Convert ingredient quantities between common cooking units.
US Cup
US Tablespoon
US Teaspoon
US Pint (Dry)
US Quart (Dry)
US Gallon (Dry)
Liter
Milliliter
US Cup (Liquid)
US Pint (Liquid)
US Quart (Liquid)
US Gallon (Liquid)
US Fluid Ounce
Milliliter (Liquid)
Gram
Kilogram
Ounce (oz)
Pound (lb)
US Cup
US Tablespoon
US Teaspoon
US Pint (Dry)
US Quart (Dry)
US Gallon (Dry)
Liter
Milliliter
US Cup (Liquid)
US Pint (Liquid)
US Quart (Liquid)
US Gallon (Liquid)
US Fluid Ounce
Milliliter (Liquid)
Gram
Kilogram
Ounce (oz)
Pound (lb)
Understanding Recipe Unit Conversions
Cooking and baking often require precise measurements. While many recipes specify units, sometimes you need to adapt them based on available tools or for larger/smaller batches. This is where a recipe unit converter becomes invaluable. This tool helps you accurately convert between different volume (dry and liquid) and weight measurements commonly used in kitchens worldwide.
Why Convert Units?
International Recipes: Recipes from different countries might use metric (grams, milliliters, liters) or imperial (cups, ounces, pounds) units.
Ingredient Density: Different ingredients have different densities. For example, 1 cup of flour weighs less than 1 cup of sugar. While this calculator focuses on standard conversions, advanced users might consider ingredient-specific weight-to-volume conversions.
Scaling Recipes: When doubling or halving a recipe, converting units can sometimes simplify the process, especially if you have measuring tools for specific units.
Availability of Tools: You might have a digital scale but only liquid measuring cups, or vice versa.
The Math Behind the Conversion
Recipe unit conversions rely on established equivalencies. The core idea is to convert the initial amount into a base unit (like milliliters for volume or grams for weight) and then convert that base amount into the target unit.
Volume Conversions (Key Equivalencies):
1 US Cup = 236.588 milliliters (ml)
1 US Cup (Liquid) = 8 US Fluid Ounces (fl oz)
1 US Tablespoon (tbsp) = 14.7868 ml
1 US Teaspoon (tsp) = 4.92892 ml
1 US Pint (Dry/Liquid) = 473.176 ml
1 US Quart (Dry/Liquid) = 946.353 ml
1 US Gallon (Dry/Liquid) = 3785.41 ml
1 Liter (L) = 1000 ml
Weight Conversions (Key Equivalencies):
1 Kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams (g)
1 Pound (lb) = 453.592 grams (g)
1 Ounce (oz) = 28.3495 grams (g)
Important Note on Dry vs. Liquid Volume: While US Cups, Pints, Quarts, and Gallons can be used for both dry and liquid ingredients, the exact fluid ounces differ slightly. This calculator provides distinct options for common liquid measurements. For dry ingredients, US customary units are generally used.
Calculating Weight from Volume (Approximation): Converting volume (like cups) to weight (like grams) is less exact because it depends heavily on the ingredient's density. For example:
1 US Cup of All-Purpose Flour ≈ 120 grams
1 US Cup of Granulated Sugar ≈ 200 grams
1 US Cup of Butter ≈ 227 grams
This calculator performs direct unit conversions. For ingredient-specific volume-to-weight conversions, a more specialized tool or a density chart would be needed.
