅓ 16
1/4 4 12

The tricky fractions are thirds: 1/3 cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, and 2/3 cup is 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.

Measuring tip: level each tablespoon of dry ingredients with a straight edge — heaping spoons can add 25% or more across 16 of them.

Watch the country

A US tablespoon is 14.8 ml and the UK tablespoon is 15 ml (close enough), but an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml — so an Australian cup (250 ml) is about 12.5 Australian tablespoons, not 16.

Frequently asked questions

How many tablespoons in half a cup? 8 tablespoons.

How many tablespoons in 1/3 cup? About 5⅓ — measure 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.

Is a US cup the same as a metric cup? No — a US cup is 236.6 ml; a metric cup is 250 ml.

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