However, it might also be the case that you’re scaling a recipe by making it larger or smaller, in which case you’ll need to know how to convert some of the measurements.
One of the most common conversions is teaspoons to tablespoons, and vice versa.
So, how many teaspoons are equal to a tablespoon? The short answer is that 3 teaspoons is equal to 1 tablespoon, if you’re using the standard measurements of the United States.
This means that 1.5 teaspoons is also equal to ½ a tablespoon.
However, there is so much more to learn about converting teaspoons to tablespoons, and you’ll find all the answers you need in our handy guide below!
Teaspoons to tablespoons is a simple conversion to make if you know how, and it’s one that’s going to be essential to your cooking.
How Does A Spoon Measure Ingredients?
When it comes to following recipes and measuring out the correct amounts of each ingredient that you need, it can be done in three different ways.
For one, you can measure the count of a particular ingredient, which is the number of them. On the other hand, you can measure the mass of the ingredients, which is their individual weight.
Finally, you can measure the ingredients by volume, which is determined by multiplying length, width, and height together.
When you’re measuring ingredients with the use of a spoon, or for that matter a measuring cup, then you’re measuring the ingredients by volume.
Measuring Different Types Of Ingredients
The way that you measure an ingredient should depend on the type of ingredient that is. When cooking, you’ll know that you encounter all kinds of different ingredients, which vary in their state and form.
For example, you could be working with some liquids, dry ingredients, and things such as spices and salt. All of these have different forms, and they should all be measured in specific ways.
If you’re measuring out your dry ingredients, then you should measure them by weight. However, if you’re measuring out liquids, then you’ll want to measure them by volume – for which you can use a spoon or a measuring cup.
The reason for measuring liquids is that air is typically unable to get trapped between the particles, changing the volume.
Meanwhile, ingredients like spices, salt, and leaveners are best to be measured with measuring spoons as volume.
The reason for this is that they are often only added to recipes in small amounts, especially compared to other types of ingredients, and so it isn’t as important to get the quantity 100% accurate.
Since they’re so small, the difference will be minimal and the recipe should come out just as well.
How Many Teaspoons Are Equal To A Tablespoon?
Now that we know that teaspoons measure ingredients in volume, and will be used for things like liquids, leaveners, and seasonings, it’s time to look at how many teaspoons are equal to a tablespoon.
Both teaspoons and tablespoons are commonly used in cooking, but you will need to know the conversion rate when you’re scaling a recipe.
Thankfully, the conversion of teaspoons into tablespoons is very simple and easy to remember, so it should stick with you.
There are 3 teaspoons to every 1 tablespoon. This means that 6 teaspoons of ingredients will be the same as 2 tablespoons of the ingredient, and 9 teaspoons will be equal to 3 tablespoons.
You see the pattern? The ratio is 3:1.
Another way of putting it is that 1 teaspoon is equal to roughly 33% of 1 tablespoon.
How Many Teaspoons Are Equal To Half A Tablespoon?
Since we know that 3 tablespoons are equal to 1 tablespoon, this means that we can work out how many teaspoons would be in half a tablespoon, simply by dividing the aforementioned teaspoon figure.
Since half of 3 is 1.5, this means that 1.5 teaspoons are equivalent to ½ a tablespoon.
How Many Teaspoons Are Equal To A Quarter Of A Tablespoon?
We can go one step further with the math by working out how many teaspoons would then be equal to a quarter of a tablespoon.
This is a harder sum than the previous one, but it’s still pretty easy to do with our main rule of conversion that we covered earlier.
The result is that there are ¾ of a teaspoon in a quarter of a tablespoon.
What Is Scaling A Recipe?
The reason that you’ll need such conversions is if you;re scaling a recipe, but what does this actually mean?
When somebody scales a recipe it means that they are adjusting the number of servings.
Each recipe is given with a specific number of servings, and if you want to produce fewer or more than the specified amount, you need to use conversions to work out how much less or more you need of each ingredient.
In other works, you’ll either be dividing (to decrease them) or multiplying (to increase them) the quantities of each individual ingredient in the recipe.
How Many Teaspoons Are In A Cup?
Converting teaspoons to tablespoons may not be the only conversion you want to do.
Another way of measuring volume in cooking is with cups and measuring cups, so how many teaspoons are in a cup is a key question that you’ll want to know the answer to.
The core answer is that 48 teaspoons are equal to 1 cup.
This is a lot! Which is why it’s handy to know other ways to look at this conversion, so you can better work with it.
For example, 6 teaspoons is equivalent to ⅛ of a cup, and as we know, 6 teaspoons is the same as 2 tablespoons. This means that 2 tablespoons is equal to ⅛ of a cup!
Meanwhile, this also means that 12 teaspoons is equal to ¼ of a cup and therefore 24 teaspoons is equivalent to ½ a cup. Finally, 36 teaspoons is the same as ¾ of a cup.
Are These Measurements Worldwide?
We hinted at the start of the article that these measurements we’re covering are only in terms of United States teaspoons and tablespoons.
Sadly, this means that the unit measurements covered are not going to be the same worldwide.
This makes it difficult to adapt if you’re following a recipe from another country. To help make it easier for you, though, we’ve got a few measurements from other countries to help you out!
When it comes to United States measurements, we’re working with both “standard” and “legal”. The standard teaspoon volume in America is 4.93 ml, while the legal unit mandated by the FDA is equivalent to 5 ml.
Teaspoon Measurements – Volume In Milliliters
United States standard measurement: 1 teaspoon is 4.93 ml.
United States legal measurement: 1 teaspoon is 5 ml.
United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada measurement: 1 teaspoon is 5 ml.
Tablespoon Measurements – Volume In Milliliters
United States standard measurement: 1 tablespoons is 14.79 ml.
United States legal measurement: 1 tablespoon is 15 ml.
United Kingdom measurement: 1 tablespoon is 17.76 ml.
Australia measurement: 1 tablespoon is 20 ml.
As you can see Australia’s tablespoons hold a greater volume, which is because they use 4 teaspoons to a tablespoon.
Final Thoughts
If you’re scaling a recipe, it’s crucial to know how many teaspoons are equal to a tablespoon: 3 tablespoons are equal to 1 tablespoon.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
