Cooking Unit Converter — Cups, Tbsp, Tsp, ml, g, oz
Enter any cooking measurement and instantly see the equivalent in every common unit. The ingredient converter accounts for each ingredient's density, so you get accurate gram and cup conversions for flour, sugar, butter, water, milk, honey, and rice.
Volume Converter
Ingredient Weight ↔ Volume Converter
Density used: All-purpose flour = 125 g per cup (236.6 ml)
How it works
A brief history of volume units in cooking
The cup as a cooking measurement was standardized in the United States in 1896 by Fannie Farmer, who introduced level measurements in her Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Before that, recipes used vague instructions like 'a teacup' or 'a wine glass,' which varied by household. The US legal cup was eventually fixed at exactly 240 ml, though the US customary cup used in most recipes is 236.588 ml — a difference that rarely matters at home but becomes significant in industrial food production.
Outside the US, the metric system dominates. Most European, Asian, and Australian recipes specify milliliters or grams rather than cups. In Japan, the go (合, approximately 180 ml) is still used for rice and sake measurements, and in Australia the standard tablespoon is 20 ml rather than the 15 ml used in the US and UK. This tool uses US customary volume units (1 cup = 236.588 ml, 1 tbsp = 14.787 ml, 1 tsp = 4.929 ml) unless otherwise noted.
Why ingredient density matters for cooking conversions
Volume and weight are not interchangeable without knowing an ingredient's density. One cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 g, but one cup of honey weighs about 340 g — a difference of more than 2.5 times for the same volume. This is why baking recipes from professional sources often list ingredients by weight: 125 g of flour is unambiguous, while '1 cup' depends on how you scoop it. A scooped cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 110 g to 155 g depending on how packed it is.
The density values used in this tool are drawn from the USDA FoodData Central database and standard culinary references. For flour and powdered sugar, the values assume the ingredient has been spooned into the cup and leveled off, not scooped directly from the bag. Butter values assume it has been packed firmly. If your recipe specifies a different packing method, you may need to adjust by 5–10%.
Practical tips for measuring cooking ingredients accurately
For the most accurate results with dry ingredients, use a kitchen scale set to grams. Tare the scale with the bowl on it, then add the ingredient until you reach the target weight. This eliminates the scooping variability that makes cup measurements imprecise. A scale accurate to 1 g costs around $10–15 and will improve your baking consistency noticeably.
When you must use volume measures, follow the spoon-and-level method for flour and powdered sugar: use a spoon to fill the cup, then sweep a straight edge across the top. For liquids, use a clear measuring cup placed on a flat surface and read the measurement at eye level to avoid parallax error. Brown sugar should be firmly packed into the cup until it holds its shape when turned out — this is what 'packed' means in the ingredient density table above.
Frequently asked questions
›How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US customary cup (236.588 ml). Each tablespoon is 14.787 ml. So 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp = 8 fl oz.
›How do I convert grams to cups for flour?
The conversion depends on the type of flour. For all-purpose flour, 1 cup ≈ 125 g, so divide grams by 125 to get cups. For bread flour, divide by 127. Use the Ingredient Converter on this page to get exact figures for any quantity.
›How many ml is a tablespoon?
In the US and UK, 1 tablespoon = 14.787 ml. In Australia, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml. This tool uses the US/UK tablespoon. If you are following an Australian recipe, multiply tablespoons by 1.35 to convert to US tablespoons.
›How many grams is a cup of sugar?
1 cup of white granulated sugar = 200 g. 1 cup of packed brown sugar = 220 g. 1 cup of powdered (icing) sugar = 120 g. The lower weight of powdered sugar reflects its finer texture and more air trapped in the cup.
›How many cups is 100 grams of flour?
For all-purpose flour, 100 g ÷ 125 g/cup = 0.8 cups, which is approximately 12.8 tablespoons or about ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon. Use the Ingredient Converter above for precise results.
›How do I convert fluid ounces to ml?
1 US fluid ounce = 29.574 ml. Multiply fluid ounces by 29.574 to get milliliters. For example, 8 fl oz = 236.59 ml ≈ 1 cup. Note that a US fluid ounce is slightly different from a UK fluid ounce (28.413 ml); this tool uses the US value.
›How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
There are exactly 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon in both the US and UK measurement systems. So 1 cup = 48 teaspoons, and 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 14.787 ml.
›Why do weight-to-cup conversions differ between ingredients?
Because each ingredient has a different density — the mass packed into the same volume differs. Water is 237 g/cup, honey is 340 g/cup, and powdered sugar is only 120 g/cup. A kitchen scale and gram weights are the most reliable way to ensure recipe accuracy across different ingredients.
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