You’re standing in the kitchen, flour on your chin, staring at a recipe that suddenly demands a massive amount of butter or oil. You start counting. One. Two. Three. By the time you hit ten, you’ve probably lost track or your arm is getting tired. How much is 20 tablespoons, anyway? Is it a cup? Two cups?
It’s exactly 1 1/4 cups.
That’s the quick answer. But if you’re measuring out 20 tablespoons of something like honey, or worse, something high-stakes like baking soda (please don't put 20 tablespoons of baking soda in anything), the "how" matters just as much as the "how much." Kitchen math is notoriously fickle. One person's "tablespoon" is a leveled-off scientific measurement, while another's is a heaped mountain of sugar.
The Cold, Hard Math of 20 Tablespoons
Let’s break down the basic conversions because once you see the numbers, it’s a lot harder to mess up your dinner. In the United States, we follow a specific hierarchy of volume.
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A single US tablespoon is $14.8$ milliliters. If you multiply that by 20, you get $296$ milliliters.
For those of us who think in cups, the math is actually pretty clean. There are 16 tablespoons in one standard US cup. When you have 20 tablespoons, you have one full cup plus another 4 tablespoons. Since 4 tablespoons is exactly a quarter of a cup, you are looking at 1.25 cups.
If you're looking at fluid ounces, it’s 10 fl oz.
Why does this matter? Because grabbing a 1-cup measuring tool and then a separate 1/4 cup tool is significantly more accurate than trying to count to 20 without getting distracted by a text message or a boiling pot.
The Great Tablespoon Schism: US vs. The World
Here is where things get weird. Not all tablespoons are created equal. If you are using a vintage British recipe or perhaps something from an Australian food blog, your "20 tablespoons" might actually ruin your cake.
In the United States, we use the legal cup, which is $240$ ml. But the Imperial tablespoon (UK) is technically slightly different, though they've mostly moved to metric now. The real outlier is Australia. An Australian tablespoon is $20$ ml.
So, if you are following an Aussie recipe and they ask for 20 tablespoons, they are asking for 400 ml. If you use US tablespoons, you’re only giving them 296 ml. That is a massive difference—over a $100$ ml deficit. You'll end up with a dry, crumbly mess. Always check the domain of the website you're sourcing your recipe from. It sounds overkill, but $104$ ml of missing liquid is the difference between a moist sponge and a brick.
Volume vs. Weight: The Baker’s Trap
Let's be honest. Measuring 20 tablespoons of butter is a nightmare.
Most sticks of butter in the US have those handy little lines on the wrapper. Each stick is 8 tablespoons (which is 1/2 cup). To get to 20 tablespoons, you need two full sticks ($8 + 8 = 16$) and exactly half of a third stick ($4$ tablespoons).
But what if the butter is melted? Or what if you're measuring something fluffy like cocoa powder?
This is why professional bakers at places like the King Arthur Baking Company or America's Test Kitchen scream from the rooftops about using a scale. A tablespoon of flour can weigh anywhere from 8 to 12 grams depending on how hard you packed it into the spoon. If you multiply that variance by 20, you could be off by 80 grams of flour. That's nearly 3/4 of a cup of extra flour!
If you are measuring 20 tablespoons of flour, it should weigh approximately 156 grams (assuming 125g per cup). If you're measuring white sugar, it's closer to 250 grams.
Visualizing 20 Tablespoons in the Real World
Sometimes you just need a "vibe" check to see if your measurement looks right.
- A standard soda can: A can of Coke is 12 ounces. Since 20 tablespoons is 10 ounces, it's just a bit less than a full can of soda.
- A coffee mug: Most standard ceramic mugs hold about 10 to 12 ounces. So, 20 tablespoons will almost fill a regular coffee mug to the brim.
- The "Hand" Rule: If you were to pour 20 tablespoons of liquid into your cupped hands, you'd need about four or five handfuls. (Don't actually do this, it's messy).
When Should You Actually Use 20 Tablespoons?
Honestly? Rarely.
Most recipe developers will switch to "cups" once the count gets above 10 or 12. If you see a recipe specifically calling for 20 tablespoons, it’s often a sign that the recipe was scaled up from a smaller version or written by someone who prefers precision over convenience.
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You see this a lot in large-batch salad dressings or marinades. If you're making a massive bowl of vinaigrette for a party, you might find yourself adding 20 tablespoons of olive oil. In that case, just reach for the 1 1/4 cup measure. It’ll save you the mental gymnastics.
Common Misconceptions About Spoon Sizes
You might think that the big spoon in your silverware drawer is a "tablespoon."
It’s not.
That is a "place spoon" or a "soup spoon." Using a random spoon from your drawer to measure out 20 units of anything is a recipe for disaster. Actual measuring spoons are calibrated instruments. Silverware is decorative. I’ve seen "big spoons" in silverware sets that hold as little as 10 ml and others that hold nearly 20 ml.
If you use a 10 ml "big spoon" 20 times, you’ve only put in 200 ml. You’re nearly a third short of the required volume. If you’re making something like a custard where the ratio of milk to egg matters for the set, you’re going to end up with a bowl of sweet soup instead of a firm dessert.
Quick Conversion Reference for 20 Tablespoons
Since we’ve established that counting to 20 is a pain, here is the shorthand for your kitchen wall:
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20 US Tablespoons is equal to:
- 1 1/4 Cups
- 10 Fluid Ounces
- 295.7 milliliters (round to 300ml for non-science)
- 0.625 Pints
- 60 Teaspoons
Wait, 60 teaspoons? Yeah. Don't do that. If you find yourself measuring 60 teaspoons of anything, stop and re-evaluate your life choices. Or at least go buy a set of measuring cups.
The Science of Surface Tension
One thing people forget when measuring 20 tablespoons of liquid is surface tension. If you "dome" the liquid over the top of the spoon, you're actually adding about 10-15% more volume per spoon. Over 20 tablespoons, that "dome" adds up to an extra 2 or 3 tablespoons of liquid.
For water, it’s not a huge deal. For something like vanilla extract or a potent hot sauce? You’re going to taste that mistake. Always level off your spoons with a flat edge, like the back of a butter knife.
Actionable Steps for Perfect Measurement
Stop counting spoons. It's the least efficient way to cook.
- Switch to a liquid measuring cup. Look for the "cups" or "oz" line. For 20 tablespoons, fill it to the 10-ounce mark or the 1 1/4 cup mark.
- Use a scale for solids. If you're measuring 20 tablespoons of butter, coconut oil, or shortening, weigh it. It's faster and you don't have to wash a greasy spoon twenty times.
- Check your country of origin. If the recipe is from a UK or Australian site, adjust your volume accordingly.
- Level every spoon. If you absolutely must count to 20, use a straight edge to ensure every single tablespoon is flat and identical.
The next time you're faced with a measurement like this, skip the spoon. Grab the 1-cup measure, add a quarter-cup more, and get on with your day. Your recipe will thank you, and your hands will stay a lot cleaner.