The quick conversions

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 14.79 ml (rounded to 15 ml in most recipes).

1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon = 4.93 ml (rounded to 5 ml).

1/2 tablespoon = 1 1/2 teaspoons = 7.4 ml.

2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons = 1 fluid ounce = 1/8 cup.

4 tablespoons = 12 teaspoons = 1/4 cup = 59 ml.

16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 1 cup = 237 ml.

Where the tablespoon is not 3 teaspoons

Australia: 1 metric tablespoon = 20 ml = 4 teaspoons. Australian recipes that call for a tablespoon of baking powder mean noticeably more than a US recipe does.

United Kingdom and Canada: 1 tablespoon = 15 ml = 3 teaspoons, so US recipes convert one-to-one in practice.

Most of Europe: recipes are usually written in grams and millilitres, not spoons, because weight is more repeatable than volume.

Why spoon measures go wrong

Cutlery is not a measure. A soup spoon from the drawer can hold anywhere between 7 and 25 ml, so 'a spoonful' of salt or yeast is not a repeatable amount.

Heaped versus level changes everything. A level teaspoon of baking soda is about 4.8 g; the same spoon heaped can hold nearly double. Recipes assume level unless they say otherwise.

Volume is not weight. A tablespoon of flour is roughly 8 g, a tablespoon of honey roughly 21 g. Never swap grams for spoons without a per-ingredient conversion.

Wet and dry behave differently. Level a dry spoon with the flat back of a knife; fill a wet spoon to the brim and pour immediately.

Spoon to grams for common ingredients

Water: 1 tbsp = 15 g. Milk: 1 tbsp = 15 g.

Granulated sugar: 1 tbsp = 12.5 g. Brown sugar (packed): 1 tbsp = 13.8 g.

All-purpose flour: 1 tbsp = 8 g. Cocoa powder: 1 tbsp = 5 g.

Table salt: 1 tsp = 6 g. Baking powder: 1 tsp = 4 g. Instant yeast: 1 tsp = 3.1 g.

Honey: 1 tbsp = 21 g. Olive oil: 1 tbsp = 13.5 g. Butter: 1 tbsp = 14.2 g.

The easier fix: one adjustable spoon

A drawer of loose spoons is where the errors come from — the 1/4 tsp goes missing, so people guess with the 1/2.

An adjustable measuring spoon slides through the whole range from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon on a single marked scale, so every measure comes from the same calibrated tool.

It also washes as one piece, which matters when you are measuring something sticky between two ingredients.

Kitchen Measures

How Many Teaspoons Are in a Tablespoon?

4 min readUpdated September 2026

One US tablespoon holds exactly 3 teaspoons. That means 1 tbsp = 3 tsp = about 14.8 ml, and 1 tsp = about 4.93 ml. The 3-to-1 rule holds for the US, the UK and Canada — Australia is the exception, where a tablespoon is 4 teaspoons.

The quick conversions

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 14.79 ml (rounded to 15 ml in most recipes).
1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon = 4.93 ml (rounded to 5 ml).
1/2 tablespoon = 1 1/2 teaspoons = 7.4 ml.
2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons = 1 fluid ounce = 1/8 cup.
4 tablespoons = 12 teaspoons = 1/4 cup = 59 ml.
16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 1 cup = 237 ml.

Where the tablespoon is not 3 teaspoons

Australia: 1 metric tablespoon = 20 ml = 4 teaspoons. Australian recipes that call for a tablespoon of baking powder mean noticeably more than a US recipe does.
United Kingdom and Canada: 1 tablespoon = 15 ml = 3 teaspoons, so US recipes convert one-to-one in practice.
Most of Europe: recipes are usually written in grams and millilitres, not spoons, because weight is more repeatable than volume.

Why spoon measures go wrong

Cutlery is not a measure. A soup spoon from the drawer can hold anywhere between 7 and 25 ml, so 'a spoonful' of salt or yeast is not a repeatable amount.
Heaped versus level changes everything. A level teaspoon of baking soda is about 4.8 g; the same spoon heaped can hold nearly double. Recipes assume level unless they say otherwise.
Volume is not weight. A tablespoon of flour is roughly 8 g, a tablespoon of honey roughly 21 g. Never swap grams for spoons without a per-ingredient conversion.
Wet and dry behave differently. Level a dry spoon with the flat back of a knife; fill a wet spoon to the brim and pour immediately.

Spoon to grams for common ingredients

Water: 1 tbsp = 15 g. Milk: 1 tbsp = 15 g.
Granulated sugar: 1 tbsp = 12.5 g. Brown sugar (packed): 1 tbsp = 13.8 g.
All-purpose flour: 1 tbsp = 8 g. Cocoa powder: 1 tbsp = 5 g.
Table salt: 1 tsp = 6 g. Baking powder: 1 tsp = 4 g. Instant yeast: 1 tsp = 3.1 g.
Honey: 1 tbsp = 21 g. Olive oil: 1 tbsp = 13.5 g. Butter: 1 tbsp = 14.2 g.

The easier fix: one adjustable spoon

A drawer of loose spoons is where the errors come from — the 1/4 tsp goes missing, so people guess with the 1/2.
An adjustable measuring spoon slides through the whole range from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon on a single marked scale, so every measure comes from the same calibrated tool.
It also washes as one piece, which matters when you are measuring something sticky between two ingredients.

Frequently asked

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

Three. One US tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, or about 14.8 ml.

How many teaspoons are in half a tablespoon?

One and a half teaspoons, which is about 7.4 ml.

Is an Australian tablespoon the same?

No. An Australian metric tablespoon is 20 ml, which is 4 teaspoons, not 3. UK and Canadian tablespoons are 15 ml like the US.

How many tablespoons are in a cup?

16 tablespoons make one US cup, which is 48 teaspoons or about 237 ml.

Can I use a regular cutlery spoon instead?

Not reliably. Cutlery holds anywhere from roughly 7 to 25 ml, so it is fine for stirring but not for baking, yeast, salt or spices.

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