US tablespoons to US teaspoons converter

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

Three. Multiply US tablespoons by 3: tsp = tbsp × 3, so 2 tbsp = 6 tsp and ½ tbsp = 1½ tsp. The 3-to-1 ratio holds for US measuring spoons and for 15 mL metric spoons. An Australian tablespoon is 20 mL and holds 4 teaspoons.

Why the ratio is exactly 3

US customary measures define the teaspoon as one third of a tablespoon, and the tablespoon as half a US fluid ounce. In milliliters, a US tablespoon is 14.78676478125 mL and a US teaspoon 4.92892159375 mL (NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C).

Metric spoons are 15 mL and 5 mL. Each is 1.4% larger than its US counterpart, about 0.2 mL per tablespoon, and the ratio is still 3.

Tablespoons to teaspoons chart

A quarter tablespoon is 0.75 tsp, which you can measure with a ½ tsp and a ¼ tsp spoon.

Cutting a recipe down

Teaspoons take over when a smaller batch leaves less than a tablespoon:

• Half of 1 tbsp is 1½ tsp.
• A third of 2 tbsp is 2 tsp.
• A quarter of 3 tbsp is 2¼ tsp.

For a tablespoon plus extra teaspoons, convert the tablespoons and add: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp = 4 tsp, and 2 tbsp + ½ tsp = 6½ tsp.

Australian tablespoons hold 4 teaspoons

Australian recipes use a 20 mL tablespoon with a 5 mL teaspoon, as in the NSW cooking-measure reference. There, 1 tbsp is 4 tsp, and 2 tbsp is 8 tsp (40 mL). Measuring 6 tsp for those 2 tbsp leaves the recipe 25% short.

Common mistakes

• Confusing T and t. In US recipes, a capital T (or Tbsp) is a tablespoon and a lowercase t (or tsp) a teaspoon. Swapping them triples the amount or cuts it to a third.
• Heaping the spoon. Measuring spoons are filled level. A heaped spoon or a piece of cutlery has no fixed volume.
• Expecting the count to change by ingredient. 1 tbsp is 3 tsp of salt, honey or oil alike; only the weight differs.

Related conversions

The teaspoons to tablespoons converter goes the other way, and the tablespoons to mL converter gives milliliters. For weights, such as grams of butter per tablespoon, use the cooking converter.