You're standing over a bowl of muffin batter. The recipe calls for exactly one-third of a cup of melted butter, but your 1/3 measuring cup is currently buried at the bottom of a dishwasher full of dirty plates. Or maybe it’s just missing. Kitchen drawers have a way of swallowing the one tool you actually need, don't they? You reach for the tablespoons. Now you're pausing, staring at the stainless steel spoon, wondering: how much is 1/3 cup into tablespoons anyway?
It’s one of those tiny math hurdles that can actually ruin a delicate cake if you guess wrong.
The short, no-nonsense answer is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.
But if you’re looking for the technical, down-to-the-drop measurement, it’s exactly 5.333 tablespoons. Since most of us don't own a "0.33" tablespoon measuring device, we have to break it down into smaller units like teaspoons to get it right. It’s basically about precision versus convenience. If you’re making a rustic beef stew, "five-ish" tablespoons might be fine. If you’re whisking together a temperamental French souffle? You better find that extra teaspoon.
Why 1/3 Cup into Tablespoons Feels So Annoying
Most kitchen measurements in the US Customary System play nice with each other. A cup is 16 tablespoons. Half a cup is 8. A quarter cup is 4. It’s all even numbers, clean divisions, and easy mental math. Then 1/3 cup walks in and breaks the pattern.
Because 16 isn't divisible by 3, you end up with a repeating decimal.
Think about it. $16 \div 3 = 5.3333...$ It’s the black sheep of the measuring set. This is why so many beginner bakers feel a spike of anxiety when they lose that specific cup. You can't just "double a quarter cup" or "half a half cup" to get there. You’re forced to deal with the remainder.
Honestly, the easiest way to visualize this is by looking at the teaspoon. There are 3 teaspoons in a single tablespoon. So, if you need 5.33 tablespoons, that 0.33—or one-third—of a tablespoon is exactly 1 teaspoon.
So: 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup.
The High Stakes of "Eye-Balling" It
Can you just use 5 tablespoons and call it a day?
Maybe. It depends on what's in the bowl. If you are measuring dry rice or chopped walnuts, that missing teaspoon won't change your life. But baking is chemistry.
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Professional bakers, like those at the King Arthur Baking Company, often argue that volume measurements are inherently flawed anyway. They prefer grams. Why? Because a "cup" of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 grams depending on how tightly you pack it. However, if you're sticking to volume, missing that final teaspoon in a 1/3 cup measurement means you’re leaving out about 6% of the required ingredient.
In a recipe for cookies, 6% less fat (butter) might mean the edges don't crisp up properly. In a recipe with 6% less acid (lemon juice), your baking soda might not react fully, leaving you with a flat, dense loaf of bread.
Specifics matter.
Dry vs. Liquid: Does the Math Change?
Technically, the volume is the same. A 1/3 cup of milk and a 1/3 cup of flour occupy the same amount of space. But the way you measure them is totally different.
If you use a dry measuring cup for milk, you’re likely to spill some before it hits the bowl. If you use a liquid measuring pitcher for flour, you’ll probably pack the flour down or leave huge air pockets, leading to a massive measurement error. Even when you know how much is 1/3 cup into tablespoons, you still have to execute the pour.
For liquids, fill your tablespoon to the very brim. For solids, like shortening or peanut butter, you have to pack it into the spoon to ensure there are no air gaps, then level it off with the back of a butter knife.
The Metric "Problem"
If you're looking at a recipe from the UK or Australia, things get even weirder.
The US Legal Cup is roughly 240 milliliters. However, a "Metric Cup" used in many other countries is exactly 250 milliliters. While the difference seems small, it cascades down into the tablespoons.
- US Tablespoon: 14.79 ml
- UK/Metric Tablespoon: 15 ml
- Australian Tablespoon: 20 ml (Yes, really. They use 4 teaspoons per tablespoon.)
If you are using an Australian recipe and try to convert 1/3 cup into tablespoons using US spoons, you are going to be significantly short on your ingredients. Always check the origin of your recipe. Most modern digital scales allow you to toggle between ounces and grams, which bypasses this entire headache.
