You find a great recipe online, and it is in cups while your kitchen scale is in grams. Or the oven temperature is in Fahrenheit and yours is in Celsius. This cheat sheet covers the conversions that come up most often. Bookmark it for the next time you cook.
Volume conversions (US measures)
| Measure | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | about 5 ml |
| 1 tablespoon | 3 teaspoons, about 15 ml |
| 1 fluid ounce | 2 tablespoons, about 30 ml |
| 1 cup | 16 tablespoons, about 237 ml |
| 1 pint | 2 cups, about 473 ml |
| 1 quart | 4 cups, about 946 ml |
| 1 gallon | 16 cups, about 3.8 litres |
Cups to grams for common ingredients
A cup holds different weights depending on the ingredient. These are approximate:
- Plain flour: about 120 g
- Granulated sugar: about 200 g
- Brown sugar (packed): about 210 g
- Butter: about 227 g (1 stick is 113 g)
- Rice (uncooked): about 185 g
- Water or milk: about 240 g
Oven temperatures
| Fahrenheit | Celsius (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 300°F | 150°C |
| 325°F | 160°C |
| 350°F | 180°C |
| 375°F | 190°C |
| 400°F | 200°C |
| 425°F | 220°C |
Recipes round these numbers, so use the closest setting your oven offers. Fan ovens often need about 20°C (25°F) lower.
Watch out for different cup sizes
A US cup is about 237 ml, while a metric cup used in the UK, Australia and elsewhere is 250 ml. A tablespoon is about 15 ml in the US and metric countries, but 20 ml in Australia. For baking, weighing ingredients in grams is more reliable than measuring by volume.
Tips for accurate measuring
- Spoon flour into the cup and level it off. Scooping packs it down and can add noticeably more flour than the recipe intends.
- Use a clear jug for liquids and read it at eye level.
- Use a kitchen scale for baking whenever you can.
For any other conversion, use our free Unit Converter, which includes cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and temperature.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
Four tablespoons.
Why is my cake dense when I follow a US recipe?
Often it is measuring: too much flour from scooping, or a different cup size. Weighing fixes both.
This guide is for general information only. See our disclaimer.