Ten milliliters is exactly two standard teaspoons, and that’s the quickest way to measure it without a measuring cup. But teaspoons aren’t your only option. Depending on what you have in your kitchen and how precise you need to be, there are several reliable ways to get to 10 ml.
Use Kitchen Spoons
A standard US teaspoon holds 5 ml, so two level teaspoons equal 10 ml. A standard US tablespoon holds 15 ml, so two-thirds of a tablespoon gets you there as well, though eyeballing two-thirds of a spoon is harder than filling two teaspoons. Stick with the teaspoon method when possible.
One important caveat: the teaspoons and tablespoons already in your silverware drawer are not the same as standardized measuring spoons. Research published in BMC Research Notes found that household teaspoons tend to under-measure by about 8.4%, while household tablespoons over-measure by about 11.6%. For cooking, that margin is usually fine. For liquid medication, especially for children, it’s a real problem. If accuracy matters, use actual measuring spoons or one of the methods below.
Weigh It on a Kitchen Scale
If you have a digital kitchen scale, you can skip volume measurements entirely. For water and water-based liquids (juice, broth, vinegar, milk), 10 ml weighs almost exactly 10 grams. Set a small cup or container on the scale, zero it out, and add liquid until the display reads 10 grams.
This only works cleanly for liquids with a density close to water. Thicker liquids like honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup are denser than water, so 10 ml of corn syrup weighs more than 10 grams. Lighter liquids like vegetable oil weigh less than 10 grams per 10 ml. For those, the scale method requires knowing the specific density of the liquid, which makes it less practical. For water-based liquids, though, the 1 ml = 1 gram shortcut is extremely accurate for everyday purposes.
Use a Bottle Cap
A standard plastic cap from a water or soda bottle holds roughly 5 ml, making two capfuls approximately 10 ml. This is a useful trick in a pinch, but cap sizes vary. Flat, shallow caps from some water bottles hold less, while taller soda bottle caps may hold more, anywhere from 5 to 15 ml depending on the brand. If you’re using this method, a standard 28mm water bottle cap (the most common size) filled to the brim is your best bet at around 5 ml. Two of those gets you close to 10 ml.
This is fine for rough measurements in cooking or mixing cleaning solutions. Don’t rely on it for medication dosing.
Pick Up an Oral Syringe
For the most accurate option without a measuring cup, grab an oral syringe from any pharmacy. CVS, Walgreens, and most drugstores sell 10 ml oral syringes for a couple of dollars, and pharmacists will often give you one for free if you ask. These syringes have clear ml markings printed on the barrel, so you draw liquid up to exactly the 10 ml line. No guesswork involved.
Oral syringes are the gold standard for measuring liquid medication. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices specifically recommends syringes, dosing cups, and droppers over household spoons because the error rate drops dramatically. If you’re measuring children’s medicine, an oral syringe is worth having in the house permanently.
Quick Reference for 10 ml
- Measuring spoons: 2 level teaspoons
- Kitchen scale: 10 grams (for water-based liquids)
- Bottle caps: 2 standard water bottle caps, filled to the brim
- Oral syringe: Fill to the 10 ml line (most precise option)
- Tablespoon: About two-thirds of one tablespoon
For cooking and household tasks, two teaspoons from a measuring spoon set will serve you well. For anything where precision matters, particularly medication, an oral syringe is inexpensive and eliminates the guesswork completely.