🍳 Cup (US) to Tablespoon Converter

Convert Cup (US) (cup_us) to Tablespoon (tbsp) instantly. Recipe measurement conversion.

1 unit =
From
To
Formula1 cup US = 16 tbsp
UnitNameValue
cup_metricCup (Metric)
tbspTablespoon
tspTeaspoon
mlMillilitre
lLitre
fl_ozFluid Ounce
pintPint (US)

Quick Reference

1 cup = 16 tbsp

¼ cup
4 tbsp
⅓ cup
5.328 tbsp
½ cup
8 tbsp
¾ cup
12 tbsp
1 cup
16 tbsp
2 cup
32 tbsp

Reverse: tbsp × 0.0625 = cup

Worked Examples

16 tbsp
1 cup = 16 tbsp
1 cup (US) = 16 tablespoons.
8 tbsp
0.5 cup = 8 tbsp
½ cup = 8 tbsp.
4 tbsp
0.25 cup = 4 tbsp
¼ cup = 4 tbsp.
1 tbsp
0.0625 cup = 1 tbsp
1 tbsp = 1/16 cup.

Common Cooking Measures

Factor: 1 cup = 16 tbsp

Cup (US) (cup)Tablespoon (tbsp)Common Measure
0.0052 cup0.0833 tbsp¼ tsp
0.0104 cup0.1667 tbsp½ tsp
0.0208 cup0.3333 tbsp1 tsp
0.0625 cup1 tbsp1 tbsp
0.125 cup2 tbsp2 tbsp (⅛ cup)
0.25 cup4 tbsp¼ cup
0.3333 cup5.333 tbsp⅓ cup
0.5 cup8 tbsp½ cup
0.6667 cup10.67 tbsp⅔ cup
0.75 cup12 tbsp¾ cup
1 cup16 tbsp1 cup
2 cup32 tbsp1 pint (2 cups)
4 cup64 tbsp1 quart (4 cups)
2.113 cup33.81 tbsp½ litre
4.227 cup67.63 tbsp1 litre

Quick Tricks

× 16 exactly

1 cup = 16 tablespoons. Exact.

Key fractions

¼ cup = 4 tbsp; ⅓ cup = 5⅓ tbsp; ½ cup = 8 tbsp; ¾ cup = 12 tbsp.

Reverse

tbsp ÷ 16 = cups.

Who Uses This Converter?

Home Baker

Converts between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, and millilitres when following recipes from different countries.

International Recipe Follower

Converts US cups to metric ml when cooking from American cookbooks with a European kitchen.

Nutritionist

Calculates exact portion sizes in ml or fl oz from recipe measurements for dietary analysis.

Bartender

Converts between fl oz, ml, and tablespoons for cocktail recipe scaling.

Caterer

Scales recipes up to litres for large-batch cooking from cup-based recipes.

Food Blogger

Provides both cup and ml measurements in recipes to serve both US and international audiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Cup (US) and Tablespoon

Cup (US)

The US cup is defined as exactly 236.588 mL (8 US fl oz). It is the standard volume measure in American recipes and has been used since the late 19th century, when standardized cooking measures were promoted by domestic science educators like Fannie Farmer.

The US cup = 16 US tablespoons = 48 US teaspoons = 8 fl oz = ½ US pint. American baking relies heavily on cup measures for both liquid and dry ingredients, though professional bakers prefer weight for precision.

Interesting fact: Fannie Farmer's 1896 'Boston Cooking-School Cook Book' was the first to insist on level measurements (not heaped) using standardized cups and spoons, revolutionizing recipe writing and making cooking reproducible for home cooks.

Tablespoon

The US tablespoon is defined as exactly 14.7868 mL (½ fl oz). It equals 3 US teaspoons. The word 'tablespoon' dates to the 18th century when spoons were standardized by size relative to cutlery.

Tablespoon sizes vary internationally: US = 14.79 mL; Australian = 20 mL; UK = 17.76 mL (traditional). These differences matter for strong flavors: a US vs Australian tablespoon of salt differs by 35%.

Interesting fact: Before standardized measuring spoons, recipes called for 'a tablespoon of butter' or 'a dessertspoon of sugar' using common cutlery. These were wildly inconsistent — silverware tablespoons ranged from 12 to 18 mL — making old recipes notoriously unreliable.

About Cup (US) to Tablespoon Conversion

The US cup chain: 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp = 8 fl oz = 236.6 ml = ½ pint. Note: metric cups (Australia) = 250 ml; UK tablespoon = 17.76 ml vs US 14.79 ml. Always check which measurement system a recipe uses.

Factor: 1 cup = 16 tbsp. Reverse: tbsp × 0.0625 = cup.