🥄 Cooking Converter for Cups, Tablespoons, Teaspoons and ml
By Shihab Mia · Updated 2026-07-03
Type in any box and every other unit updates instantly. All cup, spoon and ounce units use the US customary system.
This cooking converter turns any common kitchen volume into every other unit at once, so you can follow any recipe with the tools you already own. Type a number into cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, millilitres or litres, and every other box updates instantly. All the cup, spoon and ounce units here use the US customary system, converted through millilitres for accuracy.
What is the Cooking Measurement Converter?
A cooking converter exists because recipes almost never agree on units. One calls for two cups, another for 500 ml, a third for a tablespoon and a half of the same ingredient. Rather than juggle mental math while your pan heats up, this cooking measurement converter fixes one clear convention (US customary) and translates every volume through millilitres, the one reference every kitchen scale and jug understands. That single common reference is what keeps the results consistent no matter which unit you start from.
Cooking volumes are a tidy nested system once you know the building blocks. In the US customary measures used here, one tablespoon equals exactly three teaspoons, one fluid ounce equals two tablespoons, one cup equals eight fluid ounces (sixteen tablespoons or forty-eight teaspoons), one pint equals two cups, and one quart equals two pints, which is four cups. Because every step is a clean multiple, this kitchen converter can scale a recipe up or down without introducing rounding drift, and once the ratios are second nature you can double or halve most amounts in your head.
The one place people slip is mixing measurement systems, and it is exactly where a good cooking converter earns its keep. A US cup is about 236.6 ml, a metric cup is 250 ml, and an old imperial (UK) cup is roughly 284 ml. A US fluid ounce is about 29.57 ml while an imperial fluid ounce is about 28.41 ml. The differences look small per spoon but compound across a full recipe, so this recipe converter labels its convention clearly and routes every cups to ml or fluid ounces to ml conversion through the same millilitre baseline.
Volume and weight are also not interchangeable, which is the most important limit of any cooking converter. A cup is a measure of space, not mass, so a cup of flour and a cup of honey weigh very different amounts. This tool handles volume only: it tells you how many millilitres or tablespoons a cup is, not how many grams of a given ingredient fit in it. Any honest cups to grams answer needs an ingredient density, and that is why serious bakers weigh flour, sugar and butter on a scale instead of scooping.
Where this cooking measurement converter shines is the everyday friction of cooking from mixed sources. Converting tablespoons to teaspoons when you cannot find the tablespoon, working out cups to tablespoons so you can measure without the cup, or turning a cocktail recipe written in fluid ounces into ml for a jigger, all take one keystroke. Because the tool is instant and reversible, you can type into whichever box matches the utensil in your hand and read the rest, which is faster than looking up a static chart.
Accuracy still depends on good technique. Level dry ingredients with the back of a knife rather than heaping the spoon, read a liquid measuring jug at eye level to avoid parallax error, and remember that a cooking converter only converts the number you give it. Garbage in, garbage out applies in the kitchen too, so pair this kitchen converter with careful measuring and, for baking, a scale whenever grams are offered.
When to use it
- Following a US recipe with a metric measuring jug, or a metric recipe with US cups and spoons.
- Scaling a recipe up or down and needing the new amounts in a unit your tools actually have.
- Converting a tablespoon or teaspoon amount into millilitres for a measuring syringe or small scale.
- Checking cups to tablespoons so you can measure a cup without digging out the cup itself.
- Translating a drink or cocktail recipe written in fluid ounces to ml for a jigger.
- Batch cooking, where you multiply a recipe and need clean pint or quart totals for a big pot.
How to use the Cooking Measurement Converter
- Find the unit your recipe uses among the boxes (for example cups or millilitres).
- Type the amount into that box.
- Read the equivalent value in every other unit, which updates instantly.
- To convert a different amount, clear the box or type a new number.
- Match the result to the utensil you actually have, then measure and cook.
Formula & method
Worked examples
A recipe asks for 1 cup of milk but you only have a millilitre jug and tablespoons.
- Convert to ml: 1 cup x 236.588 ml/cup = 236.588 ml
- Convert to tablespoons: 236.588 / 14.7868 = 16 tbsp
- Convert to teaspoons: 236.588 / 4.92892 = 48 tsp
- Convert to fluid ounces: 236.588 / 29.5735 = 8 fl oz
Result: 1 US cup = 236.588 ml = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 8 fluid ounces.
A metric recipe lists 250 ml of stock and you want it in US cups and tablespoons.
- Convert to cups: 250 / 236.588 = 1.057 cups
- Convert to tablespoons: 250 / 14.7868 = 16.907 tbsp
- Convert to fluid ounces: 250 / 29.5735 = 8.454 fl oz
Result: 250 ml is about 1.057 US cups, about 16.9 tablespoons and about 8.45 fluid ounces.
You are tripling a sauce that uses 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and want the total in ml and cups.
- Scale the amount: 3 tbsp x 3 = 9 tbsp
- Convert to ml: 9 x 14.7868 = 133.08 ml
- Convert to cups: 133.08 / 236.588 = 0.5625 cups, which is 9/16 of a cup
Result: Tripled, 3 tablespoons becomes 9 tablespoons = about 133 ml = about 0.56 cups.
