How Many Cups in a Gallon?
16 cups
There are 16 cups in 1 US gallon (3,785 ml).
UK: 1 imperial gallon (4,546 ml) = 18.18 cups
Exact: 1 gal = 16 cup
Gallons to Cups conversion chart
| Gallons | Cups |
|---|---|
| 0.125 gal | 2 |
| 0.25 gal | 4 |
| 0.5 gal | 8 |
| 0.75 gal | 12 |
| 1 gal | 16 |
| 1.5 gal | 24 |
| 2 gal | 32 |
| 2.5 gal | 40 |
| 3 gal | 48 |
| 4 gal | 64 |
| 5 gal | 80 |
| 6 gal | 96 |
| 7 gal | 112 |
| 8 gal | 128 |
| 10 gal | 160 |
| 12 gal | 192 |
| 15 gal | 240 |
| 20 gal | 320 |
| 25 gal | 400 |
| 50 gal | 800 |
| 55 gal | 880 |
| 100 gal | 1,600 |
How to convert gallons to cups
cups = gallons × 16
Example: 2 gal × 16 = 32 cups.
Multiply the gallons by 16. That factor comes from two smaller steps you may already know: a gallon holds 4 quarts, and each quart holds 4 cups.
Parts of a gallon work the same way. A quarter gallon is 4 cups, and a gallon and a half is 24 cups.
Cup counts grow fast with big containers. A drink cooler that holds 5 gallons takes 80 cups, which is why large batches are easier to measure with a quart pitcher than with a one-cup measure. To go back from cups to gallons, divide by the same factor, or use the cups to gallons chart.
US vs UK gallons and cups
The gallon-to-cup rule above works only when both units are American. An imperial gallon is 4,546 ml, so it holds 19.22 US cups.
British cup measures hold 250 ml each, which changes the count again. Measured with that metric cup, a US gallon is 15.14 cups. If a British recipe mixes gallons and cups, convert both to milliliters (millilitres) first and work from there.
| Unit | Size | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| US gallon | 3,785 ml | US |
| imperial gallon | 4,546 ml | UK |
| US cup | 236.6 ml | US |
| US legal cup | 240 ml | US nutrition labels |
| metric cup | 250 ml | UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand |
How do you remember how many cups are in a gallon?
Draw the gallon family. Start with a big letter G, put four Qs inside it for quarts, two Ps inside each Q for pints, and two Cs inside each P for cups.
Count the Cs and you get 16. The same sketch answers related questions at a glance: a quart is 4 cups, and a pint is 2 cups. If you need ounces too, add one more layer, since every C holds 8 fluid ounces.
Gallons and cups: questions
How many cups are in half a gallon?
Half a gallon holds 8 cups. That is the size of a half-gallon carton of milk or juice. The page on half a gallon in cups shows the math step by step, along with tablespoons and fluid ounces.
How many cups are in 3/4 of a gallon?
Three quarters of a gallon is 12 cups, the same as three quarts. If a recipe calls for a full gallon but your pot only fits three quarts, scale every other ingredient to three quarters as well.
How many cups are in 1/8 of a gallon?
An eighth of a gallon is 2 cups, which is one US pint. That is handy when you split a gallon of stock into pint containers: the gallon fills 8 pints, each holding 16 fluid ounces.
How many cups are in a gallon of milk?
A gallon of milk has the same volume as any other gallon, 16 cups. It is a little heavier than water, though: USDA data puts a US gallon of whole milk at about 8.6 pounds, against 8.35 pounds for water. The gallons to pounds converter covers other liquids.
Related conversions
Sources: Unit definitions: NIST Handbook 44 · Last reviewed · Report an error
https://howmanyounces.com/gallons-to-cups/