3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon, and 16 tablespoons equal 1 cup. These two facts let you navigate almost every US baking recipe. Below is a complete conversion chart from teaspoons through cups, plus milliliter equivalents and gram weights for the most common baking ingredients.
Master conversion table
| Teaspoons | Tablespoons | Cups | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 1/3 tbsp | — | 5 mL |
| 3 tsp | 1 tbsp | 1/16 cup | 15 mL |
| 6 tsp | 2 tbsp | 1/8 cup | 30 mL |
| 12 tsp | 4 tbsp | 1/4 cup | 60 mL |
| 16 tsp | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 1/3 cup | 79 mL |
| 24 tsp | 8 tbsp | 1/2 cup | 118 mL |
| 32 tsp | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 2/3 cup | 158 mL |
| 36 tsp | 12 tbsp | 3/4 cup | 177 mL |
| 48 tsp | 16 tbsp | 1 cup | 237 mL |
The 1/3 cup problem
1/3 cup is the awkward one. It equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon — not a clean tablespoon number. When you need to halve a recipe calling for 1/3 cup, you get 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (or 8 teaspoons). These are the measures to remember:
| Fraction | Tablespoons | Teaspoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp | 12 tsp |
| 1/3 cup | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 16 tsp |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 24 tsp |
| 2/3 cup | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 32 tsp |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp | 36 tsp |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 48 tsp |
Gram weights per tablespoon for common ingredients
Volume is consistent across ingredients; weight is not. Flour is much lighter than sugar per tablespoon, for example.
| Ingredient | Per tablespoon | Per teaspoon |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 7.5 g | 2.5 g |
| Bread flour | 7.5 g | 2.5 g |
| Granulated sugar | 12.5 g | 4.2 g |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 13.8 g | 4.6 g |
| Powdered sugar | 7.5 g | 2.5 g |
| Table salt | 18 g | 6 g |
| Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) | 8 g | 2.7 g |
| Kosher salt (Morton) | 16 g | 5.3 g |
| Baking powder | 4 g | 1.3 g |
| Baking soda | 6 g | 2 g |
| Cocoa powder | 5.5 g | 1.8 g |
| Honey | 21 g | 7 g |
| Butter | 14 g | 4.7 g |
| Vegetable oil | 12.5 g | 4.2 g |
Source: King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart
Note the dramatic difference between table salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt per tablespoon (18 g vs. 8 g). A recipe calling for “1 tablespoon kosher salt” means very different things depending on which brand you use. Always check salt type when baking bread.
Informal measures
These appear in older cookbooks but are not standardized:
| Term | Approximate measure |
|---|---|
| Smidgen | 1/32 tsp |
| Pinch | 1/16 tsp |
| Dash | 1/8 tsp |
Australian tablespoon
In Australia, 1 tablespoon = 20 mL = 4 teaspoons (Australian teaspoon = 5 mL). If you’re using an Australian recipe with a US tablespoon, your tablespoon measures will be about 25% short. Multiply Australian tablespoons by 1.35 to get the correct US tablespoon count, or convert to mL.
| Australian | US equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp (20 mL) | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (US) |
| 2 tbsp (40 mL) | 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (US) |
| 3 tbsp (60 mL) | 4 tbsp = 1/4 cup (US) |
Quick-reference fractions for halving recipes
If you’re cutting a recipe in half, these spoon measures come up constantly:
| Original | Halved |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp |
| 1/2 tsp | 1/4 tsp |
| 1/4 tsp | 1/8 tsp (a small pinch) |
| 1 tbsp | 1/2 tbsp (= 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp) |
| 2 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| 1/4 cup | 2 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 2 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup |
For more complex recipe scaling, the recipe scaler handles fractional amounts automatically.
Gram weights for common spices per teaspoon
Spice density varies enormously, so volume measurements for spices are imprecise — but most bakers don’t need sub-gram precision for spices. Here’s a practical reference:
| Spice | Per teaspoon | Per tablespoon |
|---|---|---|
| Ground cinnamon | 2.5 g | 7.5 g |
| Ground ginger | 1.8 g | 5.3 g |
| Ground nutmeg | 2.2 g | 6.6 g |
| Ground cloves | 2.1 g | 6.3 g |
| Ground cardamom | 2 g | 6 g |
| Cayenne pepper | 1.8 g | 5.4 g |
| Ground cumin | 2.3 g | 6.9 g |
| Cream of tartar | 3.5 g | 10.5 g |
| Instant dry milk powder | 3 g | 9 g |
Source: USDA FoodData Central and King Arthur Baking weight data.
These weights are approximations — different grinds, brands, and moisture levels can shift the per-teaspoon weight by 10–15%. For spices used in large quantities (bread spice blends, chai mix), weigh them. For single teaspoon additions, volume is fine.
Converting metric volume measures to US tablespoons
When a recipe gives liquid amounts in mL that don’t match cup or tablespoon marks, convert with this table:
| Milliliters | US tablespoons | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | 1 tsp | Exact |
| 10 mL | 2 tsp | Exact |
| 15 mL | 1 tbsp | Exact |
| 20 mL | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | Australian tablespoon |
| 30 mL | 2 tbsp | Exact |
| 45 mL | 3 tbsp | Exact |
| 60 mL | 1/4 cup | Exact |
New Zealand tablespoon
New Zealand uses 15 mL as the standard tablespoon, the same as the US. This makes New Zealand recipes fully interchangeable with US tablespoon measurements — only the cup (250 mL metric) and the Australian tablespoon (20 mL) differ. A New Zealand recipe calling for 3 tablespoons uses exactly 45 mL, same as a US recipe.