Cooking Measurement Converter

Use this free cooking measurement converter to instantly convert between teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, fluid ounces, and milliliters. Perfect for scaling recipes up or down or converting between imperial and metric measurements.

How to use this Cooking Measurement Converter

Enter a cooking measurement in any field and all other units update automatically. Type an amount in cups to instantly see the equivalent in tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, and milliliters. Type in any field and all others convert at the same time. This converter is ideal for scaling recipes up or down, converting between American and metric recipes, and making sense of unfamiliar measurement units.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How many tablespoons are in a cup?
A: There are 16 tablespoons in one cup. The full breakdown is: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 8 fluid ounces = approximately 236.6 milliliters. A helpful memory aid: one cup is 16 tablespoons, one tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.

Q: How do I convert a recipe from cups to milliliters?
A: Multiply the number of cups by 236.6 to get milliliters. For tablespoons, multiply by 14.79. For teaspoons, multiply by 4.93. For example, a recipe calling for 2 cups of liquid requires approximately 473 ml.

Q: Why are baking measurements more precise in grams than in cups?
A: Cups measure volume, not weight, so the actual mass of an ingredient can vary significantly depending on how it is measured. A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 grams depending on whether it is sifted, spooned, or packed. Grams eliminate this variability entirely. Most professional bakers and recipes from Europe, Australia, and the UK use weight measurements for this reason.

Q: How do I halve or double a recipe?
A: For halving, divide all ingredient amounts by 2. For doubling, multiply all amounts by 2. This converter helps when the halved or doubled amount lands on an unfamiliar unit — for example, half of 1/3 cup is approximately 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons, which is easier to measure using this converter than doing the mental math.

Q: What is the difference between a US cup and a metric cup?
A: A US cup equals exactly 236.588 milliliters. An Australian and Canadian metric cup equals 250 milliliters. When following a recipe from Australia or Canada, their cup measurement is about 5% larger than a US cup. For most recipes this difference is minor, but for precision baking it is worth noting.