Learn how many tablespoons are in ¼ cup and convert easily back and forth. More than a science, the world of baking and cooking is best described as a world of measurements. Without these particular measurements, recipes turn out to be complete disasters.
What does “Tablespoon” Mean?
Recipes calling for tablespoons of an ingredient refer to the largest of the measuring spoons in your kitchen. If you're wondering what volume it can hold, it's 15 mL or 3 teaspoons. Whenever you're reading a recipe, you will often see tablespoons written down as a capital "T", "Tbs", "Tb", or even "tbsp" However, make sure to read properly or you may end up using teaspoons instead.
Teaspoons are like the younger sibling of tablespoons. They're much smaller in size and can make a big difference in your recipes if you confuse them for tablespoons. How can you spot them in recipes? A lowercase "t" or even "tsp." Once again, don’t mistake them because there’s a huge difference between adding a teaspoon and a tablespoon.
How to Convert Tablespoons to Cups?
These conversions are for US-based measurements and recipes, so make sure to check out the international conversions below.
| Tablespoons | Cups |
| 16 | 1 |
| 12 | ¾ |
| 10+2 teaspoons | ⅔ |
| 8 | ½ |
| 5+1 teaspoon | ⅓ |
| 4 | ¼ |
| 2 | ⅛ |
How to convert Tablespoons to Teaspoons?
Tablespoons to teaspoons are a whole other ball game, though. Not impossible, no, it’ll just require more patience, especially if you’re trying to go from teaspoons to cups.
| Teaspoons | Tablespoons | Cups | ml | oz |
| 3 | 1 | 1/16 | 15 | ½ |
| 6 | 2 | ⅛ | 30 | 1 |
| 12 | 4 | ¼ | 60 | 2 |
| 16 | 8 | ½ | 120 | 4 |
| 24 | 12 | ¾ | 180 | 6 |
| 32 | 16 | 1 | 237 | 8 |
Always keep in mind that teaspoons are usually for smaller amounts of things like spices and seasonings. It's very rare to see a dish calling for 1 tablespoon of ground cumin or 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper. If you remember this, you might save yourself from a poorly written recipe or an extremely seasoned meal.
Measuring tips
- Use a knife to level your cups or tablespoons.
- Always sift dry ingredients before measuring. Doing this will remove any lumps and it's also the most accurate way of measuring them.
- Don't use regular coffee cups or cutlery spoons. They're not the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is only one cup in 16 tablespoons.
It would be 4 tablespoons or 12 teaspoons.
3 teaspoons per tablespoon.
It’s 15 mL per tablespoon.
Yes! Whenever you see a capital “T” in the abbreviations, it’s referring to tablespoons. “Tb” and “Tbs” both refer to tablespoons.
It depends on what your recipe calls for! Most dishes will require a combination of teaspoons and tablespoons of different ingredients.
For some ingredients, it's not the end of the world. However, there is a huge difference between adding a teaspoon and a tablespoon of baking powder. Measure out your ingredients and separate them before adding them to your recipe, otherwise this might happen.
International Cups and Tablespoons
If you're outside the US, their measurement system might not make a lot of sense to you. However, just because we're talking about cups and tablespoons, don't assume they're the same. In fact, there are slight differences, so check out the table below to see which amounts apply to your region and recipe:
| Measurement | US (Customary) | UK, Canada, Australia and Europe (Metric) | UK (old recipes only) |
| 1 cup | 237 ml | 250 ml | 284 mL |
| 1 tablespoon | 14.8 ml or ½ fl oz | 15.6 mL or0.51 fl oz | 17.8 mL or 0.6 fl oz |
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