How many tablespoons in a cup (Convert)

1 US Cup = 16 US Tablespoons

When you are baking or cooking, it is normal that you may find yourself a bit lost between so many different units of measurement. However, you need to understand that each one has its own goal and that you can easily convert one into another. 

So, today, we decided to show you how you can easily determine how many tablespoons in a cup. But, before w proceed, we believe that it is worth to notice that only the United States and Canada use the cup in modern recipes. While the cup was also a unit of measurement in the United Kingdom, the reality is that it hasn’t been used since the 1960s. Nevertheless, you may still fin a modern recipe that includes cups. 

Understanding The Units Of Measurement

Before we show you can you can easily determine how many tablespoons in a cup, w believe that it is important that you understand a bit more about each one of these units of measurement. Notice that both cups and tablespoons are units that are used to measure volume. 

What Is A Cup?

As we just mentioned, a cup is a unit of volume that is included not only in the United States customary system but also in the Imperial or British Measurement System. 

One US cup is equal not only to 16 US tablespoons but it is also equivalent to 48 U.S. customary teaspoons, 8 U.S. customary fluid ounces, and 1/16 U.S. customary gallons. Notice that 1 cup is exactly 236.6 milliliters, but in nutrition labeling, one cup is equal to 240 milliliters.

The cup is a unit of measurement that is currently used to measure both bulk foods and liquids. The truth is that using cups can be a bit confusing since you may have the tendency to use a drinking cup. However, as you already know, these do have different sizes and, most of the time, they are not a good representation of this unit. Therefore, when you need to use a cup to measure an ingredient, you should stick to standardized cups. 

What Is A Tablespoon?

As we already mentioned, a tablespoon is also a unit of volume that you can use to measure both dry and liquid ingredients. 

One of the things that you need to know about tablespoons is that they are not all the same everywhere and not even within the same country. But we will look into that further below. For now, what is important to keep in mind is that the United States customary tablespoon is equal to approximately 14.8 l, a metric tablespoon is exactly equal to 15 ml, and an Australian tablespoon is equal to 20 ml. In nutrition labeling in both the United States and the United Kingdom, a tablespoon is defined as 15 ml.

One tablespoon is exactly the same as 3 teaspoons as well as it is exactly the same as half fluid ounce. 

The tablespoon is currently used in three main countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and in Australia. 

How Many Tablespoons In A Cup – Using Our Converter

If you take a look at the top of this page, you will see that we have created a converter for you so that you can easily and quickly determine how many tablespoons in a cup. 

Notice that this converter was created thinking about the US tablespoon as well as the US cup. 

In order to use our converter and determine how many tablespoons in a cup, you will need to fill out the first field with the number of cups that you want to convert into tablespoons. As soon as you do this, our converter will immediately tell you how many tablespoons there are in the specific number of cups that you wrote. 

Here’s a quick example. Let’s imagine that you are baking a cake and that the recipe you are following asks you to add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture. So, if you prefer to use tablespoons, all you need to do is to add 3 to the Cups field and then check the result in tablespoons in the next field of our converter. 

As you can see, there are 48 tablespoons in a cup. 

But what about if you have the number of tablespoons and you want to determine the number of cups? 

Well, in that case, you can also use our converter. Let’s imagine that your recipe tells you to add 240 tablespoons of chocolate (yes, we know that these would be a lot of tablespoons…). So, you would now need to add the 240 to the Tablespoons field this time (the second one). As soon as you do this, you will see that there are 15 cups in 240 tablespoons. So, you could simply add 15 cups of chocolate to your recipe instead of adding 240 tablespoons.

How Many Tablespoons To A Cup – By Hand

When you are trying to determine how many tablespoons to a cup, it is always easier and faster to have a converter like the one that is located at the top of this page near you. However, sometimes, this may not be possible. So, you need to make sure that you can easily convert cups to tablespoons as well as tablespoons to cups on your own. So, let’s see how you can easily do it on your own and without using our converter. 

Let’s say that you are preparing a recipe and that you need to add 2 cups of flour. So, considering that: 

1 cup (US) = 16 tablespoon (US)

2 Cups of Flour = 2 X 16 tablespoon (US)

2 Cups of Flour = 32 tablespoons (US)

What about if you need to add 8 tablespoons of syrup to a recipe? 

Well, in this case, you will need to make the opposite conversion. So, you will need to consider that: 

1 cup (US) = 16 tablespoon (US)

is the same thing than stating that: 

1 tablespoon (US) = 0.0625 cup (US)

Considering that you are now looking to convert 6 tablespoons into cups:

6 tablespoons (US) = 6 X 0.0625 cup (US)

6 tablespoons (US) = 0.375 cups. 

How Many Tablespoons To A Cup – Quick Conversion Table

How Many Tablespoons In A Cup Of Butter

When you are trying to calculate how many tablespoons are in a cup, most people tend to hav some issues with butter. The truth is that butter is a great ingredient that is used in many different recipes, So, you need to know how to properly measure it when you are trying to determine how many tbsp in a cup. 

