How Many Cups to a Quart? Quarts, Pints and Gallons Chart

Every US liquid unit doubles or quadruples the one before it. 2 cups make a pint, 2 pints make a quart and 4 quarts make a gallon. This chart shows them side by side, with ml from NIST.

How Much Is a Quart in Cups

A US liquid quart holds exactly 4 cups, so how much is a quart in cups has one simple answer. A quarter of a quart is 1 cup, and half a quart is 2 cups. The same rule works for any liquid, from milk to broth to water.

An Easy Way to Remember

Think of the word gallon as a big G. Inside the G are 4 Qs for quarts, and inside each Q are 2 Ps for pints. Inside each P are 2 Cs for cups, which gives 16 cups in all.

Multiply quarts by 4 to get cups. This chart covers the pot, slow cooker and stockpot sizes cooks see most. Liters are shown for recipes that use metric units.

5 Quarts in Cups

5 quarts is 20 cups, or 160 fluid ounces. That is 1 1/4 gallons. A 6 quart slow cooker holds up to 24 cups, though most recipes fill it only part way.

Divide cups by 4 to get quarts, or by 16 to get gallons. Big batch recipes for soup, punch and brine often list cups. This chart shows the quarts and gallons for each amount.

16 Cups to Quarts

16 cups to quarts is 4 quarts, which is exactly 1 gallon. Divide 16 by 4 to check the math. 24 cups is 6 quarts, or 1 1/2 gallons, and 8 cups is 2 quarts.

A half gallon holds 8 cups, which is 2 quarts or 64 fluid ounces. A full US gallon holds 16 cups and 3.79 liters. A pint holds 2 cups, so 2 pints fill a quart.

How Many Cups in a Half Gallon of Milk

A half gallon of milk holds 8 cups. At 244 grams per cup (USDA), it weighs about 1,952 grams, or 4.3 pounds. A full gallon of milk holds 16 cups.

How Much a Gallon of Water Weighs

The USGS lists a gallon of tap water at 8.329 pounds at 70°F. That means a quart of water weighs a little over 2 pounds. One cup of water weighs about 237 grams.

The quart on this page is the US liquid quart. Two other quarts exist, and both are bigger. The quart you need depends on what you measure and where the recipe comes from.

Is a Liter Bigger Than a Quart

Yes, a liter is a little bigger than a US quart. One liter equals 1.057 quarts, or 4.23 US cups. A UK quart is bigger still, at 1.137 liters.

You only need two numbers: 4 cups in a quart and 4 quarts in a gallon. Multiply to go to the smaller unit, and divide to go to the bigger one. These examples show both ways.

Quarts to Cups

Multiply the quarts by 4. For 2 1/2 quarts, 2.5 × 4 = 10 cups. For 3/4 quart, 0.75 × 4 = 3 cups.

Cups to Quarts

Divide the cups by 4. For 10 cups, 10 ÷ 4 = 2.5 quarts. For 6 cups, 6 ÷ 4 = 1.5 quarts.

Cups to Gallons

Divide the cups by 16. For 24 cups, 24 ÷ 16 = 1.5 gallons. For 12 cups, 12 ÷ 16 = 0.75 gallon, or 3 quarts.

Tips for Measuring Large Amounts

Large batches are easy to measure if you use the right tools. These habits cut down on spills and mistakes. They help most with soups, brines and drinks.

• Use a 4 cup liquid measure. One full pour equals 1 quart.
• Count in quarts, not cups. Fewer pours mean fewer counting errors.
• Check carton labels. A 32 fluid ounce carton of broth holds exactly 1 quart.
• Know your pot size. Many pots and slow cookers list their size in quarts.
• Do not mix US and UK units. A UK quart holds about 20 percent more than a US quart.