---
title: "Milliliter: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A milliliter (ml) is a thousandth of a liter, the metric unit for measuring liquids. See how ml converts to teaspoons, cups and fluid ounces."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/milliliter"
---

# Milliliter

A milliliter (ml) is a thousandth of a liter, the metric unit for measuring liquids. See how ml converts to teaspoons, cups and fluid ounces.

Also called Millilitre, ml, Milliliters.

A milliliter (ml) is a metric unit of volume. A thousand milliliters make a liter. It is spelled millilitre in British English. Recipes from most of the world measure milk, water, stock, cream, wine and oil in milliliters. Swedish recipes use [deciliters](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/deciliter) for larger amounts, but the spoons are defined in milliliters.

## Why it works

The metric system was set up so that 1 ml of water weighs 1 [gram](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gram). That makes it easy to weigh liquids instead of measuring them: put the jug on a scale, tare it, and pour 250 g of water for 250 ml. Milk, stock and wine are close enough to water for this to work. Oil weighs about 0.92 g per ml, and honey and syrups about 1.4 g per ml, so measure those by volume or use their own weight.

## How to use it

Read a liquid measuring jug at eye level on a flat counter. The liquid curves slightly at the edges, so read the flat middle part.

Converting to US and Swedish measures:

| Milliliters | US                                                                        | Swedish                                          |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| 1 ml        | about ⅕ teaspoon                                                          | 1 [krm](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/krm) |
| 5 ml        | 1 [teaspoon](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/teaspoon)                | 1 tsk                                            |
| 15 ml       | 1 tablespoon                                                              | 1 msk                                            |
| 30 ml       | 1 [fl oz](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fluid-ounce), 2 tablespoons | 2 msk                                            |
| 60 ml       | ¼ cup                                                                     | ½ dl plus 2 tsk                                  |
| 100 ml      | a little under ½ cup                                                      | 1 dl                                             |
| 240 ml      | 1 US [cup](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/cup)                       | 2.4 dl                                           |
| 500 ml      | about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons                                           | 5 dl                                             |
| 1,000 ml    | about 4¼ cups                                                             | 10 dl, 1 liter                                   |

## Common mistakes

* Reading a jug from above. You see the liquid higher than it is and pour too little.
* Mixing up ml with cl (centiliter, 10 ml) or dl (deciliter, 100 ml). European drink labels often use cl, and a 75 cl bottle is 750 ml.
* Assuming an Australian tablespoon is 15 ml. It is 20 ml. US, UK and Swedish tablespoons are all close to 15 ml.

## In recipes

You will see "250 ml milk", "500 ml chicken stock" and "100 ml double cream". Small amounts appear as "5 ml" in some British recipes, meaning a teaspoon.

## Related terms

* [DeciliterA deciliter (dl) is exactly 100 ml, the main volume unit in Swedish and Nordic recipes. See how it compares to cups and what 1 dl weighs.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/deciliter)
* [Fluid ounceA fluid ounce measures volume, not weight. A US fl oz is 29.6 ml and a British one is 28.4 ml. Here is how they compare to cups and pints.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fluid-ounce)
* [CupA US cup is about 240 ml, a metric cup is 250 ml, and a cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar. Here is how to measure and convert.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/cup)
* [GramThe gram is the metric unit of weight most of the world cooks with. Weighing in grams is faster and more accurate than cups. Here is how to convert.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gram)
* [TeaspoonA teaspoon holds 5 ml, and 3 teaspoons make a tablespoon. Here is how to measure one level, and how it compares to tsk and krm in Swedish recipes.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/teaspoon)
* [KrmKrm, short for kryddmått, is the Swedish spice measure and holds exactly 1 ml. Here is how it compares to tsk, msk and US teaspoons.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/krm)

[More in measurements](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/measurements)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)