How many tablespoons in ⅓ Cup? Learn here how to convert tablespoons to ⅓ cup or ⅓ cup to tablespoons plus an easy conversion chart.
When cooking, the question how many tablespoons are in ⅓ cup arises often, especially in kitchens across the United States which follow the imperial system. The answer is 16 teaspoons are in a ⅓ of a cup, or rather 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon.
This measurement, based on the United States standard measuring system, can influence the accuracy with which certain ingredients are measured for recipes.
In this article, I will share how to convert, provide some practical examples and explore both dry and wet conversions. You might also benefit from learning there are 6 tablespoons in a cup, and from my other related conversion articles including how many tablespoon in ⅔ cups?, and What is Half of ¼ Cups, ⅓ Cups and ¾ Cups?
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Tablespoons in ⅓ Cup?
The answer, 5 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon in ⅓ a cup, isn't easy for cooks to measure in decimal form. A digital kitchen scale will not measure volume. So we have to convert the 0.33 tablespoons using another tablespoon conversion. Reversing this conversion, How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?, we have the answer. There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. So 0.33 tablespoons is 1 teaspoon. Therefore, ⅓ cup equals 16 teaspoons but also equals 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon.
Tablespoons & Cups Defined
A tablespoon (tbsp) is a small spoon used to measure small measurements of wet or dry ingredients like vanilla extract equivalent to 0.5 fluid ounces or 15 ml.
A cup (c) is a well-used kitchen measuring container that can hold wet or dry ingredients that are equal 8 fluid ounces or 8 dry ounces, or 237 ml.
Mathematical Breakdown
Here's a breakdown of how this conversion works for ⅓ cup into tablespoons:
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
⅓ cup = (⅓) x 8 tablespoons
⅓ cup = 5 and ⅓ tablespoons = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
This conversion applies to both liquid and dry ingredients in the US customary system of measurement. Having this conversion knowledge at your fingertips ensures you can follow recipes accurately and make adjustments as needed.
Practical Examples
Imagine you're making green olive tapenade but you want to increase the recipe and thus require ⅓ cup of lemon juice. But you only have a tablespoon measuring tool. You don't have a ⅓ cup. So to find out how many tablespoons you need, you would calculate:
⅓ cup × 8 tablespoons per cup = 5 and ⅓ tablespoons
So, you would need 5 and ⅓ tablespoons of lemon juice for your olive tapenade. Since there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, then ⅓ tablespoon is 1 teaspoon.
So you would need 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Common Conversions tablespoon to ⅓ Cup
Flour: Dry ingredients such as ⅓ cup of flour is equivalent to 5 and ⅓ tablespoons, or 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoons.
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Water: For liquid ingredients like water, ⅓ cup converts to 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoons.
Butter: 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoons of butter are equivalent to ⅓ cup even with semi-wet ingredient such as butter.
📌Chart of Tablespoons to Cups
To illustrate the relationship between tablespoons and cups, here is a handy chart.
| tablespoons | cups |
|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | ⅛ cup |
| 4 tbsp | ¼ cup |
| 5.33 tbsp | ⅓ cup |
| 8 tbsp | ½ cup |
| 10.67 tbsp | ⅔ cup |
| 12 tbsp | ¾ cup |
| 16 tbsp | 1 cup |
Conversion to Metric Measurements
Outside of the United States, countries use the metric system, not the imperial used by the USA. So you should check the country of origin for any recipe before beginning. Here are some conversions between cups, tablespoons, ounces and the metric system's milliliters.
1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 8 fluid ounces = 237 ml
¾ cup = 12 tablespoons = 6 fluid ounces = 177 ml
⅔ cup = 10.67 tablespoons = 5.33 fluid ounces = 157 ml
½ cup = 8 tablespoons = 4 fluid ounces = 118 ml
⅓ cup = 5.33 tablespoons = 2.66 fluid ounces = 78.66 ml
¼ cup = 4 tablespoons = 2 fluid ounces = 59 ml
Measuring Equipment
You'll need the proper kitchen measuring tools to measure ingredients accurately for your recipes. Here are my favorites!
Measuring Cups For Liquid Ingredients
- I love this adjustable measuring cup for semi-wet, sticky ingredients.
- 3-piece glass measuring cup set, microwave-safe, best for melting chocolate
- Glass measuring beaker, fun for coffees and shots and making pretend your kitchen is a laboratory.
Measuring Cups & Spoons For Dry Ingredients
- Favorite stainless steel measuring cups and spoons.
- Dark measuring spoons and cups.
- Gold measuring spoons to be fancy.
📌Free Kitchen Measuring Conversion Chart
Download my free kitchen measuring conversion chart and either post it on your refrigerator or laminate it and add it to your recipe notebook. It can be a handy reference when you want to convert measurements to adjust a recipe, both imperial or metric.
FAQS
A ⅓ cup equals 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon.
A ⅓ cup is equal to ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp
A ⅓ cup is equal to ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp
More Cooking Conversion Resources
If you found this cooking conversion article helpful, you might also like some of my other measurement posts including how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, how many tablespoons in ¼ cup, and even my Celsius and Fahrenheit conversion chart and explainer.
Also, if you visit any other articles or recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review on a recipe or a 📝 comment here if you have thoughts or questions.
Amy Reichardt says
This provides two different measures for a third of a cup: both 10 tablespoons and a teaspoon and 5 tablespoons and a teaspoon. I’m makes no sense.
Dee Dine says
So sorry, I corrected the place where I swapped words! Thanks for letting me know! Dee xx