How many teaspoons in a tablespoon

3 teaspoons make 1 tbsp: type teaspoons, get tablespoons and the spoons to fill.

3 tsp

1 tbsp

1 tbsp×1

US cup of 236.6 mL

How this is measured

Exact by definition: 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz = 236.5882365 mL; 1 tbsp = 1/16 cup, 1 tsp = 1/48 cup. Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C.

How many teaspoons in a tablespoon

A tablespoon is 3 tsp, exactly: 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons. NIST Handbook 44 defines the US tablespoon as 3 teaspoons and ½ fluid ounce, so 3 teaspoons make 1 tbsp. To convert, divide the teaspoons by 3: 6 teaspoons are 2 tbsp, 1½ teaspoons are 0.5 tbsp.

Both spoons measure volume, so the 3 to 1 holds for dry ingredients and liquids alike, salt, vanilla, baking powder or oil, and the converter asks for no ingredient.

Teaspoons to tablespoons chart

US customary: 3 tsp to the tablespoon, 48 to the cup. Australian: 4 tsp of 5 mL to the 20 mL tablespoon.

Teaspoons to tablespoons, US and Australian
Teaspoons	US tablespoons	Measure to fill	Milliliters (US)	Australian tablespoons
¼ tsp	0.0833 tbsp	¼ tsp	1.23 mL	0.0625 tbsp
½ tsp	0.167 tbsp	½ tsp	2.46 mL	⅛ tbsp
¾ tsp	¼ tbsp	½ tsp + ¼ tsp	3.7 mL	0.188 tbsp
1 tsp	⅓ tbsp	1 tsp	4.93 mL	¼ tbsp
1½ tsp	½ tbsp	1 tsp + ½ tsp	7.39 mL	⅜ tbsp
2 tsp	⅔ tbsp	2 tsp	9.86 mL	½ tbsp
3 tsp	1 tbsp	1 tbsp	14.79 mL	¾ tbsp
4 tsp	1⅓ tbsp	1 tbsp + 1 tsp	19.72 mL	1 tbsp
5 tsp	1⅔ tbsp	1 tbsp + 2 tsp	24.64 mL	1¼ tbsp
6 tsp	2 tbsp	2 tbsp	29.57 mL	1½ tbsp
8 tsp	2⅔ tbsp	2 tbsp + 2 tsp	39.43 mL	2 tbsp
9 tsp	3 tbsp	3 tbsp	44.36 mL	2¼ tbsp
12 tsp	4 tbsp	¼ cup	59.15 mL	3 tbsp
18 tsp	6 tbsp	¼ cup + 2 tbsp	88.72 mL	4½ tbsp
24 tsp	8 tbsp	½ cup	118.3 mL	6 tbsp
48 tsp	16 tbsp	1 cup	236.6 mL	12 tbsp

Amounts that don't divide by 3

Four teaspoons are 1.33 tbsp, measured as 1 tbsp + 1 tsp. Two teaspoons are 0.667 tbsp: two level teaspoons are simpler to measure than a fraction of a tablespoon. The answer card gives the spoons to fill for any amount you type.

Half and quarter spoons

½ tablespoon is 1.5 tsp, so it is bigger than 1 teaspoon. ¼ tablespoon is 0.75 tsp, and ½ teaspoon is 0.167 tbsp. Use a ½ or ¼ teaspoon measure if you have one rather than splitting a tablespoon by eye.

No tablespoon measure?

When a recipe calls for a tablespoon and the set has none, three level teaspoons replace it, so a teaspoon alone can measure any spoon amount: 2 tablespoons are 6 tsp, 3 tablespoons 9 tsp. From about a quarter cup up, a cup measure is quicker: ¼ cup is 12 tsp.

How to measure teaspoons and tablespoons

Use a measuring spoon, not a spoon from the cutlery drawer: only the measuring spoon is made to the teaspoon and tablespoon sizes. For liquids, fill the spoon to the brim. For dry measurements such as flour, cocoa or baking powder, fill the spoon and level it flat with a straight edge, the way King Arthur Baking levels a cup; a heaped spoon holds more and no source gives a fixed amount for it. That is how the spoon amounts in cooking and baking recipes are meant.

Metric measurements: teaspoons and tablespoons in mL

A US teaspoon is 4.93 mL and a US tablespoon 14.79 mL; NIST Handbook 44 rounds them to 5 mL and 15 mL. US nutrition labels (21 CFR 101.9) and the metric spoons NIST Special Publication 430 proposes use 5 mL and 15 mL outright. The 3 to 1 ratio is the same in all of them. The Australian tablespoon is the exception: it holds 20 mL, four 5 mL teaspoons, so 8 teaspoons make 2 tbsp there. Pick "Australian" under "Cups and spoons" for Australian recipes.

Up to a cup

A cup is 16 tbsp or 48 tsp: 48 teaspoons are 1 cup. For cup amounts use cups to tablespoons or tablespoons to cups.

Teaspoons of an ingredient in grams

A teaspoon's weight depends on what is in it: 6 grams of table salt, 4.13 grams of granulated sugar, 2.5 grams of all-purpose flour. For grams use tablespoons to grams.

Questions

Are 3 teaspoons equal to 1 tablespoon?

Yes, exactly: 3 teaspoons are 1 tbsp.

Is 4 tsp the same as 1 tablespoon?

Not in US measure: 4 teaspoons are 1.33 tbsp, a teaspoon more than a US tablespoon. In Australia, yes: the Australian tablespoon holds 20 mL, four teaspoons, so 4 teaspoons are 1 tbsp.

Does 2 teaspoons make up 1 tablespoon?

No, 2 teaspoons are 0.667 tbsp. You need a third.

Which is larger, ½ tablespoon or 1 teaspoon?

½ tablespoon: it is 1.5 tsp.

How many teaspoons are in ¼ tablespoon?

0.75 tsp.

How many tablespoons are in ½ teaspoon?

0.167 tbsp.

Is a tablespoon of flour still 3 teaspoons?

Yes: the 3 to 1 is volume, the same for water, flour or salt. What changes is the weight: a tablespoon holds 14.76 grams of water but 7.5 grams of all-purpose flour.

How many teaspoons are in 2 tablespoons?

6 tsp, which is 1 fl oz.

Sources

21 CFR 101.9 (US nutrition labeling)
America's Test Kitchen baking conversion chart
America's Test Kitchen, Baking Basics: Measuring Ingredients
King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart
King Arthur Baking, How to measure flour
NIST Chemistry WebBook (Standard Reference Database 69), water
NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C
NIST Special Publication 430, Household Weights and Measures
Weights and Measures Act 1985 (UK), Schedule 1