How Many Tablespoons of Butter in 1/3 Cup?
⅓ Cup is How Many Tablespoons of Butter?
So you’re mid-recipe—maybe you’re whipping up some brownies or sautéing veggies—and it calls for ⅓ cup of butter.
But all you’ve got is a stick of butter, maybe some tablespoons, and a whole lot of questions like:
“Wait… how many tablespoons is that?”
Good news: We’ve got the answer, and it’s super simple.
Quick Answer:
⅓ cup of butter = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
That’s it! If you don’t have a ⅓ cup measure handy, or you’re slicing butter from a stick, you’ll just need:
- 5 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon
No fancy tools. No stress.
How to Measure 1 Teaspoon of Butter:
Option 1: Eyeball from a Stick of Butter
- In the U.S., 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons = 24 teaspoons.
- So, 1 teaspoon of butter is about 1/24 of a stick.
That’s a tiny sliver—about ⅓ of a tablespoon or roughly the size of a small marble.
Tip: If your butter wrapper has tablespoon markings, just divide one tablespoon into thirds. That’s about 1 teaspoon!
Option 2: Scoop It with a Teaspoon
If the butter is softened or at room temperature, you can:
- Use a regular measuring teaspoon.
- Scoop and press the butter into the spoon.
- Level it off with a knife or your finger.
This is the most accurate way to measure a teaspoon of butter.
Option 3: Use Grams (If You Have a Scale)
- 1 teaspoon of butter ≈ 4.7 grams
If you’re weighing ingredients (especially for baking), a kitchen scale is your best friend.
Quick Butter Conversion for Teaspoons
| Butter Amount | Grams | Approx. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | ~4.7 g | Small scoop |
| 1 tablespoon | ~14 g | 3 teaspoons |
| 1 stick (½ cup) | ~113 g | 24 tsp |
Butter Basics
Let’s rewind for a second and go over some helpful butter measurements:
- 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons = ½ cup
- So, 1 cup = 2 sticks = 16 tablespoons
Using that info, we can work out any butter measurement using just tablespoons!
Butter Conversion Chart (Cups to Tablespoons)
| Cups of Butter | Tablespoons | Teaspoons |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 4 tbsp | — |
| ⅓ cup | 5 tbsp | + 1 tsp |
| ½ cup | 8 tbsp | — |
| ⅔ cup | 10 tbsp | 2 tsp |
| ¾ cup | 12 tbsp | — |
| 1 cup | 16 tbsp | — |
Tip: When in doubt, just remember that 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, so those odd extras can be measured out easily.
Real-Life Example: Making Banana Bread
Let’s say your recipe calls for:
- ⅓ cup of melted butter
But you already melted some butter and didn’t measure beforehand—oops. All you need to do is pour out 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, and you’ve got the perfect amount.
No need to remelt or re-measure anything. Crisis averted.
Measuring Butter Without the Mess
Here are a couple tricks to make your life easier:
1. Use the marks on the wrapper
Most sticks of butter in the U.S. have tablespoon markings printed right on the paper. Just cut where it says!
2. Water displacement trick
If you need an exact amount and you’re using a solid block, fill a liquid measuring cup with cold water, add the butter until the water rises to the right level, then pour off the water. Voilà!
