How Many Tablespoons in a Cup ⋆ 100 Days of Real Food

Are you wondering how many tablespoons in a cup? Here is a comprehensive and helpful guide to help you convert and switch between tablespoons and cups.

Learn measurements and the basics of conversion with this conversion chart. Working out how many tablespoons are in a cup is easy. This simple calculation is great for home bakers, cooks, and chefs.

Tablespoons in a Cup

What happens if your recipe asks for a cup of butter and you only have a tablespoon? This can easily happen.

You might have a well-stocked kitchen at home. What if you are traveling? Or, imagine you are baking at a new kitchen, and it only has a tablespoon at hand.

Here is how to calculate how many tablespoons are in a cup:

Simply put, there are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup.

Conversion Chart

Here is a simple conversion chat to refer to. You might want to print it out and pop it somewhere in the kitchen.

Tablespoons	Cups (U.S.)
2	1/8
4	1/4
5 1/3	1/3
6	3/8
8	1/2
10	5/8
10 2/3	2/3
12	3/4
14	7/8
16	1
20	1 1/4
24	1 1/2
28	1 3/4
32	2

What is a Tablespoon?

Not all tablespoons are created equal. Understanding the origin of the recipe you are working with is as critical as knowing the type of tablespoon you use. This is step one when calculating the number of tablespoons in a cup.

So, before you ask yourself how many tbsp in a cup, consider the following:

The United States of America uses the Imperial system. This system allows 14.8 ml per tablespoon. This is also equal to ½ a fluid ounce.

The metric system, on the other hand, dictates 15 ml to their tablespoon. The exception to this rule is Australia. In Australia, 1 tablespoon is equal to 20 ml. There are a lot of Australian recipes, especially for desserts and baking, on the internet.

Note: the difference between the volume a tablespoon holds in the US system versus the metric system is slight. There is no need to convert 14.8 ml to 15 ml.

Wet Versus Dry Measurements

Consider wet versus dry ingredients if you are working out how many tablespoons are in a cup. You may wonder whether wet and dry ingredients are measured similarly. In addition to understanding the type of tablespoon you are working with, understanding wet vs. dry is critical.

The answer is that you can measure both wet and dry ingredients with cups and tablespoons. There are a few rules that apply.

Dry ingredients measured in tablespoons and cups

Consider powdered sugar. You can easily convert tbsp to cup and vice versa. It is important to note that powdered sugar, like all-purpose flour or cornflour, is a fine texture.

It must be loose and airy to be measured correctly via a cup or tablespoon in volume versus weight. This will lead to an accurate result.

Sift out the lumps. Alternatively, whisk out the lumps to loosen them up. Fine powders must not be packed into a tablespoon or cup.

This will result in measuring out more of the ingredient than is required. In this case, the end baked product will be dry in texture as the dry ingredients outweigh what they should be.

Wet ingredients measured in tablespoons and cups

Wet ingredients like oil and water are easier to measure in a cup or tablespoon. Working out how many tablespoons are in a cup of milk is simple. A good rule for accuracy is to place the cup or spoon on a steady and level surface. This practice will deliver an accurate result.

Although solid when refrigerated, butter is considered a wet ingredient. When measuring butter in volume, it should be soft and pliable. In this way, it will fit evenly into the unit of measure. Working out tbsp per cup will be a dream!

What is a Cup?

When working out the number of tablespoons in a cup, you have got to know what a cup is. This may seem simple, but there are many different types of cups. In baking, a cup is a standard measurement unit of volume.

It is an easy and practical unit of measure in both baking and cooking.

In the US, 1 cup equals ½ of a US pint.

In the metric system, 1 metric cup is 250 ml.

What is the US legal cup?

Within the US labeling system (nutritional labeling) and portioning sizes, 1 US legal cup equals 8 US fluid ounces.

Metric Cup Versus Imperial Cup

The United States of America, along with Myanmar and Liberia, use the Imperial system. The rest of the world adopted another approach a while back, called the Metric system.

If you are calculating how many tablespoons are in a cup, here is what you need to know:

• 1 metric cup is equal to 250 ml
• 1 US or imperial cup is equal to 284 ml.

Teaspoons to Tablespoons

1 tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons. This is the case whether measuring with the imperial or the metric system.

Understanding how to convert a tsp to tbsp quickly will simplify your baking/cooking life.

A side note is to remember that “how many teaspoons in a tablespoon” is often written as the abbreviation “how many tsp in a tbsp,” for example.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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