How Many Teaspoons in a Cup? (48 Teaspoons)

Where do these numbers come from?

Checked Oct 23, 2026. 1 US cup is exactly 236.5882365 mL (NIST SP 811), so 250 mL = 1.057 cups.

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Shaped dough resting under a dusting of flour — Weigh once, bake the same loaf every time. Photos: Tijana Drinic, Diego Arenas de Rodrigo, Vicky Ng / Unsplash.

Two loaves proofing in floured cane baskets — Weigh once, bake the same loaf every time. Photos: Tijana Drinic, Diego Arenas de Rodrigo, Vicky Ng / Unsplash.

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Cups to teaspoons and tablespoons

Cups	Teaspoons	Tablespoons	mL
1/8	6	2	29.6
1/4	12	4	59.1
1/3	16	5.33	78.9
1/2	24	8	118.3
2/3	32	10.67	157.7
3/4	36	12	177.4
1	48	16	236.6

The math

A cup holds 16 tablespoons, and each tablespoon holds 3 teaspoons, so 16 × 3 = 48 teaspoons per cup. Working the other way, one teaspoon is 1/48 of a cup, or about 4.9 mL.

When you would actually use this

It is handy for scaling small amounts. If a recipe makes a cup of spice blend and you want just a few teaspoons, each teaspoon is 1/48 of the batch. If you need 1/3 cup and only have measuring spoons, that is 16 teaspoons or 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. For dry ingredients by weight, see the grams to cups converter.

Definitions: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (US customary liquid volume). US units; UK imperial pints, quarts and gallons are about 20% larger.

Frequently asked questions

How many teaspoons in a cup?

48 teaspoons in a US cup.

How many teaspoons in 1/4 cup?

12 teaspoons (4 tablespoons).

How many teaspoons in 1/3 cup?

16 teaspoons (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon).

How many teaspoons in 1/2 cup?

24 teaspoons (8 tablespoons).

How many teaspoons are in a cup?