Quick Conversion Cheat Sheet
Sometimes you just need to see the numbers laid out. No fluff.
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- 1/3 Cup = 5 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoon
- 2/3 Cup = 10 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons
- 1/4 Cup = 4 Tablespoons
- 1/2 Cup = 8 Tablespoons
If you're scaling a recipe up, the math gets bigger but the ratio stays the same. For a double batch calling for two 1/3 cups, you’re looking at 10 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons. At that point, you’re almost at 3/4 of a cup (which is 12 tablespoons). It’s usually easier to just find the right cup at that volume.
Why Do We Even Use 1/3 Cups?
It seems like a cruel joke played by historical cookbook authors. Why not just use decimals or weights?
The 1/3 cup exists because of the "rule of threes" in traditional cooking. Many old-fashioned recipes for things like pie crusts or simple biscuits rely on ratios: 3 parts flour to 2 parts fat to 1 part liquid. When you're working with those ratios, having a 1/3 cup measure makes the math invisible. You just scoop three times for the flour, twice for the butter, and once for the water.
It’s elegant until you lose the scoop.
Practical Tips for the "Missing Scoop" Scenario
If you find yourself frequently converting 1/3 cup into tablespoons, it might be time to change your workflow.
First, consider buying a "liquid measure" shot glass. These are small glass jiggers that have markings for teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, and milliliters all on one tiny vessel. They are much harder to lose than a single plastic 1/3 cup, and they are incredibly accurate for small liquid volumes like vanilla extract or lemon juice.
Second, the "spoon and level" method is your best friend. Don't scoop the tablespoon directly into the flour bag. You'll compress the flour and end up with way too much. Instead, use a smaller spoon to fluff the flour and gently heap it into the tablespoon until it's overflowing. Then, take a flat edge—like the back of a knife—and scrape it across the top.
This ensures that your 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon actually weigh what they’re supposed to.
What if You Only Have a Teaspoon?
If you’ve lost the 1/3 cup and the tablespoon, you’re down to the teaspoons.
Since there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, and 1/3 cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, the math looks like this:
$(5 \times 3) + 1 = 16$.
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Exactly 16 teaspoons.
It's tedious. You’ll be standing there for a while. But 16 level teaspoons will give you a perfect 1/3 cup every single time.
Real-World Example: The "Half-Batch" Disaster
I once tried to halve a recipe that called for 2/3 cup of oil.
Half of 2/3 is 1/3. Easy, right? But I couldn't find my 1/3 measuring cup. I figured "five-ish" tablespoons would work. I dumped in 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil and went on my way. The cake came out incredibly dry. It crumbled the moment I tried to frost it.
Later, I realized that those missing 0.33 tablespoons (the 1 teaspoon) represented a significant chunk of the moisture needed to hydrate the cocoa powder in that specific recipe. It was a lesson learned the hard way: in the kitchen, "close enough" is usually the enemy of "delicious."
Actionable Steps for Your Next Recipe
Now that you know the conversion, here is how to handle your next kitchen session without the stress.
1. Memorize the "5 + 1" Rule. Tape a small cheat sheet to the inside of your spice cabinet. Write "1/3 cup = 5 Tbsp + 1 tsp" in big, bold letters. You will thank yourself when your hands are covered in dough and you can’t check your phone.
2. Use a Scale if Possible. If your recipe provides weights, use them. A 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour usually weighs about 43 grams. Weighing is faster, cleaner, and removes the need for tablespoon conversions entirely.
3. Check Your Spoons. Make sure you are using actual measuring spoons, not the "tablespoons" you use to eat soup. Flatware is not standardized. A decorative soup spoon can hold anywhere from 10ml to 20ml, which will completely throw off your 1/3 cup conversion.
4. Level Every Single Time. Whether you are measuring 5 tablespoons of sugar or cocoa, use a straight edge to level the top. "Heaping" tablespoons are not a standard measurement and can add up to 50% more volume than intended.
Knowing how much is 1/3 cup into tablespoons is a fundamental skill that moves you from "following a recipe" to "understanding the kitchen." Once you master these small conversions, you stop being a slave to the specific tools in your drawer and start cooking with much more confidence.