A quarter US customary cup is 4 US tablespoons, 12 US teaspoons, or 2 US fluid ounces—about 59 mL. A quarter of a 250 mL metric cup is 62.5 mL, so check which cup standard your recipe uses.
Quarter-cup equivalents
| Measure | Quarter US customary cup | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| US tablespoons | 4 level tablespoons | A spoon equivalent by volume |
| US teaspoons | 12 level teaspoons | Useful when no tablespoon is available |
| US fluid ounces | 2 fl oz | Fluid ounces, not ingredient weight |
| Milliliters | About 59 mL | Often rounded to 60 mL in kitchen charts |
| Weight ounces or grams | Ingredient-dependent | Volume alone cannot determine mass |
Without a quarter-cup measure
Use four level US measuring tablespoons. A dining spoon is not a standardized measuring spoon. For sticky ingredients, use the technique the recipe calls for rather than leaving a substantial amount in the spoon or packing it differently each time.
Compare clearly marked cup and spoon measures
If your recipe is written for metric measures, follow its stated milliliters. Do not switch from a 250 mL cup to a US cup in the middle of a baking recipe and expect the proportions to remain identical.
Dry and liquid ingredients
A quarter cup is a volume in either case. A dry measuring cup is convenient for filling and leveling; a marked liquid jug allows space above the line. For flour, use the recipe’s specified spoon-and-level or weighing method. Brown sugar may be specified as packed, so a loose measure would give a different result.
There is no single gram weight for “a quarter cup.” If the recipe gives grams, use those with a tared scale. Otherwise use a trustworthy conversion for that ingredient and preparation; a quarter cup of whole nuts is different from finely ground nuts.
Scaling a recipe
Two quarter cups make a half cup, and four make a whole cup within the same measuring system. A half batch using a quarter cup needs an eighth cup, or two US tablespoons. These are volume relationships, so they do not supply an ingredient’s calorie count or gram weight.
For a larger liquid quantity, see 16 fluid ounces versus 16 weight ounces.
Tools for this job
A clearly marked quarter-cup measure or a matching spoon set is enough for many recipes. A scale is useful when the recipe supplies weights; it does not infer the weight of an unspecified ingredient.
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