Cooking Converter
Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, fluid ounces and more for accurate recipes
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Support fast conversion of various units including length, area, volume, weight, temperature, etc.
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What is Cooking Measurement Conversion?
Cooking conversion translates a recipe measurement from one unit to another — cups to milliliters, tablespoons to teaspoons, and so on. It is essential when adapting recipes from different countries, scaling portions, or using measuring tools from a different system.
The challenge is that three regional systems use similar names for different amounts. The US system (cup = 240 ml, tablespoon = 15 ml) dominates American recipes. The metric system (cup = 250 ml) is used in Australia, Canada, and much of Europe. The imperial system (cup = 284 ml) appears in older UK recipes.
In baking especially, these differences matter — a 10% error in liquid can change a cake’s texture. Professional bakers prefer weighing (grams) over volume (cups) for exactly this reason, but most home recipes still use volume.
How to Convert Cooking Units
Cooking units have conversion rates relative to a base unit (the liter):
result = value × (fromUnit rate) ÷ (toUnit rate)
Example — convert 3 US tablespoons to milliliters:
3 tbsp(US) = 3 × 0.014787 ÷ 0.001 = 44.36 ml
Key tip: The most useful ratios to memorize: 1 tbsp = 3 tsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 240 ml. With these, you can convert most recipes mentally. For precision baking, switch to weighing in grams.
Common Cooking Conversions
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| Tablespoon (US) | Teaspoon | 3 |
| Cup (US) | Tablespoon | 16 |
| Tablespoon (US) | Milliliter | 14.787 |
| Cup (US) | Milliliter | 236.6 |
| Fluid ounce (US) | Milliliter | 29.574 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many milliliters are in a tablespoon?
A US tablespoon equals 14.787 milliliters (often rounded to 15 ml). A metric tablespoon is exactly 15 ml, and an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml. When following recipes, check which system the recipe uses — the difference matters in baking. To convert tablespoons to milliliters, multiply by 15 (US) or 20 (AU).
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are 3 teaspoons in one tablespoon (US and metric). This 3:1 ratio is consistent across most systems. So 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 ml, and 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. This makes it easy to scale recipes up or down.
How do I convert cups to milliliters?
A US cup is 236.6 ml (often rounded to 240 ml in nutrition labels). A metric cup is exactly 250 ml. To convert US cups to milliliters, multiply by 236.6. Half a cup is about 118 ml, a quarter cup is about 59 ml. Note that a UK/imperial cup (284 ml) is larger still.
What is the difference between a US and imperial fluid ounce?
A US fluid ounce is 29.574 ml, while an imperial (UK) fluid ounce is 28.413 ml — the imperial one is about 4% smaller. This means US and UK recipes are not interchangeable without conversion. The difference comes from the different gallon sizes (US gallon = 3.785 L, imperial gallon = 4.546 L).
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in one US cup. Since 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, a cup also equals 48 teaspoons. This 16:1 ratio makes it easy to halve or quarter recipes: half a cup = 8 tablespoons, a quarter cup = 4 tablespoons.