Milliliters to Cups conversion

Milliliters to cups

European and Asian recipes list liquids in milliliters; American recipes want cups. Since a US customary cup holds 236.588 ml, the conversion is a division: milliliters ÷ 236.588 = cups. The result is usually a fraction of a cup, so it helps to know the nearest standard measuring-cup size.

From milliliters to the nearest measuring cup

• 50 ml ≈ 0.21 cup (a scant 1/4 cup)
• 60 ml ≈ 1/4 cup
• 80 ml ≈ 1/3 cup
• 100 ml ≈ 0.42 cup (a generous 1/3 cup)
• 125 ml ≈ 1/2 cup
• 150 ml ≈ 2/3 cup
• 200 ml ≈ 0.85 cup (a scant 7/8 cup)
• 250 ml ≈ 1.06 cups (a generous cup)
• 500 ml ≈ 2.1 cups
• 1000 ml ≈ 4.2 cups

Which cup?

If the recipe you are converting to comes from Australia or uses "metric cups", one cup is 250 ml and the numbers get simpler: 250 ml = 1 cup, 500 ml = 2 cups. This page uses the US cup of 236.588 ml, the one built into American measuring sets. The difference is about 5 %, noticeable in bread and pastry, invisible in soup.

Tablespoons and teaspoons

Small quantities are easier in spoons than in fractions of a cup: 15 ml is one tablespoon, 5 ml is one teaspoon, and 16 tablespoons make a cup. So 45 ml is 3 tablespoons rather than 0.19 cup.

Bottles and cartons

A 330 ml can is 1.4 cups; a 750 ml wine bottle is 3.2 cups; a one-litre carton of milk is a little over 4 cups. When a recipe asks for "a cup of stock" and you have a 500 ml carton, you have enough for two batches with a splash to spare.

Worked examples

400 ml of coconut milk (one tin). 400 ÷ 236.588 = 1.69 cups — call it 1⅔ cups.

75 ml of milk. 75 ÷ 236.588 = 0.32 cup — a scant ⅓ cup, or 5 tablespoons.

1.5 l of water for rice. 1 500 ÷ 236.588 = 6.34 cups — 6⅓ cups.

Frequently asked questions

How many cups is 500 ml? 2.11 US cups, or exactly 2 metric cups. For most cooking, "2 cups" is close enough.

What is 100 ml in cups? 0.42 cup — a generous ⅓ cup, or 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons.

Should I convert to cups or weigh? Weigh dry ingredients if you have a scale; cups vary with how tightly the ingredient is packed. Liquids convert cleanly either way.

Related conversions

Below 60 ml, milliliters to tablespoons gives more usable numbers. For drinks, milliliters to fluid ounces is the usual pair.

Good to know

Measuring-cup sets in the US come in 1, ½, ⅓ and ¼ cup sizes, sometimes with ⅔ and ¾. Any millilitre amount can be built from them: 300 ml is 1¼ cups (1 + ¼ = 296 ml, close enough); 175 ml is ¾ cup (177 ml); 120 ml is ½ cup (118 ml). For the odd leftovers, one tablespoon is 15 ml and one teaspoon 5 ml. Liquid measuring cups — the jug type with a spout — are marked in both cups and millilitres, which sidesteps the conversion altogether for liquids; dry ingredients still need the nested cups and a straight edge for levelling.