There is one aspect that makes butter a different ingredient from all th others – the way that it is measured. In case you don’t know, in the United States butter is measured by sticks, in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe butter is measured by weight, and in Canada butter is measured by volume. So, there’s no wonder why so many people struggle when they need to use butter and they need to convert it into a different unit of measurement. 

In the United States, butter is usually sold in packages of half a pound or 1 pound. Besides, when you open these packages, you can see that the butter is already pre-divided into wrapped sticks. So, you need to know that each one of these pre-wrapped sticks of butter weight 1/4 pound which is the same as saying that they weigh 4 ounces or 110 grams. And this is equivalent to saying that it is equal to half a cup. 

Since: 

1 cup = 16 tablespoons 

1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup

Then 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons

Here’s a quick conversion table just for butter:

Differences Between Tablespoons

As we mentioned above, there is a huge difference between tablespoons. The truth is that in most American homes, you can find a wide variety of tablespoons. And they are not only different in color or shape but actually in terms of the amount they can measure. So, it is very important that you know exactly how much your tablespoons measure so that your recipes can always come out perfect. 

One of the aspects that we mentioned about tablespoons in the beginning of this page was that there was a different in the sizes of tablespoons across the world. More specifically, there is a difference between the United States Customary tablespoon and the Imperial or British tablespoon. 

The truth is that since they are different, you need to make sure that you follow the measurement system that the recipe uses. When you don’t you won’t be using the right amounts of ingredients and your meal can easily turn into a complete disaster. 

So, just keep in mind that: 

1 US Tablespoon = 0.832674 Imperial Tablespoon

Using Teaspoons To measure Ingredients

Throughout this page, we have been mentioning several times the importance of measuring your ingredients right. And while the quantities of an ingredient aren’t small, you shouldn’t have any problems converting tablespoons into cups and using cups if this is what you prefer. However, what about when you just need a very small amount of a specific ingredient?

Well, in that case, it is even better to use a teaspoon than a tablespoon. So, as a reference, you should keep in mind that: 

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons

2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons

3 tablespoons = 9 teaspoons

4 tablespoons = 12 teaspoons

5 tablespoons = 15 teaspoons

And When You Don’t Have A Tablespoon At Home?

The truth is that if you have a weekend home, you may not have there all the measuring instruments that you need to bake your favorite cake. Or you may be moving to a different home and you already packed your tablespoons. So, will you quit from baking your favorite cake? 

Well, there’s no point in doing that. The truth is that we have been showing you several different equivalences between different units of measurement. After all, you can convert tablespoons into cups and vice versa, know the number of ounces, grams or milliliters, and you may even know the number of teaspoons that are equivalent to one tablespoon. So, all you need to do is to find the right measuring instrument or tool that can help you out on your mission – bake your favorite cake without using a tablespoon to measure your ingredients. 

#1: Use A Cup:

In case you don’t have a tablespoon and you need to measure an ingredient, you can easily determine how many tbsp in a cup. After all, if you think about it, we have said at the beginning that:

1 Cup = 1 Tablespoon

Well, this means that:

1 Tablespoon = 1/16 Cup 

While it may not be very easy to use a cup when you need to measure a very small amount of an ingredient, it can be quite helpful for larger amounts. 

In case you are going to use a cup, you need to make sure that it has all the lines marked well. 

#2: Use A Teaspoon:

As we already showed you above, you can easily determine how many tablespoons there are in one teaspoon. After all, you already know that:

1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.

Using a teaspoon should be considered when you are measuring a very small amount of an ingredient. Even when you have a tablespoon that you can use but the quantity is just too small for it, then you should definitely consider using a teaspoon. Just think about the times when you need to add spices or herbs to a recipe. 

#3: Use Milliliters:

One of the units of measurement that most people don’t even remember about when they don’t have a tablespoon to measure their ingredients is the milliliter. 

The reality is that the milliliter is very accurate and you will be able to add the exact amount of the ingredient that you need. However, there is a catch. The milliliter measurements tend to work better for liquid ingredients such as water, milk, juice, among others. 

So, how can you use milliliters instead of a tablespoon?

The truth is that you just need to keep in mind that:

1 tablespoon = 15 milliliters

So, let’s say that you need to add 10 tablespoons of milk to your mixture. 

10 tablespoons = 10 X 15 milliliters

 10 tablespoons = 150 milliliters

So, you would need to arrange a recipient that could allow you to measure 150 milliliters of milk to add to your recipe. 

#4: Use A Bottle Cap:

In case you never noticed, there are some bottle caps that include measurements (in milliliters, most of the times). So, while you may not have a tablespoon to measure your liquid ingredients and a cup is just too big, a bottle cap is perfect for the job. 

Oil or flavor extracts bottles tend to come with this kind of cap. So, besides dome of them also include measurements in the interior, some of these caps hold exactly one tablespoon. So, this will make your life a lot easier. 

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to determine how many tbsp in a cup. After all, converting cups to tablespoons and vice-versa can be easily done either by using our converter at the top of this page or by simply calculating it by hand. 

As a word of advice, when dealing with larger quantities it is preferable to use cups to measure your ingredients than tablespoons. On the other hand, when you need to measure small amounts of an ingredient, it is also preferable that you use a teaspoon instead.