Cooking Converter
Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ml and more.
How to use Cooking Converter
Select Your Source Unit
Click the 'From' dropdown menu on the left side. Choose your current measurement unit (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ml, liters, ounces, grams, or pounds). The dropdown displays all 12+ supported cooking units.
Enter Your Measurement Amount
Type the numerical value in the 'Amount' input field below the 'From' dropdown. For example, enter '2' to convert 2 cups. The field accepts decimals (1.5) and whole numbers.
Choose Your Target Unit
Click the 'To' dropdown menu on the right side. Select the unit you want to convert to (ml, tablespoons, grams, etc.). Your conversion appears instantly in the 'Result' field below.
Copy or Use Your Result
View the converted measurement in the 'Result' display box. Click the copy icon button next to the result to copy it to your clipboard, or manually note the conversion value.
Related Tools
Cooking measurement converter: convert cups, grams, ounces, and more
Cooking measurement converter: convert cups, grams, ounces, and more
Need to convert tablespoons to cups, grams to ounces, or cups to milliliters? Use the free cooking measurement converter on ToolHQ to convert between any cooking unit instantly, with no account or sign-up required.
The cooking converter handles volume units (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, liters) and weight units (grams, kilograms, ounces, pounds) used in cooking and baking recipes from any country.
No data is stored or transmitted. All conversions happen in your browser.
Key Takeaways
- Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces, grams, and milliliters instantly
- Volume and weight units behave differently: 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar weigh different amounts
- US cups (240ml) and UK/Australian cups (250ml) are not the same
- Baking benefits from weight measurements (grams) over volume for precision
- No data stored or transmitted; no account required
Volume vs weight: the core problem with recipe conversions
Most recipe confusion comes from one underlying issue: volume and weight are not interchangeable for most ingredients, and different countries mix them up in different ways.
A cup is a volume measurement. It measures how much space an ingredient takes up. But ingredients differ in density: a cup of flour and a cup of sugar contain different amounts of actual material by weight. This is why "1 cup of flour" and "1 cup of sugar" weigh different amounts in grams.
According to Wikipedia's cooking weights and measures article, the metric system uses mass (grams, kilograms) for dry ingredients and volume (milliliters, liters) for liquids. The US customary system uses volume for both (cups, tablespoons, fluid ounces), which is why US recipes are harder to scale with precision.
For baking especially, weight measurements (grams) produce more reliable results than volume. A cup of flour packed tightly and a cup sifted loosely can differ by 30% in mass. That difference can meaningfully affect the texture of baked goods. Professional and European recipes use grams for this reason.
The USDA's food measurement reference notes that the standard US cup is exactly 240 milliliters (8 fluid ounces). This matters because Australian and UK recipes use a 250ml cup, making international recipe conversions non-trivial.
Common cooking unit conversions
Volume unit reference table
| From | To | Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | milliliters | 4.93 ml |
| 1 tablespoon | teaspoons | 3 tsp |
| 1 tablespoon | milliliters | 14.79 ml |
| 1 fluid ounce | tablespoons | 2 tbsp |
| 1 cup | tablespoons | 16 tbsp |
| 1 cup | fluid ounces | 8 fl oz |
| 1 cup | milliliters | 240 ml |
| 1 pint | cups | 2 cups |
| 1 quart | pints | 2 pints |
| 1 gallon | quarts | 4 quarts |
| 1 liter | milliliters | 1,000 ml |
| 1 liter | cups | 4.23 cups |
Weight unit reference table
| From | To | Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ounce | grams | 28.35 g |
| 1 pound | ounces | 16 oz |
| 1 pound | grams | 453.6 g |
| 1 kilogram | pounds | 2.205 lb |
| 1 kilogram | grams | 1,000 g |
Common ingredient weight per cup
Different ingredients have very different densities. Here are approximate weights per US cup (240ml) for common baking and cooking ingredients:
| Ingredient | Approx. grams per cup |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour (sifted) | 120 g |
| All-purpose flour (unsifted) | 150 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g |
| Powdered sugar (sifted) | 100 g |
| Butter | 227 g |
| Whole milk | 244 g |
| Olive oil | 215 g |
| Rice (uncooked) | 185 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g |
| Honey | 340 g |
Note that these are averages. Actual weights vary by brand, humidity, altitude, and how tightly you pack the ingredient. For best baking precision, weigh ingredients directly.
When you need a cooking converter
Following an international recipe. A UK or Australian recipe in cups will produce different results in the US because their cup size (250ml) differs from the US cup (240ml). Converting to milliliters or grams resolves the ambiguity.
Scaling a recipe up or down. Doubling a recipe is straightforward for most units, but scaling from 4 servings to 7 is where a converter saves time: fractions of cups become precise tablespoon counts.
