Is 5 ml one teaspoon or tablespoon?

Want to know how many mL in a teaspoon? The quick answer is about 5 mL. Learn what milliliter is and enjoy the handy milliliter to teaspoon and vice versa conversion charts.

Is 5 ml one teaspoon or tablespoon?

There are a lot of different conversions that you need to know as a baker.

And one of the most important is how many milliliters are in a teaspoon.

This conversion is essential because it will help you accurately measure your ingredients when baking.

Knowing how to do this conversion will ensure your recipes turn out correctly every time.

So, if you are looking for an easy way to remember how many milliliters are in a teaspoon, just think about it this way: there are 5 milliliters in a teaspoon.

Jump to:
  • What is a milliliter?
  • How many teaspoons are in 1 mL?
  • How many mL are in a teaspoon?
  • How to convert teaspoon to milliliter
  • How to convert mL to tsp
  • Teaspoons to milliliters conversions
  • Milliliters to teaspoons conversions
  • Other baking converters
  • Frequently asked questions

What is a milliliter?

A milliliter is a measuring unit of capacity which is the amount of liquid a container can hold. The capacity is measured in milliliters and teaspoons.

The abbreviation of the milliliter is mL; a teaspoon is abbreviated as 'tsp.'

How many teaspoons are in 1 mL?

1 mL equals 0.20288 teaspoons (US),

or 1 mL = 0.20288 tsp

How many mL are in a teaspoon?

There are two types of teaspoons used worldwide.

The US teaspoon equals 4.92892 mL

which is used to make the recipes in the United States.

The Metric teaspoon equals 5 mL

which is used in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the Commonwealth.

How to convert teaspoon to milliliter

It is known that 1 teaspoon (US) = 4.92892 mL

To convert tablespoons to milliliters, multiply the teaspoon value by 4.92892, where 4.92892 is a conversion factor.

For example, 2 teaspoon to mL calculation:

2 teaspoon x 4.92892 = 9.8578 mL

Another example of converting a half teaspoon to milliliters:

½ teaspoon x 4.92892 = 2.4645 mL

How to convert mL to tsp

It is known that:

1 mL = 0.202884 teaspoon (US)
1 teaspoon (US) = 4.92892 mL

To convert 1 mL to a teaspoon:

  • multiply the milliliter value by 0.202884 where 0.202884 is a conversion factor, OR
  • divide the milliliter value by 4.92892 where 4.92892 is a conversion factor.

For example, 1mL to teaspoon calculation:

1 mL x 0.202884 = 0.202884 teaspoon, OR

1 mL ÷ 4.92892 = 0.202884 tsp

Another example to convert 2 ml to tsp:

2 mL x 0.202884 = 0.405768 teaspoon, OR

2 mL ÷ 4.92892 = 0.405768 teaspoon

Teaspoons to milliliters conversions

Teaspoon (US) to mL conversion table

Teaspoon (US)Milliliter (mL)1 tsp4.93 mL2 tsp9.86 mL3 tsp14.79 mL4 tsp19.72 mL5 tsp24.64 mL6 tsp29.57 mL7 tsp34.50 mL8 tsp39.43 mL9 tsp44.36 mL10 tsp49.29 mLFigures are rounded to 2 decimal places. 

Teaspoon (Metric) to mL conversion table

Teaspoon (US)Milliliter (mL)1 tsp5 mL2 tsp10 mL3 tsp15 mL4 tsp20 mL5 tsp25 mL6 tsp30 mL7 tsp35 mL8 tsp40 mL9 tsp45 mL10 tsp50 mL

Milliliters to teaspoons conversions

Milliliter to teaspoon (US) conversion table

Milliliter (mL)Teaspoon (US)1 mL0.2029 tsp2 mL0.4058 tsp3 mL0.6087 tsp4 ml0.8115 tsp5 ml1.0144 tsp10 mL2.0288 tsp20 mL4.0577 tsp50 mL10.1442 tsp100 mL20.2884 tspFigures are rounded to 4 decimal places. 

Milliliter to teaspoon (Metric) conversion table

Milliliter (mL)Teaspoon (Metric)1 mL0.2 tsp2 mL0.4 tsp3 mL0.6 tsp4 ml0.8 tsp5 ml1 tsp10 mL2 tsp20 mL4 tsp50 mL10 tsp100 mL20 tspFigures are rounded to 4 decimal places. 

Other baking converters

If you need to convert between other cooking weight and volume measurements, you can do so on the blog by visiting

Baking Conversion charts >>

Individual ingredients converters are available for grams to cups, cups to grams, grams to teaspoons, grams to tablespoons, and others.

Also, if you want to learn baking basics, baking ingredients and substitutions, how to store your baking goods, visit the Baking 101 page on the website.

The best way to measure medicine is with a graduated spoon or syringe. These are available at any pharmacy, or if you remember to ask at your doctor's office you may get one there. These are marked with graduations for both milliliters (ml) and fractions of a teaspoon and typically hold 5 ml - one teaspoon. Remember that milliliters (ml) and cubic centimeters (cc) are the same thing. Some conversion factors for teaspoons and milliliters:

1/4 teaspoon1.25 ml1/2 teaspoon2.5 ml3/4 teaspoon3.75 ml1 teaspoon5 ml1-1/2 teaspoon7.5 ml1 tablespoon15 ml

Some liquid medications are measured in fractions of a milliliter. For measuring such small amounts of medicine, your doctor may give you a 1 cc syringe (there is that cubic centimeter thing again - remember, it is the same as a milliliter - ml). If so, make sure the doctor or pharmacist shows you exactly which mark to use on the syringe. A felt pen mark or a piece of tape are the least prone to error. If you do not have a syringe, you can still measure small amounts of medicine using a Tylenol® or similar acetaminophen dropper. Recall that the dropper is generally marked 0.4 and 0.8 ml.

0.2 ml1/2 of the 0.4 mark0.4 mlthe first mark on the dropper0.6 mlhalfway between the 0.4 and 0.8 marks0.8 mlthe second mark on the dropper1.0 mlthe second mark on the dropper plus half of the first mark1.2 ml0.8 ml plus 0.4 ml - you get the picture

Of course, some droppers are marked 0.3 and 0.6 ml. These droppers can be used just as well to approximate a dosage fairly accurately.

In case you are worried about the slight amount of error introduced by eyeballing a measurement between two lines, remember that some medicine sticks to the dropper, some is spit out by the child, etc. More precision is ordinarily not needed; if it is, your doctor will be sure to give you a syringe to measure very precisely.

Is 5 mL the same as 1 teaspoon?

If you use a teaspoon, it should be a measuring spoon. Regular spoons are not reliable. Also, remember that 1 level teaspoon equals 5 mL and that ½ a teaspoon equals 2.5 mL.

Is 5 mL the same as 1 tablespoon?

A tablespoon is three times bigger than a teaspoon and three teaspoons equal one tablespoon (1Tbsp or 1Tb). One tablespoon also equals 15mL.

How do you measure 5 mL?

1 teaspoon = 5 mL. 1 tablespoon = 15 mL.

What is 5 mL equal to in tablespoons?

Milliliter to teaspoon (US) conversion table.