Breaking Down Ingredient Measurements

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? Or, how many ounces are in ⅓ cup? The list goes on and on. But don’t worry, we answer all that and more in this article. This guide may become your new kitchen helper when it comes to cooking and baking.

What's in a spoon?

Before diving into all the other measurements, we are going to ease into it with a basic one — how many teaspoons (tsp.) make up one Tablespoon (Tbsp.)? The magic answer is: 1 Tbsp. = 3 tsp.

And in some recipes, you may even come across an ingredient using 1½ Tbsp. No need to do the math for this one: 1½ Tbsp. = 4½ tsp.

Dry Measurements

Ok, now we'll dive a little deeper into the measurement world by starting with measuring dry ingredients. One thing to keep in mind, to measure dry ingredients accurately, use a straight edge (like the back of a knife) to level off the ingredient in the cup.

Here we break down cups into tablespoons, as well as ounces:

• ⅛ cup = 2 Tablespoons = 1 ounce
• ¼ cup = 4 Tablespoons = 2 ounces
• ⅓ cup = 5 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 2.6 ounces
• ½ cup = 8 Tablespoons = 4 ounces
• ⅔ cup = 10 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 5.2 ounces
• ¾ cup = 12 Tablespoons = 6 ounces
• 1 cup = 16 Tablespoons = 8 ounces

Liquid Measurements

When it comes to liquid ingredients, they need to be measured on a flat surface in a liquid measuring cup. Get at eye level to see the markings on the cup and add liquid until the bottom of the meniscus, the curved surface of the liquid, is level with the desired measurement line of the cup.

Here we break down cups into ounce, pint, quart, and gallon measurements (if applicable):

• 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = ½ pint
• 2 cups = 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint
• 4 cups = 32 fluid ounces = 2 pints = 1 quart
• 8 cups = 64 fluid ounces = 4 pints = 2 quarts = ½ gallon
• 16 cups = 128 fluid ounces = 8 pints = 4 quarts = 1 gallon

Butter Basics

This one may seem unnecessary, but with the different sizes of butter sticks available and because recipes use different measurement language (tablespoons, sticks, cups, weight) we thought it was important to include.

Here we break down butter sticks into cups, tablespoons, and ounces:

• ½ stick = ¼ cup = 4 Tablespoons = 2 ounces
• 1 stick = ½ cup = 8 Tablespoons = 4 ounces
• 2 sticks = 1 cup = 16 Tablespoons = 8 ounces
• 3 sticks = 1½ cups = 24 Tablespoons = 12 ounces
• 4 sticks = 2 cups = 32 Tablespoons = 16 ounces = 1 pound

Printable Measurement Chart

Click the image below to download a handy printable PDF featuring all the charts in this article!