Cooking Converter
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What Your Result Means
- Converted amount: The equivalent volume in your target unit, calculated by routing through milliliters as the common base. Results are displayed to three decimal places for precision.
- US customary volumes: This converter uses US definitions: 1 cup = 236.588 mL, 1 pint = 473.176 mL, 1 quart = 946.353 mL, 1 gallon = 3,785.41 mL. UK imperial pints and gallons are roughly 20% larger.
- Small-unit precision: For teaspoons and tablespoons, even small rounding differences can matter in baking. The three-decimal display helps you measure accurately.
How This Calculator Works
You enter an amount, select the source unit, and select the target unit. The tool converts the input amount to milliliters using a fixed factor (e.g., 1 tsp = 4.929 mL), then divides by the target unit's milliliter factor. This two-step approach through a common base unit keeps conversions consistent and avoids compounding rounding errors across unit pairs.
Quick Questions
Is a US cup the same as a metric cup?
No. A US customary cup is 236.588 mL, while a metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries) is exactly 250 mL. This converter uses US cups. If your recipe uses metric cups, select milliliters and enter 250 per cup.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 US tablespoons in 1 US cup. Enter 1 cup as the source and tablespoons as the target to see this — the result will be 16.000.
Why is my UK recipe coming out wrong?
UK imperial pints and gallons are larger than US ones. A UK pint is 568.261 mL versus the US pint of 473.176 mL. This converter uses US customary units only. For UK recipes, convert using milliliters or liters as the bridge.
Can I use this for dry ingredients?
This converter handles volume, not weight. Dry ingredients like flour and sugar have different densities, so 1 cup of flour weighs much less than 1 cup of sugar. For dry ingredients, a kitchen scale and weight-based conversions are more accurate.
Sources
- NIST — SI Units (milliliter and liter definitions)
- NIST — US Customary to Metric Conversions (official US volume equivalences)
Method & review
Estimate only. Results reflect your inputs and standard formulas. Double-check important decisions independently.