In the United States, the most common unit of volume measurement is the cup, although teaspoons and tablespoons are also often used. Even while it may be tempting to wing it without measuring, doing so might result in a meal that is either too bland or excessively flavorful, particularly when baking.
The easiest way to convert between 1/4 cup and tablespoons is to remember how many tablespoons are in 1/4 cup.
WHAT IS “TABLESPOON”?
A tablespoon is a big spoon; comparable in size to a soup spoon, but it has a precise volume measurement that is similar to one-half of an ounce of liquid, 15 milliliters, or three teaspoons.
In recipes, you could find a reference to tablespoons written as T, Tb, Tbs, or tbsp. On the other hand, teaspoons are written with all lowercase letters, as tsp or t.
CONVERT TBSP TO CUPS
One cup is equal to sixteen tablespoons; hence the formula for converting between cups and tablespoons is cups multiplied by sixteen. As a point of reference, below is a chart that converts tablespoons to cups:
| Tablespoons | Cups |
| 2 tablespoons | ⅛ cup |
| 4 tablespoons | ¼ cups |
| 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon | ⅓ cup |
| 8 tablespoons | ½ cup |
| 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons | ⅔ cup |
| 12 tablespoons | ¾ cup |
| 16 tablespoons | 1 cup |
Take into account that the measurements and recipes below are for the United States. Refer to the international section below if you are working with a recipe from the United Kingdom.
CONVERT TBSP TO TSP?
There is a distinct difference between the functions of a tablespoon and a teaspoon. In most cases, a tablespoon will be used for measuring out greater amounts such as cooking oil or soy sauce, while a teaspoon will be utilized for measuring out lesser quantities such as spices and seasonings.
If you do not have a tablespoon on hand, you may substitute the required amount with the appropriate number of teaspoons. The following is a chart that converts:
| Cups | Tablespoons | teaspoons | mL | oz |
| 1/16 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 1/2 |
| 1/8 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 1 |
| 1/4 | 4 | 12 | 60 | 2 |
| 1/2 | 8 | 16 | 120 | 4 |
| 3/4 | 12 | 24 | 180 | 6 |
| 1 | 16 | 32 | 237 | 8 |
One tablespoon is equal to three teaspoons; hence the method for conversion is one tablespoon equals three times the amount of teaspoons.
TIPS FOR MEASURING
- Always use a knife to level your tablespoons or cups before using them. Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, do not measure ingredients by piling them on top of one another.
- Before measuring dry ingredients, sift them through a sieve for the most precise results. This is something that should be kept in mind when doubling or tripling a recipe.
- Use Pyrex liquid measuring cups to measure liquid quantities. Never use coffee cups or spoons that don’t have measuring markings on them.
INTERNATIONAL CUPS & TABLESPOONS
It’s possible that recipes from other nations or areas employ ancient imperial measurements or the metric system, each of which have their own unique quirks. In most cases, it is not necessary to make any changes to a recipe; nevertheless, if you decide to double or triple the amount, you may find that the discrepancies begin to pile up. Nevertheless, for the benefit of accuracy, the following is a rundown of the key distinctions:
| Definition by Region | US (Customary) | Europe, UK, Canada, Australia (Metric) | UK Imperial (old recipes only) |
| 1 cup | 237 mL | 250 mL | 284 mL |
| 1 Tablespoon | 14.8 mL or ½ fl oz | 15.6 mL or0.51 fl oz | 17.8 mL or 0.6 fl oz |
