Tablespoons to Cups (tbsp to cups)

How to convert tablespoons to cups

Divide the tablespoons by 16:

cups = tbsp ÷ 16

8 tbsp ÷ 16 = 0.5 cup. The factor is exact in U.S. customary measure: a cup is 8 fluid ounces of 2 tablespoons each. Because cups are measured with 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 3/4 cups, the result also shows the closest measuring-cup combination, with fluid ounces and milliliters. To go the other way, multiply cups by 16.

Tablespoons to cups chart

Tablespoons that do not land on a cup

When a count of tablespoons is close to a measuring cup, use the cup and top up with spoons; counting 14 level tablespoons one at a time is slower and less accurate than 3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons.

Liquid and dry measuring cups

Tablespoons work for both wet and dry ingredients, but cups come in two kinds. Dry measuring cups are filled to the rim and leveled; liquid measuring cups have a spout and lines below the rim, and are read at eye level. Converting 12 tablespoons of milk to 3/4 cup means filling a liquid cup to the 3/4 line, or 6 fluid ounces; converting 12 tablespoons of flour means a level 3/4 dry cup. Packed brown sugar, shortening and peanut butter are pressed down into a dry cup, and their tablespoon counts assume the same packing.

Butter sticks

In the U.S., butter is sold in 4-ounce sticks marked in tablespoons. One stick is 8 tablespoons, or 1/2 cup; two sticks are a cup. A recipe that asks for 12 tablespoons of butter needs 1 1/2 sticks, or 3/4 cup. European butter in 250 g blocks is about 17.6 tablespoons, slightly more than two U.S. sticks.

Scaling a recipe down

Halving or quartering a recipe turns cups into tablespoons: 1/4 cup halved is 2 tablespoons, and 1/3 cup halved is 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons. Scaling up does the reverse — 6 tablespoons tripled is 18, or 1 cup and 2 tablespoons. For the reverse direction, see cups to tablespoons; for ounces, tablespoons to ounces and cups to ounces.