Using a metric kitchen scale. Many home cooks and bakers use digital kitchen scales, which weigh in grams. If your recipe uses cups and tablespoons, converting to grams before measuring gives you more precision.
Converting between liquid and dry measures. Fluid ounces and weight ounces are not the same. A fluid ounce of water weighs approximately one weight ounce, but a fluid ounce of honey weighs considerably more. The converter handles both without confusion.
Matching restaurant or commercial recipes. Professional kitchen recipes often use weight (grams or ounces) because it is more consistent. Converting home recipe volumes to weights brings them closer to professional precision.
Take Chen, a home baker who loved trying recipes from international food blogs. He noticed his results were inconsistent when following recipes from the UK. After researching, he realized the recipes used 250ml cups while his measuring cups were the US 240ml standard. The 4% difference compounded across multiple ingredients in a cake recipe, affecting the final texture. He started converting all UK recipes to grams using the cooking converter before baking, and his results became consistently closer to the intended outcome.
Convert your cooking measurements now
How to use the ToolHQ cooking converter
Converting a cooking measurement takes a few seconds.
- Enter the value you want to convert. Type the number of cups, tablespoons, grams, or any other unit.
- Select the input unit. Choose the unit you are converting from.
- Select the output unit. Choose the unit you want to convert to.
- Read the result. The converted value appears instantly.
No data is stored or transmitted. No account is needed.
For related converters, the unit converter handles non-cooking measurements including length, area, and data. The volume converter focuses on liquid volumes specifically. The weight converter handles mass conversions in more detail. For temperature, the temperature converter converts between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.
US vs metric vs imperial: three systems in one kitchen
Most recipe confusion traces back to three measurement systems existing simultaneously in cookbooks and online recipes.
US customary. Uses cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, and gallons for volume. Uses pounds and ounces for weight. Used in American cookbooks and most US recipe sites.
Imperial. Similar to US customary but with different sizes for some units. The UK gallon is 20% larger than the US gallon. UK pints differ from US pints. Most modern UK recipes have shifted to metric, but older British cookbooks use imperial.
Metric. Uses milliliters and liters for volume, grams and kilograms for weight. Used in European, Australian, and scientific cooking. The globally dominant measurement system.
| Unit | US | UK/Imperial | Metric equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 240 ml | 250 ml (Australia) | 240 ml |
| 1 pint | 473 ml | 568 ml | 473 ml |
| 1 gallon | 3,785 ml | 4,546 ml | 3,785 ml |
When a recipe specifies "cups" without indicating US or Australian, check the recipe's country of origin. Australian cooking sites use 250ml cups; US sites use 240ml. The 4% difference is negligible for most recipes but can accumulate in baking.
Sarah was developing her first cookbook. She had been testing recipes in her home kitchen using US measurements but wanted to include metric equivalents for international readers. She ran every volume measurement through the cooking converter and added gram weights alongside cup measures. She discovered in the process that her flour quantities were inconsistent: she had been measuring by scooping, which packs the cup and adds 25-30% more flour than the standard 120g. She switched to spooning flour into the measuring cup and her test results became reliable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a fluid ounce and a weight ounce?
A fluid ounce measures volume: how much liquid space. A weight ounce measures mass. One fluid ounce of water weighs approximately one weight ounce, but most other liquids differ. Always check whether a recipe means fluid ounces (volume) or weight ounces (mass) when it specifies "ounces."
How many grams is a cup of flour?
Approximately 120-150 grams depending on how the flour is measured. Sifted and spooned flour is about 120g per cup. Scooped directly from the bag, a cup can be 150g or more. For baking precision, weigh flour by grams rather than measuring by volume.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
16 tablespoons equal 1 US cup. 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons and approximately 15 milliliters.
Are US and Australian cups the same size?
No. A US cup is 240 milliliters. An Australian cup is 250 milliliters. The difference is small for most recipes but compounds when multiple cups of an ingredient are involved.
Why do professional bakers use grams instead of cups?
Grams (mass measurement) are more precise and reproducible than cups (volume measurement). A cup of flour can vary by 20-30% in mass depending on how it is measured. Grams eliminate that variable, making recipes more consistent across different kitchens and cooks.
The short version
Cooking measurements mix three different systems (US customary, imperial, and metric) and confuse volume with weight. The cooking converter handles all unit combinations in one place, from tablespoons to milliliters to grams.
Use weight (grams) for baking precision. Use volume for everyday cooking where small variations do not matter. Convert between systems whenever you cross between US, UK, or metric recipes.
Convert your cooking measurements now
For non-cooking unit conversions, the unit converter covers length, area, data, and more. For temperature in recipes (oven settings), the temperature converter converts Fahrenheit to Celsius.