Cups to liters
Convert cups to liters for recipes, soup pots, drink pitchers and batch cooking. Reference table covers US, UK and metric cup sizes.
Last updated: May 2026
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Cups to liters in cooking
One US cup is exactly 236.588 mL or about 0.2366 L. The conversion matters most when a US recipe specifies cups but you are measuring with metric equipment, or when scaling a recipe for a larger pot or batch. Four cups (a typical US liquid quart) is just under 1 liter; a full US gallon of liquid is 16 cups or 3.785 L.
Common cooking reference
| Cups | Liters | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 0.059 L (59 mL) | Small sauce, dressing |
| 1/2 cup | 0.118 L (118 mL) | Juice serving, yogurt |
| 1 cup | 0.237 L | Standard US cup |
| 2 cups | 0.473 L | Pint equivalent |
| 4 cups | 0.946 L | Near 1 liter (quart) |
| 8 cups | 1.893 L | Soup pot, 2 quarts |
Common reference values
| cups | liter |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.237 |
| 2 | 0.473 |
| 4 | 0.946 |
| 8 | 1.893 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many liters is 1 US cup?
1 US cup is 0.237 liters (237 mL). A UK cup is 0.284 L and a metric cup is 0.25 L, so check which standard your recipe uses before scaling up.
Is a US cup the same as a metric cup?
No. A US cup is 237 mL, a metric cup is 250 mL, and a UK cup is 284 mL. For baking, use the cup standard your recipe was written for so the ratios stay right.
How do I scale a cup recipe to a liter pot?
Convert each cup amount to liters and add them up, then leave some headroom. Four US cups is about 0.95 L, so a 2 L pot comfortably holds a 6-cup recipe.