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How many tablespoons are in a cup or ½ cup or ¼ cup.
Here is the simple answer
1 cup = 16 tablespoons=48 teaspoons
Scroll down to get your free printable as well as details on how to measure liquids and dry ingredients using cups.
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Free Easy Printable
Here is your easy printable to understand How many tablespoons are in a cup.
Just take a print out of this in A4 size and stick it on your refrigerator. Trust me, this will make cooking and baking so much more easier!
But First..Let's get the biggest confusion out.
No I am not talking about your tea cup here.
I am also not talking about your everyday spoon here.
I am talking about standard measuring equipment - the measuring cups and spoons that are used to make recipes accurately.
Cups, tablespoons and teaspoons are the measurements used in everyday baking and cooking. Though measuring the exact weight of the ingredient is definitely a more superior and accurate way.
Often while cooking and baking, I need to scale down or up my recipes. It quickly gets confusing when trying to shift from tablespoons to cups.
Quick Conversion Table
Here is a quick - handy table to convert tablespoons into cups into fluid ounce measurement.
| Tablespoons (tbsp) | Dry Measurement (Cups) | Liquid Measurement (fl. oz.) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Tablespoons | 1 cup | 8 fluid ounces |
| 12 Tablespoons | ¾ cup | 6 fluid ounces |
| 8 Tablespoons | ½ cup | 4 fluid ounces |
| 5 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoons | ⅓ cup | 2 ⅓ fluid ounces |
| 4 Tablespoons | ¼ cup | 2 fluid ounces |
| 2 Tablespoons | ⅛ cup | 1 fluid ounce |
| 1 Tablespoons | 1/16 cup | ½ fluid ounce |
This table will work for all dry ingredients like sugar, flour, cocoa etc.Here is a link with more ingredients and their measurements.
Cup Measurement is a standard unit of measurement for both volume and capacity. One cup is equal to 16 tablespoons= 8 fluid ounces= 237 milliliters.
Though the size of a tablespoon can vary depending on the country or region in which it is used. In the United States, a tablespoon is usually equal to 14.8 milliliters, while in the United Kingdom, it is equal to approximately 15 milliliters.
Most recipes online are usually referring to the USA Cup and Tablespoon size.If not otherwise specified.
To convert tablespoons to cups, you can use the following formula:
Tablespoons =Cups * 16
For example, if you have 2 Cups, you can multiply that number by 16 to find that you have 32 tablespoons.
Using Measuring Scale instead of Cups
A measuring scale is the best way to measure your ingredients. Both in baking and cooking.
I mean how are you accurately suppose to measure 1 cup of tomato? Is it a chopped tomato? Sliced or the whole tomato? But 100 gms of tomato will always be just that. Irrespective of how its cut.
Following weight measurement, greatly improves the consistency and accuracy of your recipes. Here are a few tips for using a measuring scale:
- Use a digital Measuring-scale for greater accuracy: Digital scales are more precise than analog scales and can give you a more accurate measurement.
- Use the correct units: Make sure to use the appropriate units for the recipe you are following. Some recipes may use grams, while others may use ounces or cups.
- Tare the scale: Before measuring each ingredient, make sure to tare (reset to zero) the scale so that you are only measuring the weight of the ingredient, not the weight of the bowl or other container.
- Measure ingredients by weight: Whenever possible, try to measure ingredients by weight rather than volume. This can be more accurate, especially for ingredients like flour and sugar, which can be packed or scooped differently depending on the person measuring.
- Follow the recipe: Make sure to follow the recipe closely and measure the ingredients accurately to ensure that your baked goods turn out as intended.
The Problem with measuring in Cups & Tablespoons
Measuring ingredients in cups and tablespoon definitely helps passing on recipes to others. For most part, it's the easiest way, especially for liquids.
The standard cup tends to vary a bit across the world.
1 US Cup = 236.588 mL
1 UK Cup = 250 mL
1 US Tablespoon =14.8 ml (0.50 US fl oz)
1 UK Tablespoon = 15 ml (0.51 US fl oz)
1 Australian Tablespoon =20 ml(0.67 US fl oz)
Though things get more complicated when you are measure solids of varying weights.
In baking, measuring core ingredients like the flour, baking powder and soda, liquids is very important. Even a small change will make a big different in the final outcome. That is why the best way to measure is always by weight.
And the next best way is to use STANDARD CUPS.
What is a STANDARD Cup
Cooking was an art that only a select few could really be good at. And that was either they were gifted or just made the same recipe a zillion times. And getting recipes from grandmas was the biggest challenge of all!
