Original visual accompanying the guide: US Cups, Tablespoons and Teaspoons: A Practical Conversion Guide
Name the measurement system
US customary volume units form a consistent set: one cup is 16 tablespoons, and one tablespoon is three teaspoons. Consequently a quarter cup is four tablespoons or 12 teaspoons. A US customary cup is about 236.588 milliliters. A recipe using a 250-milliliter metric cup needs a different conversion; do not silently treat those cups as identical.
Convert the whole quantity before splitting it
For two-thirds of a US cup, multiply 16 by 2/3 to obtain 10⅔ tablespoons. Since two-thirds of a tablespoon equals two teaspoons, that becomes ten tablespoons plus two teaspoons. If the recipe gives a metric amount, a graduated measuring jug can avoid a long series of spoonfuls.
Keep volume and mass separate
A tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of honey occupy the same nominal volume but have different masses. The cooking measurement tool changes volume units only. For ingredient mass, use a reliable ingredient-specific weight or weigh the ingredient directly. Fluid ounces are also a volume unit and should not be substituted for ounces shown on a scale.
Work out your quantity
Use the Cooking Measurement Converter with the assumptions described above. Browse Food calculators for another kitchen conversion, or visit GreenCalc for the full calculator library.
Related guide: Reading Metric and US Recipes Without Mixing Units.
More cooking conversions
- Grams to Tablespoons Converter: Australian Tablespoons: Check the 20 mL Measure Before Baking.
- Grams to Teaspoons Converter: Level and Heaped Teaspoons: Follow the Baking Recipe's Measure.
By GreenCalc · Updated 2026-11-03