Wondering how many ounces in a cup of water? Or converting tablespoons and teaspoons to cups and fluid ounces versus dry ounces? Use this handy measurement chart for cooking recipes. It is your quick guide to liquid measurements and dry measurement conversions.
Equipment for measuring
When determining how many cups in an ounce the proper kitchen tools are needed. There are three different tools needed for measuring dry and liquid ingredients; dry measuring cups, liquid measuring cups, and measuring spoons.
- Granulated Measuring Cups are used for dry ingredients as they can be leveled off for an exact measurement. Make sure to sift flours as needed before using for the best measurement. Flour is already sifted before it is packaged, but it tends to settle during shipping and may become compact. I don’t always add that step in my recipes since most flours are already sifted before they are packaged, but for the best results make sure to sift it first then measure. Either shake on the measuring cup or level off with the flat part of a butter knife for an accurate result, and make sure to never pack down flour.
- Liquid Measuring Cups are used for fluid and liquid ingredients. They come in glass or plastic and indicates cups, ounces, and milliliters. I love to use my large pyrex one as a mixing bowl or for measuring the amount of soup a recipe makes and then store it in the same container.
- Measuring Spoons are used for tablespoons and teaspoons.
What is an ounce?
An ounce is a unit that measures mass, weight, or volume. It is a universal scale widely used in American Imperial System and British Metric System. The abbreviation “oz” comes from Italian and Spanish word “Onza.” There are two forms for measuring ounces; dry ounce and the fluid ounce. Let’s dive into how that works with butters and oil, then the formula for liquid fluid ounces and dry weight ounces.
Butter and Coconut Oil
Many baking recipes use coconut oil or butter, so how do we properly measure butter and oil? Butter is typically found in ½ cup sticks or 8 tablespoons, and if made in the United States, the packaging is labeled with ¼ cup, ½ cup, and tablespoon marks. Pack butter or coconut oil in a measuring cup with a spoon and level it off to measure properly. If using melted coconut oil, make sure to measure it with a liquid measuring cup.
US STANDARD = METRIC (approximate)
- ⅛ teaspoon = 0.5 mL
- ¼ teaspoon = 1.2 mL
- ½ teaspoon = 2.5 mL
- ¾ teaspoon = 3.7 mL
- 1 teaspoon = ⅓ tablespoon = 5 mL
- 1 tablespoon = ½ fluid ounce = 3 teaspoons = 15 mL, 15 cc
- 2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce = ⅛ cup, 6 teaspoons = 30 mL, 30 cc
- ¼ cup = 2 fluid ounces = 4 tablespoons = 59 mL
- ⅓ cup = 2 ⅔ fluid ounces = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 79 mL
- ½ cup = 4 fluid ounces = 8 tablespoons = 118 mL
- ⅔ cup = 5 ⅓ fluid ounces = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 158 mL
- ¾ cup = 6 fluid ounces = 12 tablespoons = 177 mL
- 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = ½ pint = 16 tablespoons = 237 mL
- 1 ½ cups = 12 fluid ounces = 24 tablespoons = 355 mL
- 2 cups = 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 32 tablespoons = 473 mL
- 3 cups = 700 mL
- 4 cups = 32 fluid ounces = 1 quart = 946 ml = 1 L
- 8 cups = ½ gallon = 2 L
- 1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces = 8 pints = 4 quarts = 3785 ml = 4 L
