Solo Biz Soft Editorial Team There are 16 US tablespoons in one cup. That is the number to remember, and everything else follows from it. Here are the fractions of a cup that come up most in recipes.
Cups to tablespoons
| Cup | Tablespoons | Teaspoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 2 tbsp | 6 tsp |
| 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp |
| 1/3 cup | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 16 tsp |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp |
| 2/3 cup | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 32 tsp |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp | 36 tsp |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp |
Watch out for other systems
- A metric cup is 250 ml and a metric tablespoon is 15 ml, so a metric cup holds a little over 16 tablespoons.
- An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, so a 250 ml cup holds about 12.5 Australian tablespoons.
- Use the measures your recipe was written for, especially for baking.
Convert exact amounts with our tablespoons to ml and cups to ml converters, and see the full kitchen measurement conversion chart.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in half a cup?
8.
How many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
4.
How many tablespoons are in a third of a cup?
5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon.
Related reading: Kitchen Measurement Conversion Chart
Amounts are rounded for kitchen use.