How Many Tablespoons in a Cup
A tablespoons-in-a-cup conversion page provides volume equivalents between tablespoons and cups. In the US Customary system, a standard cup contains exactly 16 tablespoons. In the Australian system, an Australian cup contains approximately 16.67 tablespoons of US size, or 12.5 Australian tablespoons.
Convert between cups and tablespoons instantly. Learn about US vs. Australian tablespoons and review reference cooking tables.
Quick Answer
Find out exactly how many tablespoons are in a cup (16 tablespoons per US customary cup) and convert volumes instantly.
How Many Tablespoons Are in a Cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in a standard US cup.
For recipes under Australian standards, a cup holds exactly 12.5 Australian 20 mL tablespoons, which is about 16.91 US tablespoons.
Measurement Standard
Formula: 1 Cup = 16.00 tablespoons (US Customary (1 cup = 16 tbsp))
Cups to Tablespoons Reference Table (US)
| Cups (c) | Tablespoons (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 2 tbsp |
| 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 5.33 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 10.67 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 32 tbsp |
Examples
1/4 Cup
4 tbsp
1/2 Cup
8 tbsp
1 Cup
16 tbsp
How it works
In standard US Customary cooking measurements, a standard cup contains exactly 16 tablespoons:
Standard Kitchen Conversion
1 Cup (c) = 16 Tablespoons (tbsp)
Conversion Formula
Multiply cups by 16 to get tablespoons. Divide tablespoons by 16 to get cups.
Why Cups and Tablespoons Matter in Baking
Baking is a science of chemical reactions. Unlike savory cooking, where a little extra spice or oil can be adjusted by taste, baking requires precise ratios of flour, liquid, leavening agents, and fats to achieve the proper structure.
Converting fractional cup measurements into tablespoons helps when scaling down recipes (e.g., cutting a recipe in half) or when measuring dense fats like butter. For instance, knowing that 1/4 cup is exactly 4 tablespoons makes it easy to cut a stick of butter (which has tablespoon markings on the wrapper) without using a dirty measuring cup.
US vs. Australian tablespoon sizes
In international culinary arts, volume measures differ between countries:
- US Customary Cup: Defined as approximately 236.59 mL, containing exactly 16 US tablespoons (14.78 mL each).
- Australian Cup: Defined as exactly 250 mL (metric cup). However, Australia is unique in defining a tablespoon as exactly 20 mL. Therefore, a metric cup holds 12.5 Australian tablespoons.
Common Cup Fractions in Every Unit
A US cup is 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, 8 fluid ounces and 236.59 mL, so every fraction of a cup follows from those four figures:
| Cup | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp | 2 fl oz | 59.15 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.33 tbsp | 16 tsp | 2.67 fl oz | 78.86 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp | 4 fl oz | 118.29 mL |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp | 8 fl oz | 236.59 mL |
A third of a cup is the only one of these that is not a whole number of tablespoons. If you have no third-cup measure, use 5 level tablespoons plus 1 level teaspoon, which is exactly 16 teaspoons. A half cup with no measure is 8 level tablespoons.
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