How Many Tablespoons in a Cup? (¼, ⅓, ½ & ¾ Cup Chart)
There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. That one number is enough to work out almost any cup measurement with a spoon: half a cup is 8 tablespoons, a quarter cup is 4, and three quarters of a cup is 12.
The tricky ones are ⅓ and ⅔ cup, because 16 does not divide evenly by 3. This guide gives you the exact answer for every common cup size, shows how to measure each one with the spoons you already own, and explains when a tablespoon is not the same in every country.
Need a quick answer for any number? Use our cups to tablespoons converter or go the other way with the tablespoons to cups converter.
Tablespoons in a cup: quick chart
| Cup measurement | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Milliliters (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp | 237 ml |
| ¾ cup | 12 tbsp | 36 tsp | 177 ml |
| ⅔ cup | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 32 tsp | 158 ml |
| ½ cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp | 118 ml |
| ⅓ cup | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 16 tsp | 79 ml |
| ¼ cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp | 59 ml |
| ⅛ cup | 2 tbsp | 6 tsp | 30 ml |
| 1/16 cup | 1 tbsp | 3 tsp | 15 ml |
These numbers use the standard US cup (236.6 ml) and US tablespoon (14.8 ml). There are always 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon, which is why the teaspoon column is simply the tablespoon column times three.
How many tablespoons in each cup size
How many tablespoons in ½ cup?
½ cup = 8 tablespoons. This is the easiest one to remember: half of 16 is 8. Eight tablespoons is also exactly one stick of butter in the US, which is why butter wrappers are marked in tablespoons. See the half cup to tablespoons page for more amounts.
How many tablespoons in ⅓ cup?
⅓ cup = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon. Sixteen divided by three is 5.33 tablespoons. The leftover 0.33 tablespoon is exactly 1 teaspoon, so you measure 5 level tablespoons and then add 1 level teaspoon. That is a precise answer, not a rough guess. More detail is on the ⅓ cup to tablespoons page.
How many tablespoons in ¼ cup?
¼ cup = 4 tablespoons. If you have lost your quarter-cup measure, four level tablespoons will do the job perfectly. See quarter cup to tablespoons.
How many tablespoons in ¾ cup?
¾ cup = 12 tablespoons. That is a lot of spoonfuls, so a faster way is to measure ½ cup and then add 4 tablespoons. Full chart on the ¾ cup to tablespoons page.
How many tablespoons in ⅔ cup?
⅔ cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons. It is the trickiest common measurement. The simplest way: fill a ⅓ cup twice. If you do not have one, use 10 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons. See ⅔ cup to tablespoons.
How many tablespoons in 2 cups?
2 cups = 32 tablespoons. Every extra cup adds another 16 tablespoons. See the 2 cups to tablespoons page.
Tablespoons to cups: the reverse chart
Recipes sometimes list a big number of tablespoons. Here is how to turn them back into cups so you can measure faster.
| Tablespoons | Cups | Easiest way to measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | ⅛ cup | 2 tablespoons |
| 3 tbsp | 3/16 cup | 3 tablespoons |
| 4 tbsp | ¼ cup | ¼ cup |
| 5 tbsp | ¼ cup + 1 tbsp | ¼ cup, then 1 tablespoon |
| 6 tbsp | ⅜ cup | ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons |
| 8 tbsp | ½ cup | ½ cup |
| 10 tbsp | ⅝ cup | ½ cup + 2 tablespoons |
| 12 tbsp | ¾ cup | ¾ cup |
| 14 tbsp | ⅞ cup | ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons |
| 16 tbsp | 1 cup | 1 cup |
For any other number, the tablespoons to cups converter gives you the answer as a fraction you can actually measure.
Easy tricks for measuring with a tablespoon
- Level every spoon. A heaped tablespoon can hold nearly twice as much as a level one. Sweep the top flat with the back of a knife.
- Use the biggest measure you have first. For ¾ cup, measure ½ cup, then top up with 4 tablespoons. Fewer scoops means fewer mistakes.
- Count out loud for big amounts. Losing count at tablespoon nine is the most common way to ruin a recipe.
- Remember the 1 teaspoon fix. For anything with a third in it, the leftover is almost always a whole number of teaspoons.
- For sticky ingredients, lightly oil the spoon first so honey, syrup or peanut butter slides right out.
Are tablespoons the same everywhere?
Not quite. The tablespoon used in American recipes is about 14.8 ml. Most other countries round that to an even 15 ml, which is close enough not to matter in cooking.
The big exception is Australia, where a tablespoon is 20 ml. If you use an Australian recipe with American spoons, you would need 4 US teaspoons for every Australian tablespoon.
Cups also differ. A metric cup (used in Australia, Canada and New Zealand) is 250 ml, which works out to about 17 US tablespoons rather than 16. If you want the full story, read our guide to the US cup vs metric cup vs UK cup.
Does it matter what you are measuring?
For volume, no. A tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of flour take up the same space, so the number of tablespoons in a cup is always 16.
Weight is a different story. A tablespoon of flour weighs about 8 g, while a tablespoon of sugar weighs about 12.5 g and a tablespoon of honey about 21 g. If your recipe gives grams, use the grams to tablespoons converter, which uses a different density for each ingredient. And if you are measuring flour by the spoonful, our guide on measuring flour without a scale explains why the spoon-and-level method matters so much.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. In a 250 ml metric cup there are about 17 tablespoons.
How many tablespoons are in ⅓ cup?
⅓ cup equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (5⅓ tablespoons).
How many tablespoons are in ½ cup?
½ cup equals 8 tablespoons, which is also one stick of US butter.
How many teaspoons are in a cup?
There are 48 teaspoons in 1 US cup, because each of the 16 tablespoons holds 3 teaspoons.
Is 4 tablespoons a quarter cup?
Yes. 4 level tablespoons equal exactly ¼ cup.
How many tablespoons are in ¾ cup?
¾ cup equals 12 tablespoons. The quickest way to measure it is ½ cup plus 4 tablespoons.
The bottom line
Remember 16 tablespoons per cup and 3 teaspoons per tablespoon, and you can measure almost anything without the right cup. For halving or doubling a recipe, try the half of a measurement calculator, and see our post on what half of ¾ cup is for the most-asked example.