How many cups in a liter? (+ Conversion Charts)

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Ever found yourself in the middle of a recipe, only to realize it calls for liters instead of cups? Understanding measurements can be tricky, especially when switching between metric and customary units. Learn everything there is to know about converting cups to liters and other units of measurement.

Wondering how many cups are in a liter? This question has a few answers, and they depend on where you live.

As we discussed in the blog post on metric vs imperial system, the liter is a metric unit of volume, while a cup is a unit used in both the US customary and imperial systems. 

TIP: Remember to use wet measuring cups when measuring liquids.

When it comes to cooking and baking, precision matters. Knowing exactly how many cups are in a liter can make the difference between a perfect dish and a kitchen disaster.

What is a cup?

A cup is a unit of volume commonly used in cooking and baking, especially in the United States. But here’s where it gets tricky: not all cups are created equal.

In the US, a standard cup holds about 237 milliliters (ml).

However, in other countries, a cup might mean something slightly different. For example, a metric cup used in Australia and Canada is 250 ml.

In the UK, the imperial cup measures 284 milliliters (ml).

This small difference can add up, especially in baking where precision is key.

As you can imagine converting 237 ml is slightly trickier than converting 250 ml to liters.

What is a liter?

A liter, on the other hand, is a metric unit of volume. It’s equal to 1,000 milliliters or about 33.8 fluid ounces. Liters are widely used around the world for measuring liquids, and they’re the standard in most countries outside the US. When you’re dealing with larger quantities of liquid, like when making soup or sauce in bulk, you’ll often see recipes using liters.

Measurement Systems: Metric vs. Imperial

Cups and liters belong to different measurement systems. Cups are part of the imperial system, which is primarily used in the United States. Liters, however, are part of the metric system, which is used in most other countries around the world.

The metric system is based on units of 10, making it relatively easy to convert between different units. The imperial system, on the other hand, doesn’t follow this pattern, which can make conversions a bit more challenging.

Download the pdf conversion charts below to have these conversions handy in the kitchen.

how many cups in a liter?

1 liter = 1000 ml

1 US cup = 237 ml

1 Canadian cup = 250 ml

1 liter is equivalent to approximately 4.23 US cups.

If you don’t need a perfectly exact amount, measure about 4 1/4 US cups.

1 liter is equivalent to approximately 4 Canadian cups.

For exact measurements, use a scale with volume measurements.

Converting Between US Cups and Liters

So, how many cups are in a liter? As mentioned earlier, there are approximately 4.227 US cups and 4 Canadian cups in a liter. To be more precise:

1 liter = 4.22675 US cups

1 liter = 4 Canadian cups

To convert from liters to US cups, you simply multiply the number of liters by 4.22675. For example: 2 liters = 2 × 4.22675 = 8.4535 cups

Converting liters to Canadian cups is much easier. Multiply the number of liters by 4 to find the Canadian cups. For example: 2 liters = 2 x 4 = 8 cups.

Going the other way, to convert from US cups to liters, you divide the number of cups by 4.22675. For instance: 5 cups = 5 ÷ 4.22675 = 1.183 liters

TIP: There are no measuring cups that measure out 0.46 of a cup so you can round up to a half cup. But remember, weighing ingredients is always the most accurate, which is especially important in baking.

Conversion Chart: US Cups to Liters and Back

The chart below illustrates how to convert US cups into liters.

Cups	Liters
1	0.237
2	0.473
3	0.710
4	0.946
5	1.183
6	1.420
8	1.893
10	2.366
12	2.839
16	3.785

The chart below illustrates how to convert liters to US cups.

Liters	Cups
0.25	1.057
0.5	2.113
0.75	3.170
1	4.227
1.5	6.340
2	8.454
2.5	10.567
3	12.681
4	16.907
5	21.134

Download the printable conversion chart for cups to liters and liters to cups.

Conversion Chart: Metric Cups to Liters and Back

The chart below illustrates how to convert Canadian cups into liters.

Canadian cups	Liters
1	0.25
2	0.5
3	0.75
4	1
5	1.25
6	1.5
8	2
10	2.5
12	3
16	4

Download the printable Canadian cups to Liters chart. This is the only chart you need because converting either way is very easy.

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