How Many Tablespoons in a Cup?
Updated August 15, 2026
There are 16 tablespoons in one US cup. Going down the ladder: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 8 fluid ounces, and 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.
| Measure | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Fluid oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp | 8 fl oz |
| ¾ cup | 12 tbsp | 36 tsp | 6 fl oz |
| ⅔ cup | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 32 tsp | 5⅓ fl oz |
| ½ cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp | 4 fl oz |
| ⅓ cup | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 16 tsp | 2⅔ fl oz |
| ¼ cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp | 2 fl oz |
| ⅛ cup | 2 tbsp | 6 tsp | 1 fl oz |
| 1 tablespoon | — | 3 tsp | ½ fl oz |
The two worth memorizing
Everything on the chart derives from two facts: 16 tablespoons to the cup, and 3 teaspoons to the tablespoon. The awkward thirds (⅓ cup = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) are why measuring-cup sets exist — nobody should count seventeen spoons into a batter.
Watch for the stick-of-butter shortcut too: one US stick is exactly 8 tablespoons, which is why butter wrappers are printed with tablespoon lines.
US, UK, and Australian spoons differ
A US tablespoon is 14.8 ml, a metric tablespoon (UK/most of the world) is 15 ml — close enough to ignore. Australia's tablespoon is 20 ml, a real difference in baking; if a recipe is Australian, their tablespoon is 4 teaspoons, not 3. A US cup is 237 ml versus the metric cup's 250 ml — within the error bars of scooping for cooking, worth respecting for baking.
Quick answers
- How many tablespoons in half a cup?
- 8 tablespoons. A quarter cup is 4, and ¾ cup is 12.
- How many tablespoons in a stick of butter?
- 8 tablespoons — half a cup. The wrapper markings measure it for you.
- Is a dry cup the same as a liquid cup?
- Same volume, different tools: dry cups are made to be leveled off, liquid cups to be read at eye level. See the dry vs. liquid measuring guide for why swapping them goes wrong.