Convert between length, weight, temperature, volume, speed, area, and digital units.
How to Convert Cups to Tablespoons
Multiply the number of US cups by 16. A US cup is 8 US fluid ounces and a US tablespoon is half a fluid ounce, so there are exactly 16 tablespoons in a cup: 1/2 cup is 8 tbsp, 1/4 cup is 4 tbsp and 1/8 cup is 2 tbsp. Thirds do not come out whole: 1/3 cup is 5 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon.
Cups to Tablespoons Conversion Table
| Cups | Tablespoons |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 8 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 2 | 32 |
| 5 | 80 |
| 10 | 160 |
| 15 | 240 |
| 20 | 320 |
| 25 | 400 |
| 50 | 800 |
| 100 | 1600 |
| 250 | 4000 |
| 500 | 8000 |
| 1000 | 16000 |
How Many Tablespoons in a Cup?
1 cup equals 16 tablespoons. To convert any value, multiply the number of cups by 16.
Common Use Cases
Cooks scaling a recipe down use this most. Halve a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup of oil and you need 1/6 cup, which no measuring set has; in tablespoons it is 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp, which every drawer can measure. Quartering a cake recipe turns 3/4 cup of sugar into 3 tbsp.
Anyone whose measuring cups are dirty or missing can fall back on a tablespoon. A 1/4 cup is 4 level tablespoons and a 1/2 cup is 8, so small amounts of milk, oil, honey or melted butter can be measured with a single spoon without losing accuracy.
Butter in the US is sold in sticks marked in tablespoons. One stick is 8 tbsp, which is 1/2 cup, so a recipe asking for 3/4 cup of butter needs 12 tbsp, or a stick and a half. Converting cups to tablespoons lets you cut straight from the wrapper markings.