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.