Even now when I am visiting family and ask my mother for recipes, she usually hands me a list of ingredients with no measurements whatsoever.
They heavily relied on observation and experience.
but today, making an unknown recipe has been made simple especially because of standard measuring cups.
You get measuring cup sets which usually have 1 Cup, ½ Cup, ⅓ Cup & ¼ Cup sized cups.
A cup is a measure of volume, and is equal to half of a pint. In the U.S., a cup is 8 fluid oz which is about 250 ml in volume.
The weight of ingredients will vary a lot.
A cup is best used to measure wet ingredients. You can measure dry ingredients also but there is a way to do that
How to measure 1 Cup correctly
To measure 1 cup of fluid is easy enough.
But for dry ingredients such as flour and cocoa, the way to measure is to
- First fill the cup up by scooping up the flour or cocoa. Do not compress
- Using a knife, just level off the excess.
For things like brown sugar, it should usually say whether its loosely packed or tightly packed. Trust me, the actual amount of sugar will vary vastly just depending on how much you press.
| 1 Cup of | In Grams |
|---|---|
| White Sugar | 200 gms |
| Caster Sugar | 200 gms |
| Icing Sugar | 115 gms |
| All Purpose Flour | 120 gms |
| Whole Wheat Flour | 130 gms |
| Cocoa Powder | 120 gms |
What is a STANDARD TABLESPOON
Don't start searching for a large spoon in your pantry. If you don't have a measuring spoon set, then in all probability, the measurement will be wrong.
You would think such a small amount shouldn't matter too much BUT 1 tablespoon of baking soda will act vastly different from ½ tablespoon of baking soda.
1 tablespoon = 15 ml of volume
The weight of dry ingredient will vastly vary but here is a table of common ingredients in tablespoon
| 1 tablespoon of | In Grams |
|---|---|
| Baking Soda | 13.8 gms |
| Baking Powder | 13.8 gms |
| White Sugar | 12.5 gms |
| Caster Sugar | 14.1 gms |
| Icing Sugar | 7.8 gms |
| All Purpose Flour | 7.8 gms |
| Whole Wheat Flour | 8.1 gms |
| Cocoa Powder | 7.4 gms |
| Table Salt | 17.1 gms |
How to measure 1 tablespoon correctly
Again, for liquids, it's easy enough to measure in tablespoons.
For dry ingredients, scoop the dry ingredient up so you have a mountain(so to say) of the dry ingredient.Then using a knife, level it off.
That is the right way of measuring using measuring spoons.
My Equipment Recommendations
I have been baking since about 15 years now. I have owned countless sets of measuring cups and spoons.
So I have tried it all. I currently own 4 sets of measuring cups and all of them are steel.
Steel cups which have the measurements etched on them are the best long term bet for everyone. The plastic one not only get discolored but the measurements printed on them disappear within months.
Oh and! They quickly add up to a lot of washing. So for me, they need to be dishwasher safe.
Here are the best reviewed measuring cups and spoons and weighting scale I recommend.
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frequently ASKED QUESTIONS
A dry cup is a unit of volume used to measure dry ingredients, such as flour, sugar, and grains. A liquid cup is a unit of volume used to measure liquids, such as water, milk, and juice. Dry cups and liquid cups are not interchangeable, as the volume of a dry ingredient is often not the same as the volume of a liquid.
Yes, you can use a measuring cup to measure dry ingredients. However, it is important to use the correct measuring cup for dry ingredients, as dry cups and liquid cups are not interchangeable. Dry measuring cups are usually made of metal or plastic and have a flat top, while liquid measuring cups are usually made of glass or plastic and have a pouring spout.
To measure a cup of dry ingredients, such as flour or sugar, lightly spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup until it is overflowing. Then, use a flat edge (like the back of a knife) to level off the excess.
To measure a cup of liquid ingredients, such as milk or water, use a liquid measuring cup. Pour the liquid into the measuring cup until it reaches the desired level.
Yes, a standard measuring cup can be used for both dry and liquid ingredients. Just be sure to use the correct technique for measuring each type of ingredient (spooning and leveling for dry ingredients, and pouring for liquid ingredients).
Yes, it is possible to convert between cups and other units of measurement. For example, 1 cup is equal to 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, or 8 fluid ounces. You can use these conversion factors to convert a recipe that calls for cups to a recipe that uses a different unit of measurement.
To convert cups to tablespoons, you can use the following formula:
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
For example, if you want to convert ½ cup to tablespoons, you would multiply ½ by 16 to get 8 tablespoons.
how many tablespoons in a quarter cup
There are 4 tablespoons in a quarter cup.
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