Cooking Measurement Conversion Guide: Cups, Tablespoons, ml, and Grams
Recipe conversions are one of the most common everyday unit problems. American recipes use cups and tablespoons; European recipes use grams and milliliters; and scaling a recipe up or down requires converting between them. This guide covers the exact conversion factors, a quick reference table, and the key difference between measuring liquids and dry ingredients.
US Cooking Volume Units
American recipes use a system of nested volume units: teaspoon (tsp), tablespoon (tbsp), fluid ounce (fl oz), cup, pint, quart, and gallon.
The relationships are fixed: 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons. 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 8 fluid ounces = 236.6 ml. 1 pint = 2 cups. 1 quart = 4 cups. 1 gallon = 16 cups.
These units measure volume, not weight. A cup of water weighs 236.6 grams, but a cup of flour weighs only about 125 grams because flour is less dense.
Quick Conversion Table
All values are for liquids (water). Dry ingredient weights will differ.
- 1 teaspoon = 4.93 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 14.79 ml = 3 teaspoons
- 1 fluid ounce = 29.57 ml = 2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup = 59.1 ml = 4 tablespoons
- ½ cup = 118.3 ml = 8 tablespoons
- 1 cup = 236.6 ml = 16 tablespoons
- 2 cups = 473.2 ml = 1 pint
- 4 cups = 946.4 ml = 1 quart
Grams vs. Milliliters in Cooking
For water and thin liquids (milk, juice, broth), grams and milliliters are interchangeable: 1 ml of water = 1 gram. So 240 ml = 240 grams for water.
For everything else, the conversion depends on density. Common examples: 1 cup of all-purpose flour = 125 grams. 1 cup of granulated sugar = 200 grams. 1 cup of butter = 227 grams. 1 cup of honey = 340 grams.
This is why baking recipes from professional sources use grams — measuring by weight is more precise and reproducible than measuring by volume, especially for flour (which compacts differently depending on how you scoop).
Scaling Recipes
To halve a recipe, divide all quantities by 2. To double it, multiply by 2. Most conversions are straightforward, but some measurements get awkward: half of ¾ cup is 6 tablespoons, which is easier to measure than ⅜ cup.
Useful scaled measurements: ⅓ cup = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon. ¾ cup = 12 tablespoons. ⅔ cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons.
For large-scale cooking, convert everything to grams first — it is easier to multiply 125 g × 3.5 than to figure out what 3.5 cups of flour looks like.
UK vs. US Measurements
UK tablespoons are slightly larger than US tablespoons: 1 UK tablespoon = 17.76 ml vs. 14.79 ml in the US. For most recipes the difference is negligible, but it matters in precise baking.
The UK cup is not a standard unit — British recipes rarely use cups, preferring grams and milliliters. When a UK recipe does mention cups, it usually means 250 ml (vs. the US 236.6 ml).
Australian tablespoons are larger still: 1 Australian tablespoon = 20 ml = 4 teaspoons (vs. 3 in the US). Always check which country a recipe comes from.
Conclusion
For liquids: 1 cup = 236.6 ml, 1 tablespoon = 14.79 ml, 1 teaspoon = 4.93 ml. For dry ingredients, weight in grams is more accurate than volume. Weights are approximate and vary by ingredient density and measuring technique. Use our free cooking converter for any combination instantly.