Cooking Converter

Cooking Converter

Instantly convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, milliliters, liters, grams, ounces, and pounds for cooking and baking. This converter bridges US customary, metric, and UK Imperial measurements so you can follow any recipe from any country with accuracy -- whether it calls for 250 mL of milk, 200 g of flour, or 3/4 cup of sugar.

How Cooking Conversion Works

Cooking measurements fall into two categories: volume and weight. Volume-to-volume conversions use fixed ratios regardless of ingredient.

Volume ratios -- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 236.59 mL. These ratios are exact within each measurement system and do not depend on what is being measured.

Volume-to-weight conversions -- because density varies by ingredient, 1 cup of flour does not weigh the same as 1 cup of sugar. The formula is: Weight (g) = Volume (mL) x Density (g/mL). Water has a density of 1.0 g/mL (1 cup = 240 g), all-purpose flour is about 0.53 g/mL (1 cup = 125 g), and granulated sugar is about 0.85 g/mL (1 cup = 200 g).

US vs. metric recipe differences -- US cups are 236.59 mL; Australian cups are 250 mL (about 5.7% larger). UK pints are 568 mL vs. US pints at 473 mL -- a 20% difference that can significantly affect liquid-heavy recipes.

Worked Examples

Example 1 -- European baking recipe. A French brioche recipe calls for 500 g flour, 100 g sugar, 250 mL milk, and 200 g butter. A US baker without a scale needs cup equivalents: 500 g flour = 4 cups (500 / 125), 100 g sugar = 1/2 cup (100 / 200), 250 mL milk = 1 cup + 1 tablespoon, 200 g butter = 7/8 cup or 14 tablespoons. Using the weight measurements is more accurate -- but knowing the cup equivalents makes it workable.

Example 2 -- Scaling a cookie recipe. A chocolate chip cookie recipe makes 24 cookies using 2 1/4 cups (281 g) flour, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, and 2 sticks (226 g) butter. To make 36 cookies, multiply by 36/24 = 1.5. New amounts: 421 g flour (about 3 1/3 cups), 300 g sugar (1 1/2 cups), 339 g butter (3 sticks). Converting to grams first makes the scaling math exact and eliminates fractional cup measurements.

Example 3 -- Liquid medication conversion. A recipe for homemade electrolyte drink calls for 1/4 teaspoon of salt (about 1.5 g) and 2 tablespoons of honey (about 42 g or 30 mL) per 500 mL water. Converting the honey: 2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons = 29.57 mL -- close enough to 30 mL that either measurement works. The salt at 1/4 teaspoon = 1.23 mL -- measuring by weight (1.5 g) is more consistent than by volume for small amounts.

Volume Conversion Reference

Ingredient Weight Reference (per 1 US cup)

When to Use

• Following a European recipe that uses grams and milliliters when your kitchen measures in cups and ounces.
• Scaling a recipe up or down and needing precise ingredient weights to avoid fractional tablespoon measurements.
• Halving a baking recipe where cup fractions get awkward (1/3 of 3/4 cup is easier as grams: 83 g instead of 1/4 cup).
• Converting a US recipe to metric for a friend or colleague in another country who uses grams and liters.
• Measuring small amounts (under 1 teaspoon) where weight in grams is more reliable than volume for precision.

Common Mistakes

1. Scooping flour directly with the measuring cup. Scooping packs flour in by 20-30%, turning a 125 g cup into a 150-160 g cup. This extra flour makes baked goods dry and dense. Spoon flour into the cup and level it with a flat edge, or better yet weigh it.
2. Using US measurements for UK or Australian recipes without adjusting. An Australian recipe using 1 cup (250 mL) will be 5.7% short if made with a US 236.59 mL cup. For most recipes this is negligible, but a large batch can drift noticeably -- a 4-cup recipe would be 54 mL short, roughly 3.5 tablespoons.
3. Assuming tablespoon sizes are universal. US tablespoons are 14.79 mL, Australian tablespoons are 20 mL, and UK tablespoons vary. An Australian recipe calling for 4 tablespoons of butter uses 80 mL, not 59 mL. Always check which country a recipe comes from before using tablespoon measurements.
4. Scaling baking time linearly with recipe size. Doubling a cake recipe does not double baking time. A larger volume of batter heats more slowly in the center -- expect to increase time by 25-30% and check doneness with a toothpick rather than relying on the original time.

Quick Reference Benchmarks

A few measurements worth memorizing to quickly sanity-check conversions in the kitchen:

• 1 stick of butter (US) = 1/2 cup = 113 g = 8 tablespoons
• 1 cup water = 240 g = 240 mL (density of water is 1 g/mL)
• 1 pound = 453.6 g -- so a 2-pound bag of flour is about 907 g or roughly 7.25 cups
• 1 liter = 4.23 US cups (useful when a recipe calls for 1 L of milk)
• 1 ounce (weight) = 28.35 g -- a 16 oz block of butter is 453 g = 2 cups = 4 sticks

Tips

1. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife rather than scooping -- this single change is the most impactful accuracy improvement for home bakers.
2. When a European recipe calls for 250 mL of liquid, use 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (236.59 + 14.79 = 251.38 mL) as a close-enough substitute.
3. Invest in a digital kitchen scale that reads in 1-gram increments -- a good one costs under $15 and eliminates nearly all volume-to-weight ambiguity.
4. For odd scaling fractions, convert to grams first: scaling 3/4 cup of flour (94 g) by 1.5 gives 141 g, which is easier to measure than 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.
5. Brown sugar compresses differently each time it is scooped. Measuring by weight (220 g per cup equivalent) removes all variability from packing.
6. Remember the key chain: 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon, 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup, 16 tablespoons = 1 cup, 2 cups = 1 pint, 4 cups = 1 quart, 16 cups = 1 gallon.