With the current offer for foreign cookbooks and recipe blogs, it is possible to take every kitchen around the world into your home. But with that come all the different measurements people use. From cups to fluid ounces and from grams to pounds and ounces. Or what about tablespoons and teaspoons?
How To Make Easy Conversions
What can make it a little difficult is the fact that we use grams and ml in Europe while the US and the UK work with cups and spoons. This can cause a bit of an issue when you want to use a recipe. The easiest solution is to run to the nearest store and buy yourself a set of cups and spoons if you live in Europe and a kitchen scale if you live in the US or the UK. I can highly recommend that, as it makes life so much easier! But if you want to start cooking straight away; I have converted the most common uses in cooking here. Plus some tips on measuring tools below.
- Each recipe has the option to switch from metric to US and vice versa. I write my recipes in metric but you always easily convert them using the option in the recipe card.
- If you’re a baker there is nothing more accurate than using a kitchen scale. I would always recommend getting one.
Table of Contents
In most of the recipes the quantities can be given in either metric or US customary. Some of the older recipes still need to be converted though. For those you can use the below conversions!
For Liquids
| Cup or Spoon | Milliliter | Tablespoon or teaspoon |
| ½ teaspoon (ts, – t sp) | 2,5 ml | 1/2 teaspoon |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | 1 theelepels |
| 1 tablespoon (tbs- tb sp- TS) (3 teaspoons) | 15 ml | 1 tablespoon |
| 1/8 cup | 30 ml | |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml (59 ml)* | 4 tablespoons |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml (78 ml)* | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml (118 ml)* | 8 tablespoons |
| 1 cup | 240 ml (236 ml)* | 16 tablespoons |
| 1 1/2 cups | 350 ml | |
| 2 cups | 475 ml | |
| 3 cups | 700 ml | |
| 4 cups | 950 ml |
* All the above measurements have been round up; exact volumes in milliliter are mentioned between brackets
Calculating cups and spoons into grams is a little tricker, because you have to deal with volume per ingredient (a tablespoon of butter would weigh heavier than the same tablespoon of icing sugar for instance)
Here is a calculation for a few common ingredients. If your ingredient is not listed, then check which one comes closest and use those measurements or do a search online.
Converting Common Ingredients
| Ingrediënt | Engelse cups and spoons to grams |
|||||||
| 1 cup | 3/4 cup | 2/3 cup | 1/2 cup | 1/3 cup | 1/4 cup | 2 Tbsp | ||
| Cornflour | 160 g | 120 g | 100 g | 80 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g | |
| Flour | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g | 15 g | |
| Flour, sieved | 110 g | 80 g | 70 g | 55 g | 35 g | 27 g | 13 g | |
| Cornstarch | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g | 15 g | |
| Butter | 240 g | 180 g | 160 g | 120 g | 80 g | 60 g | 30 g | |
| Margarine | 190 g | 140 g | 125 g | 95 g | 65 g | 48 g | 24 g | |
| Sugar | 200 g | 150 g | 130 g | 100 g | 65 g | 50 g | 25 g | |
| Icing sugar | 100 g | 75 g | 70 g | 50 g | 35 g | 25 g | 13 g | |
| Honey | 340 g | 255 g | 227 g | 170 g | 113 g | 85 g | 43 g | |
| Salt | 300 g | 230 g | 200 g | 150 g | 100 g | 75 g | 40 g | |
| Rice (dry) | 190 g | 140 g | 125 g | 95 g | 65 g | 48 g | 24 g | |
| Pasta (uncooked) | 140 g | 100 g | 90 g | 70 g | 45 g | 35 g | 17 g | |
| Vegetables and/or fruit, cut | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g | |
| Nuts, chopped | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g | |
| breadcrumbs | 60 g | 45 g | 40 g | 30 g | 20 g | 15 g | 8 g | |
| breadcrumbs (from a package) | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g | |
| Grated cheese | 90 g | 65 g | 60 g | 45 g | 30 g | 22 g | 11 g | |
Wat measuring tools should you have?
Dry Measuring Tools 🧁
- Dry Measuring Cups
- Used for flour, sugar, cocoa powder, etc.
- Usually come in sets (¼, ⅓, ½, and 1 cup). I would recommend getting one made from stainless steel.
- Measuring Spoons
- For small amounts of ingredients like baking powder, salt, vanilla, etc.
- Standard set includes ¼ tsp, ½ tsp, 1 tsp, and 1 tbsp.
- Kitchen Scale
- Highly recommended. Gives the most accurate measurements, especially for flour and butter.
- Look for one that measures in grams and ounces and one that can weigh a lot. I like mine to go to 5 kilos (11 pounds)
Liquid Measuring Tools 🥣
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Typically glass or plastic with a spout. I prefer the glass ones as they are easier to clean. I have a set starting at 100 ml up to 1 liter
- Marked in ounces, milliliters, and cups.
- Sizes: 1 cup, 2 cups (500 ml), or even 4 cups (1 liter).
Optional but Helpful Extras 🔍
- Measuring Beakers or Shot Glasses
- Great for small liquid quantities like extracts or oils.
- Often marked in teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, and milliliters.
- Adjustable Measuring Cup
- For sticky ingredients like peanut butter, honey, molasses.
- Plunger-style that pushes ingredients out cleanly.
- Sifter or Fine Mesh Sieve
- Not exactly a measuring tool, but helpful when measuring flour and other dry ingredients that clump.