1 tablespoon = 3 tsp
1 tbsp = 3 tsp · type math like (12*4)+6.5
Tablespoons to teaspoons is the quick kitchen conversion for scaling a recipe down, or when the tablespoon is in the dishwasher. It also matters for measuring spices, baking powder and medicine with only one spoon to hand.
This conversion is especially useful for scaling recipes down. Halving 1 tablespoon gives ½ tablespoon, which is easiest to measure as 1½ teaspoons. A third of a tablespoon is exactly 1 teaspoon. Many measuring spoon sets do not include a ½ tablespoon, so converting to teaspoons solves the problem.
Medicine dosing uses teaspoons and tablespoons too. A 5 ml oral syringe holds one metric teaspoon, and a 15 ml cup holds one metric tablespoon. Pharmacists recommend using the dosing tool rather than kitchen spoons.
Outside the US, many recipes use metric spoons: 5 ml per teaspoon and 15 ml per tablespoon. These differ from US spoons by less than 2%, which makes no practical difference in cooking. Australian tablespoons, however, hold 20 ml.
When a recipe uses metric tablespoons (15 ml) and you only have US teaspoons (4.93 ml), the ratio is still effectively 3 to 1. The difference is under 2%, so it is safe to treat them the same in cooking.
Herbal teas and loose-leaf instructions may call for 1 tablespoon per pot, which is 3 teaspoons. If you are only making one cup, a third of that, 1 teaspoon, is the right amount.
Infant and child medicine directions in the US sometimes refer to tablespoons, but pharmacists recommend teaspoons or ml to avoid overdoses. 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, which is about 15 ml.
A sense check: the teaspoon figure is always exactly three times the tablespoon figure for US and UK spoons. If you converted 4 tablespoons and got 16 teaspoons, you used the Australian 4-to-1 ratio. For fractions, multiply the whole number and the fraction separately: 1⅔ tablespoons is 3 teaspoons plus 2 teaspoons, which is 5 teaspoons in total, easily measured with a single spoon.
tsp = tbsp × 3
Reverse: 1 tsp = 0.33333333 tbsp.
You need 2½ tablespoons of soy sauce but only have a teaspoon.
Answer: 2½ tbsp = 7½ tsp.
| tbsp | tsp |
|---|---|
| ¼ tbsp | 0.75 tsp |
| ½ tbsp | 1.5 tsp |
| ¾ tbsp | 2.25 tsp |
| 1 tbsp | 3 tsp |
| 2 tbsp | 6 tsp |
| 3 tbsp | 9 tsp |
| 4 tbsp | 12 tsp |
| 5 tbsp | 15 tsp |
| 6 tbsp | 18 tsp |
| 7 tbsp | 21 tsp |
| 8 tbsp | 24 tsp |
| 9 tbsp | 27 tsp |
| 10 tbsp | 30 tsp |
| 11 tbsp | 33 tsp |
| 12 tbsp | 36 tsp |
| 13 tbsp | 39 tsp |
| tbsp | tsp |
|---|---|
| 14 tbsp | 42 tsp |
| 15 tbsp | 45 tsp |
| 16 tbsp | 48 tsp |
| 17 tbsp | 51 tsp |
| 18 tbsp | 54 tsp |
| 19 tbsp | 57 tsp |
| 20 tbsp | 60 tsp |
| 25 tbsp | 75 tsp |
| 30 tbsp | 90 tsp |
| 40 tbsp | 120 tsp |
| 50 tbsp | 150 tsp |
| 75 tbsp | 225 tsp |
| 100 tbsp | 300 tsp |
| 250 tbsp | 750 tsp |
| 500 tbsp | 1 500 tsp |
| 1 000 tbsp | 3 000 tsp |
Half of 1 tablespoon of baking powder is 1½ teaspoons.
2 tablespoons of chili powder is 6 teaspoons.
½ tablespoon is 1½ teaspoons.
Australian tablespoons hold 20 ml, which is 4 teaspoons. Using one in a US recipe adds a third more.
Dinner spoons hold 7–14 ml. Use proper measuring spoons, especially for baking soda and medicine.
A capital T or tbsp is a tablespoon; a lowercase t or tsp is a teaspoon. Mistaking them triples the amount of salt.
A US tablespoon is ½ US fluid ounce, exactly 14.7868 ml, and equals 3 teaspoons.
Origin. Named after serving spoons used at the table. It was standardised in American cookbooks in the late 19th century.
Used today. Recipes in the US; the Australian tablespoon is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
A US teaspoon is 1/6 US fluid ounce, 4.9289 ml, usually rounded to 5 ml.
Origin. Named for spoons used to stir tea, which became popular in 18th century England.
Used today. Measuring spices, leaveners, extracts and liquid medicine.
3 in the US and UK; 4 in Australia.
12 teaspoons (4 tablespoons).
The US tablespoon is 14.79 ml; metric tablespoons in the UK and many recipes are 15 ml.
4 teaspoons.