Tablespoon vs Teaspoon
For US recipes, 1 tablespoon (tbsp) equals 3 teaspoons (tsp): about 14.79 mL versus 4.93 mL per teaspoon. A larger spoon used by mistake triples the amount of a concentrated ingredient such as baking soda.
US spoon measurements you can substitute
| US measure | Same US volume | Approx. milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | ⅓ tbsp | 4.93 mL |
| ½ tbsp | 1½ tsp | 7.39 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 3 tsp | 14.79 mL |
| 1½ tbsp | 4½ tsp | 22.18 mL |
| 2 tbsp | 6 tsp | 29.57 mL |
| 4 tbsp | 12 tsp | 59.15 mL |
Convert the amount and verify the spoon standard
In US recipes, tbsp means tablespoon and tsp means teaspoon. A tablespoon is three times the volume of a teaspoon. The short markings 'T', 't', 'Tbsp' and 'tsp' are not used consistently across publishers, so an ambiguous scan of an old cookbook needs context from the original recipe rather than a guess based on capitalization.
This mistake is consequential for concentrated ingredients. Substituting a tablespoon for a teaspoon gives three times the intended volume: a measured teaspoon of baking soda replaced with one tablespoon changes the leavening amount, not merely the seasoning. Conversely, using 1 tsp for an intended tablespoon supplies only a third. A dinner-table spoon is not a calibrated measuring spoon: use a labeled measuring teaspoon or tablespoon when the amount matters, rather than estimating from cutlery.
Use the chart as equivalent volumes, not as a direction to guess fractions of an unmarked spoon. If your US measuring set has a 1-tsp and a ½-tsp spoon but no ½-tbsp size, measure ½ tbsp as one level teaspoon plus one level half-teaspoon. For 1½ tbsp (4½ tsp), use one level tablespoon, one level teaspoon and one level half-teaspoon; or use four level teaspoons plus a half-teaspoon. For baking soda or powdered spices, fill and level each spoon with a straight edge, as Health Canada's measuring guide demonstrates. The chart's 1 tsp = ⅓ tbsp is mathematically correct, but do not try to eyeball a third of an unmarked tablespoon. Multiply US tablespoons by three to get teaspoons, or divide teaspoons by three to go back.
The spoon standard changes the arithmetic. An Australian tablespoon is 20 mL, equivalent to four 5-mL teaspoons, as explained in Donna Hay's Australian cooking conversions. A US customary tablespoon is about 14.79 mL, or three US teaspoons. For an Australian recipe calling for 1 tbsp, four level calibrated 5-mL teaspoons supply the intended 20 mL; three do not. The site's tablespoons-to-teaspoons converter uses the US 3-to-1 relationship, so it does not convert Australian 20-mL tablespoons. If the recipe supplies milliliters, follow that metric quantity.
US spoon ratios and approximate metric equivalents: NIST household volume table.