Cups of Butter to Tablespoons Converter

1 cup of butter equals exactly 16 tablespoons. This is a fixed relationship in the US customary system: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons, regardless of the ingredient. For butter specifically, 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 2 sticks = 8 ounces = 227 grams. This is one of the most useful butter conversions to memorize because knowing that 1 cup equals 2 sticks and 16 tablespoons lets you move between all common butter measurements without a calculator.

1/2 cup of butter equals exactly 8 tablespoons, which is also equal to 1 stick of butter. This is the single most important butter conversion in American baking: the US standard butter stick is 1/2 cup, 8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, or 113 grams. The wrapper on every US butter stick is pre-marked with 8 tablespoon lines for easy measurement. Half a cup of butter appears in countless cookie, cake, frosting, and quick bread recipes.

1/4 cup of butter equals exactly 4 tablespoons, which is also equal to 1/2 stick of butter or 57 grams. This is a common small butter measurement in baking, pancakes, muffins, sauces, and garlic butter. On a standard US butter wrapper, 1/4 cup corresponds to the 4-tablespoon line, which is the halfway point of the stick. If the butter is cold, cut straight through the wrapper at the middle line.

3/4 cup of butter equals exactly 12 tablespoons, which is also equal to 1 1/2 sticks or 170 grams. This measurement appears frequently in cookie and cake recipes. To measure 3/4 cup of butter using sticks, use 1 full stick, which is 8 tablespoons, plus half of another stick, which is 4 tablespoons. On a butter wrapper, cut one full stick and then cut another stick at the 4-tablespoon line.

1/3 cup of butter equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, or 5 1/3 tablespoons total. It weighs approximately 76 grams or 2.67 ounces. This is one of the few butter measurements that does not produce a clean tablespoon number. On a wrapper, 1/3 cup falls between the 5 and 6 tablespoon lines. For precision, cut at the 5-tablespoon line and add 1 teaspoon, or weigh 76 grams directly.

1 cup of butter equals exactly 2 sticks. In the United States, one standard butter stick weighs 113 grams, or 4 ounces, and equals 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons. Therefore, 2 sticks equals 1 cup, 16 tablespoons, 8 ounces, or 227 grams. A standard US box of butter contains 4 sticks, which is 1 pound or 454 grams total, and that full box equals 2 cups.

1 cup of butter weighs 227 grams, or 226.8g to be precise. In practical kitchen terms, 1 cup butter = 2 sticks = 16 tablespoons = 8 ounces = 227 grams. European recipes often call for 250g of butter, which is slightly more than 1 US cup. A 250g block is approximately 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons, or about 17.5 tablespoons. For precision baking, weigh the grams directly.

Without wrapper markings, the most accurate method is to weigh butter on a kitchen scale. If you do not have a scale, use water displacement for cold butter: fill a measuring cup with cold water to a level equal to the difference between your target and 1 cup, then add cold butter pieces until the water reaches 1 cup. The volume of submerged butter equals the difference. You can also pack cold butter firmly into tablespoon measures and level the top.

Not exactly. One cup of solid butter melts to approximately 0.96 cups of liquid because air incorporated during churning is released and some water may evaporate. For most recipes, this small difference is negligible. However, wording matters: if a recipe says "1 cup melted butter," measure after melting. If it says "1 cup butter, melted," measure the solid butter first and then melt it. For precision baking, weigh before melting.

2 sticks of butter equals exactly 16 tablespoons, which is also equal to 1 cup or 227 grams. Each US butter stick contains 8 tablespoons, so 2 sticks times 8 tablespoons equals 16 tablespoons. This is one of the most common butter amounts in baking. Many standard cookie, cake, and frosting recipes call for 2 sticks, often written as 1 cup or 16 tablespoons depending on the recipe source.

Unsalted butter is standard for baking because it gives the baker full control over salt content. Salted butter contains approximately 1.6-1.9% salt by weight, about 90mg sodium per tablespoon. If substituting salted for unsalted butter, reduce added salt in the recipe by about 1/4 teaspoon per stick, or per 1/2 cup, of butter. The gram weight and cup/tablespoon measurements are the same for salted and unsalted butter; the flavor changes.

2/3 cup of butter equals 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, or 10 2/3 tablespoons total. It weighs approximately 151 grams or 5.33 ounces. Like 1/3 cup, this measurement does not produce a clean tablespoon number. On a wrapper, 2/3 cup falls between the 10 and 11 tablespoon marks if you are using more than one stick. For precision, measure 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, or weigh 151 grams directly.