Exactly How Many Cups Is 10 Tbsp of Butter and Why Your Cookies Keep Spreading

You're standing over a bowl of softened dough, flour on your nose, and the recipe calls for exactly 10 tbsp of butter. Your measuring cup is missing. Or maybe you have a giant block of Kerrygold and the wrapper markings are a smeared, oily mess. It's frustrating. You just want to bake.

Basically, 10 tablespoons of butter is 5/8 of a cup.

Wait. Let’s make that easier to actually use in a kitchen setting. Since most home measuring sets don't come with a "five-eighths" cup, you’re looking at half a cup plus two extra tablespoons. If you want to get fancy with decimals, it’s 0.625 cups. But honestly, who is measuring 0.625 cups of fat while a toddler is screaming or the oven is preheating? Nobody.

The Math Behind How Many Cups Is 10 Tbsp of Butter

Kitchen math is a weird relic of history. We use sticks, tablespoons, teaspoons, and cups, and none of it seems to follow a logical base-10 system. To understand how we get to 10 tablespoons, you have to remember the "Golden Rule" of American butter: 16 tablespoons equals one full cup.

If 16 tablespoons is a cup, then 8 tablespoons is a half cup (which is one standard stick of butter in the U.S.). So, when a recipe asks for 10 tablespoons, you are using one full stick plus another quarter of a second stick.

Think about it this way. One stick is 8 tablespoons. You need two more. Since there are 4 tablespoons in a quarter cup, those two extra tablespoons are exactly half of a quarter-cup. Or, to put it simply, an eighth of a cup.

Breaking it down for the visual learners

If you’re staring at your sticks of butter right now, here is the physical reality of what you need to cut. Grab one full stick. That’s 8. Now, look at your second stick. You see those little lines? Cut off two tablespoons worth. Add that to the first stick. Boom. 10 tablespoons.

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It’s about 141.7 grams if you’re using a scale. Actually, just call it 142 grams. Most professional bakers, like the folks over at King Arthur Baking, will tell you that weighing your butter is the only way to avoid disaster. A "tablespoon" can vary depending on how hard you pack it or if the butter is aerated. A gram is always a gram.

Why This Specific Measurement Matters for Your Texture

You might think, "Eh, what's an extra tablespoon or two?"

Wrong.

Butter isn't just fat. It’s a complex emulsion of roughly 80% milkfat, 16-18% water, and 1-2% milk solids. When you change the ratio of butter in a recipe—even by a measly two tablespoons—you are fundamentally altering the water content and the structural integrity of the bake.

If you use too much butter because you miscalculated how many cups is 10 tbsp of butter, your cookies will spread into thin, greasy puddles. The flour can't hold that much fat. Conversely, if you under-measure, your cake will be tough and bread-like. Butter coats the flour proteins (gluten), preventing them from getting too "tough."

The Temperature Trap

Knowing the volume is only half the battle. If your recipe calls for 10 tablespoons of "room temperature" butter, and you pull it straight from the fridge and microwave it into a yellow puddle, the 10 tablespoons won't behave like 10 tablespoons. Melted butter integrates differently than creamed butter. Creaming butter with sugar creates tiny air pockets. Those air pockets are what make a cake fluffy. If you melt those 10 tablespoons, you lose the air. You get a dense, fudgy result instead of a light crumb.

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Volume vs. Weight: The Great Debate

In the U.S., we love our volume measurements. We love scooping and leveling. But if you look at recipes from the UK or Europe, they laugh at our cups. They use scales.

Here’s a quick reference if you’re switching between systems:

• 10 tablespoons = 0.625 cups
• 10 tablespoons = 5 fluid ounces
• 10 tablespoons = 141.75 grams
• 10 tablespoons = 1.25 sticks (U.S. Standard)

Most sticks of butter sold in West Coast versus East Coast U.S. markets look different (Elgin vs. Western stubby), but they weigh the same. 8 tablespoons per stick. Always.

Common Mistakes When Measuring 10 Tablespoons

People mess this up constantly. I’ve seen it.

One big mistake is using a liquid measuring cup (the glass one with the spout) for solid butter. Liquid measuring cups are designed to be read at eye level for things like milk or water. If you smash cold butter into a glass measuring cup, you’re going to have massive air gaps. Your "10 tablespoons" will actually be about 7 tablespoons and a whole lot of prayer.

Instead, use the "displacement method" if you don't have a scale. Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of water. Add chunks of butter until the water level hits 1 and 5/8 cups. Drain the water. You now have exactly 10 tablespoons of butter. It’s messy, but it’s accurate.

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The "Spoon and Level" Fallacy

Some people try to scoop butter with a literal tablespoon. Like, the kind you eat cereal with. Don't do that. A "tablespoon" in a recipe is a legal unit of measure (15ml). A tablespoon from your silverware drawer is just a pretty piece of metal. They are rarely the same size.

Helpful Substitutions (If You’re Short on Butter)

So, you realized you only have 8 tablespoons (one stick) but the recipe demands 10. You’re two short.

You can usually swap those last two tablespoons with a neutral oil like grapeseed or canola. It won't taste quite as rich, but the fat-to-flour ratio will remain intact so the chemistry of the bake doesn't fail. Some people use applesauce, but honestly? Applesauce adds moisture without the fat structure, so your cookies will turn out "cakey" and soft rather than crisp.

If you have shortening (like Crisco), that works too. Shortening is 100% fat, whereas butter is about 80% fat. If you swap 2 tablespoons of butter for 2 tablespoons of shortening, your bake might actually rise a bit higher because shortening has a higher melting point.

Putting It Into Practice

Next time you're staring at a recipe and wondering how many cups is 10 tbsp of butter, just remember the number 0.625. Or better yet, remember "half a cup plus two."

To ensure your baking is world-class, stop relying on the markings on the wrapper. Those wrappers are often shifted during the packaging process at the factory. If the paper is crooked, your "tablespoon" mark is a lie.

Your Actionable Next Steps:

• Buy a digital kitchen scale. It’s the single biggest upgrade you can make for under $20. Weighing 142g of butter is faster and more accurate than trying to eye-ball 5/8 of a cup.
• Check your butter type. European-style butters (like Plugra or Kerrygold) have a higher fat content (82-85%) than standard American butter (80%). If you’re using 10 tablespoons of a high-fat butter, your pastry will be flakier but might also be more prone to melting quickly in a hot kitchen.
• Verify your measuring cups. Fill your 1/2 cup with water and pour it into your 1 cup. Does it look right? If you're using old, dented metal cups, they might be lying to you.
• Prep ahead. Cut your 10 tablespoons while the butter is cold and firm. It’s much easier to get a clean, accurate cut on a cold stick than on one that’s been sitting on the counter for three hours.

Baking is a science experiment you get to eat. Getting the measurements right is the difference between a "good" cookie and the "best cookie I've ever had." Stop guessing and start measuring.