How Many Tablespoons Are in a Cup?
16
US tablespoons
16.67
UK / imperial
The US and imperial systems give different answers to this question. Go by where the recipe is from: American recipes mean 16, British and older Commonwealth recipes mean 16.67.
A US cup is 16 tablespoons — a clean number, and the reason so many American recipes scale neatly. It stops being clean the moment you leave the US: a metric cup takes about 16.7 tablespoons, and an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml rather than 15, which makes an Australian cup just 12.5 tablespoons.
1 cup in tablespoons, by region
| United States | 16 tablespoons |
| UK / imperial (250 ml cup) | 16.67 tablespoons |
| Australia (20 ml tablespoon) | 12.5 tablespoons |
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Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, and 16.67 in the UK/imperial equivalent. American recipes mean the US figure.
Why is an Australian tablespoon different?
Australia standardised on a 20 ml tablespoon when it metricated, while the UK, New Zealand and most of Europe use 15 ml. It is the single most common cause of over-seasoned converted recipes — four Australian tablespoons is five of anyone else's.
How many tablespoons in half a cup?
Eight US tablespoons. A quarter cup is 4 tablespoons, and a third of a cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.
Can I measure a cup using only tablespoons?
Yes — 16 level US tablespoons. It is tedious but accurate for liquids. For flour it is worse than using a cup, because each spoonful compacts differently; weigh it instead.