The calculator uses these standard conversion factors to perform the calculations. When you input an amount and select the 'from' and 'to' units, it finds the appropriate conversion factor to display the equivalent quantity. For example, to convert cups to milliliters, it multiplies the number of cups by 236.588.
function convertRecipeUnits() {
var amount = parseFloat(document.getElementById("amount").value);
var fromUnit = document.getElementById("fromUnit").value;
var toUnit = document.getElementById("toUnit").value;
var resultElement = document.getElementById("result");
if (isNaN(amount) || amount <= 0) {
resultElement.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid positive amount.";
return;
}
var conversions = {
// Base unit: milliliters (ml) for volume
"cup_us": 236.588,
"tbsp_us": 14.7868,
"tsp_us": 4.92892,
"pint_us_dry": 473.176, // Dry pint often same volume as liquid pint
"quart_us_dry": 946.353, // Dry quart often same volume as liquid quart
"gallon_us_dry": 3785.41, // Dry gallon often same volume as liquid gallon
"liter": 1000,
"ml": 1,
"cup_us_liquid": 236.588, // US Liquid cup = 8 US fl oz
"pint_us_liquid": 473.176, // US Liquid pint = 16 US fl oz
"quart_us_liquid": 946.353, // US Liquid quart = 32 US fl oz
"gallon_us_liquid": 3785.41, // US Liquid gallon = 128 US fl oz
"fl_oz_us": 29.5735, // US Fluid Ounce
// Base unit: grams (g) for weight
"gram": 1,
"kilogram": 1000,
"ounce": 28.3495,
"pound": 453.592
};
var amountInMl = 0;
var amountInGrams = 0;
var convertedAmount = 0;
// Convert FROM unit to a base unit (ml or g)
if (fromUnit.includes("ml") || fromUnit.includes("cup") || fromUnit.includes("tbsp") || fromUnit.includes("tsp") || fromUnit.includes("pint") || fromUnit.includes("quart") || fromUnit.includes("gallon") || fromUnit.includes("liter") || fromUnit.includes("fl_oz")) {
amountInMl = amount * conversions[fromUnit];
} else if (fromUnit.includes("gram") || fromUnit.includes("kilogram") || fromUnit.includes("ounce") || fromUnit.includes("pound")) {
amountInGrams = amount * conversions[fromUnit];
}
// Convert TO unit from the base unit
if (toUnit.includes("ml") || toUnit.includes("cup") || toUnit.includes("tbsp") || toUnit.includes("tsp") || toUnit.includes("pint") || toUnit.includes("quart") || toUnit.includes("gallon") || toUnit.includes("liter") || toUnit.includes("fl_oz")) {
// If the 'from' unit was volume, convert ml to target volume unit
if (amountInMl > 0) {
convertedAmount = amountInMl / conversions[toUnit];
}
// If the 'from' unit was weight, we need to APPROXIMATE volume from weight. This is tricky and ingredient-dependent.
// For simplicity, we'll assume a standard density if converting weight TO volume.
// A common approximation for flour/sugar mix might be ~150g/cup. Let's use 150g/236.588ml (~0.634g/ml) as a rough reference.
// THIS IS A MAJOR SIMPLIFICATION.
else if (amountInGrams > 0) {
var approxMl = amountInGrams / 0.634; // Rough grams to ml conversion factor
convertedAmount = approxMl / conversions[toUnit];
}
} else if (toUnit.includes("gram") || toUnit.includes("kilogram") || toUnit.includes("ounce") || toUnit.includes("pound")) {
// If the 'from' unit was weight, convert grams to target weight unit
if (amountInGrams > 0) {
convertedAmount = amountInGrams / conversions[toUnit];
}
// If the 'from' unit was volume, we need to APPROXIMATE weight from volume.
// Again, this is ingredient-dependent. Using the same rough factor.
else if (amountInMl > 0) {
var approxGrams = amountInMl * 0.634; // Rough ml to grams conversion factor
convertedAmount = approxGrams / conversions[toUnit];
}
}
// Handle potential floating point inaccuracies and round to a reasonable number of decimal places
var roundedConvertedAmount = parseFloat(convertedAmount.toFixed(4));
resultElement.innerHTML = "" + amount + " " + fromUnit.replace(/_/g, ' ') + " is approximately " + roundedConvertedAmount + " " + toUnit.replace(/_/g, ' ') + ".";
}