Cooking Unit Converter

Cooking units
Cooking volume conversions are approximate; ingredient weight conversions vary by density.

Convert the volume units that appear in recipes from the US, the UK, Australia and metric kitchens: teaspoons, tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons, millilitres and litres. The converter uses US customary cooking volumes, so it is ideal for translating cup-and-spoon recipes into ml or litres before you start cooking.

How to convert cooking volume units

  1. 1

    Enter the amount

    Type the quantity from your recipe, such as 2 cups, 3 tablespoons, 8 fl oz or 500 ml.

  2. 2

    Choose the source unit

    Select the unit the recipe uses. The tool converts from teaspoons through gallons, plus millilitres and litres.

  3. 3

    Review every equivalent

    Read the same volume in cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, ml and litres.

  4. 4

    Check the recipe standard

    If a recipe says cup or tablespoon, confirm whether it means US, metric, Australian or another local measure.

Know which “cup” the recipe means

The converter treats 1 cup as a US customary cup: 236.588 ml. That is the common base for many online recipes, but it is not the only cup used in kitchens.

Cup type Volume
US customary cup 236.588 ml
US legal nutrition cup 240 ml
Metric cup 250 ml
Imperial cup 284 ml
Japanese cooking cup 200 ml

A small cup-size mismatch can change a cake batter or sauce. If a recipe is written in metric units, use the ml or litre result directly. If it is from Japan, remember that a local cooking cup is often 200 ml, not the US cup used by this converter.

Tablespoons and teaspoons vary too

Measure Common volume
US customary tablespoon 14.787 ml
Metric tablespoon 15 ml
Australian tablespoon 20 ml
US customary teaspoon 4.929 ml
Metric teaspoon 5 ml

This tool uses US customary values for teaspoons, tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts and gallons. For everyday cooking the difference between 14.787 ml and 15 ml is usually harmless; for baking, canning or strong flavourings, follow the standard named in the recipe.

Volume is not the same as weight

Millilitres, litres, teaspoons, tablespoons and cups measure volume. Grams and ounces measure weight. Water is close to 1 g per 1 ml, but flour, sugar, oil, honey and butter all have different densities. For dry baking ingredients, a kitchen scale is more reliable than converting cups by volume.

Use this converter for liquid and volume-to-volume recipe work. For ingredient weights, use a cups-to-grams converter or weigh the ingredient directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cup means a US customary cup, equal to 236.588 ml. Metric cups are usually 250 ml, and Japanese cooking cups are commonly 200 ml, so check the source of the recipe.

No. This page converts volume units only. Grams depend on the ingredient density, so flour, sugar, oil and honey need ingredient-specific conversions or a kitchen scale.

Not always. A metric tablespoon is 15 ml, a US customary tablespoon is about 14.787 ml, and an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml. The converter uses US customary values.

Use weight when precision matters, especially for flour and sugar. Volume is convenient for liquids and quick cooking, but dry ingredients can vary depending on how they are scooped or packed.

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