Common US kitchen volume equivalents
| Unit | Teaspoons | Tablespoons | Fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 1 | 0.333 | 0.167 | 4.929 |
| 1 tablespoon | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 14.787 |
| 1 fluid ounce | 6 | 2 | 1 | 29.574 |
| 1 cup | 48 | 16 | 8 | 236.588 |
| 1 pint | 96 | 32 | 16 | 473.176 |
| 1 quart | 192 | 64 | 32 | 946.353 |
Why the cup you use matters (volume of one cup)
| Cup type | Millilitres | Fluid ounces (US) |
|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.588 | 8 |
| US legal cup (nutrition labels) | 240 | 8.12 |
| Metric cup | 250 | 8.45 |
| Imperial (UK) cup | 284.131 | 9.61 |
Handy fraction-of-a-cup conversions (US)
| Fraction of a cup | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4 | 12 | 59.15 |
| 1/3 cup | 5 + 1 tsp | 16 | 78.86 |
| 1/2 cup | 8 | 24 | 118.29 |
| 2/3 cup | 10 + 2 tsp | 32 | 157.73 |
| 3/4 cup | 12 | 36 | 177.44 |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating a US cup and a metric cup as the same. A US cup is about 236.6 ml but a metric cup is 250 ml, a difference of over 5 percent. Across several cups in a recipe this adds up. This cooking converter uses the US cup, so label your source recipe before converting.
- Confusing fluid ounces with weight ounces. A fluid ounce measures volume, while an ounce on a scale measures weight. They only match for water. For flour, sugar or butter, a fluid ounce and a weight ounce are not the same amount.
- Mixing US and imperial fluid ounces. A US fluid ounce is about 29.57 ml but an imperial (UK) fluid ounce is about 28.41 ml. Old British recipes often use the imperial value, so check the origin of the recipe.
- Assuming a cup of any ingredient weighs the same. Volume is not mass. A cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of honey. This converter changes volume units only and cannot tell you the grams of a specific ingredient without its density.
- Heaping the spoon instead of levelling it. A rounded tablespoon can hold noticeably more than a level one, which throws off the conversion. Level dry ingredients with the flat edge of a knife before you trust the number.
- Reading a liquid jug from above. Looking down at a measuring jug makes the liquid read lower than it is. Set the jug on a flat surface and read at eye level so the amount you convert matches the amount you pour.
Glossary
- Teaspoon (tsp)
- A small spoon measure equal to one third of a tablespoon, about 4.93 ml in the US system.
- Tablespoon (tbsp)
- A spoon measure equal to three teaspoons, about 14.79 ml in the US system.
- Fluid ounce (fl oz)
- A volume measure equal to two tablespoons, about 29.57 ml in the US system. It measures space, not weight.
- Cup
- A common recipe measure equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 US fluid ounces, about 236.59 ml in the US system.
- Pint
- A volume equal to two cups, about 473.18 ml in the US system.
- Quart
- A volume equal to two pints or four cups, about 946.35 ml in the US system.
- Millilitre (ml)
- A metric volume unit, one thousandth of a litre, used here as the common reference all other units convert through.
- US customary system
- The set of measurement units standard in US recipes, distinct from the metric system and from older imperial (UK) units.
Frequently asked questions
How many ml are in a cup?
One US customary cup is 236.588 ml. A metric cup is 250 ml and an imperial (UK) cup is about 284 ml, so the answer depends on which cup your recipe means. This cooking converter uses the US cup.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup. A cup is also 48 teaspoons and 8 fluid ounces, since one tablespoon equals three teaspoons and one fluid ounce equals two tablespoons.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are exactly 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. So a tablespoon and a half is 4.5 teaspoons, and half a tablespoon is 1.5 teaspoons.
Are these US or UK measurements?
All the cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, fluid ounce, pint and quart values here use the US customary system. If your recipe is British or Australian, the cup and spoon sizes differ slightly, so the millilitre and litre results will be the most reliable in that case.
Can I convert cups to grams with this tool?
No. Cups measure volume and grams measure weight, and the link between them changes with the ingredient. A cup of flour weighs much less than a cup of sugar or honey. This cooking converter handles volume units only, so use a kitchen scale when a recipe gives grams.
How many fluid ounces are in a quart?
A US quart is 32 fluid ounces. It is also 2 pints, 4 cups, 64 tablespoons or about 946.35 ml.
How do I halve a recipe that uses cups and tablespoons?
Divide each amount by two before you measure. Half of 1 cup is 8 tablespoons, half of 3/4 cup is 6 tablespoons, and half of 1 tablespoon is 1.5 teaspoons. Type the original amount into this kitchen converter, then halve the readout in whichever unit is easiest to measure.
How many ml is a tablespoon?
One US tablespoon is about 14.79 ml. A teaspoon is about 4.93 ml, so three teaspoons make one tablespoon. For quick estimates many cooks round a tablespoon to 15 ml.
What is the difference between a dry cup and a liquid cup?
They hold the same volume, about 236.6 ml for a US cup. The difference is shape: liquid cups have a spout and headroom for pouring, while dry cups are filled to the brim and levelled off. This converter treats both as the same volume.
Why do my conversions differ slightly from other charts?
Small differences come from rounding and from which cup a chart assumes. This cooking measurement converter uses precise US customary values (1 cup = 236.588 ml) and converts through millilitres, so results are consistent even if a simpler chart rounds a cup to 240 ml.