Recipe Scaler: Resize a Recipe by Servings
Paste an ingredient list and scale it to more or fewer servings or by any factor, with amounts rounded to kitchen fractions. Also converts cups, spoons, millilitres and grams.
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 300 g butter
- 4 1/2 eggs
- 3/8 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- Zest of 1 lemonnot scaled
About the Recipe Scaler
The Recipe Scaler resizes a recipe for a different number of people. Paste the ingredient list, one ingredient per line, type how many servings the recipe makes and how many you want, and every amount is multiplied and rounded to a measure you can actually use, such as 2 1/4 cups or 3/8 teaspoon. You can also scale by a factor, such as 2 to double a recipe or 0.5 to halve it. A second mode, Convert measures, turns cups and spoons into grams and millilitres for common ingredients; it has its own page, the Cups to Grams Converter.
Each line is read as a quantity, an optional unit and the rest of the line. The quantity can be a whole number, a decimal, a fraction such as 1/2, a mixed number such as 1 1/2, a symbol such as ½, or a range such as 2-3. Units and words are kept exactly as you wrote them. Lines with no number, such as "Salt to taste", are kept and marked "not scaled".
How to use it
Steps
- Paste or type the ingredients in Ingredients, one per line.
- Choose Servings and fill in Recipe makes and You want, or choose Factor and type a factor above 0 and up to 100.
- Read the scaled list underneath. It updates as you type.
How the amounts are worked out
The factor is the servings you want divided by the servings the recipe makes, and each quantity becomes
Cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces and pounds are then rounded to the nearest of 0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 2/3, 3/4 and 7/8. Counts such as eggs round to the nearest quarter. Grams, kilograms, millilitres and litres show whole numbers from 10 upwards and one decimal below 10. Anything under 1/8 shows decimals, so a tenth of a teaspoon reads 0.1.
Worked examples
Going from 4 to 6 servings is a factor of 1.5:
- 1 1/2 cups flour becomes 2 1/4 cups flour.
- 2/3 cup sugar becomes 1 cup sugar.
- 3 eggs becomes 4 1/2 eggs, and 2-3 cloves garlic becomes 3-4 1/2 cloves garlic.
- 1/4 tsp salt becomes 3/8 tsp salt, and 200 g butter becomes 300 g butter.
Going from 6 servings to 2 turns 1 cup of sugar into 1/3 cup.
Tips
Half an egg is easiest to measure by beating one egg and using half of it by weight. Baking times do not scale with the recipe, so check for doneness. For temperatures and weights, the Temperature Converter and the Mass Converter help.
Privacy
Nothing is uploaded; every calculation runs in your browser and never leaves your device. The recipe you paste stays on this page and is gone when you close or reload it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scale a recipe?
Divide the servings you want by the servings the recipe makes and multiply every amount by the result. Going from 4 to 6 servings is a factor of 1.5, so 1 1/2 cups of flour becomes 2 1/4 cups.
Which quantities can it read?
Whole numbers, decimals, fractions such as 1/2, mixed numbers such as 1 1/2, symbols such as ½ or 1½, and ranges such as 2-3. Lines without a number, such as salt to taste, are kept and marked not scaled.
How are the amounts rounded?
Cups, spoons, ounces and pounds round to the nearest eighth or third, counts such as eggs to the nearest quarter, and grams or millilitres to whole numbers from 10 upwards. Amounts under an eighth show decimals.
Does it change 48 teaspoons into 1 cup?
No. Units stay as written so the list still matches your recipe. Use Convert measures on the same page to turn a large number of spoons into cups, or cups into grams.
Should I scale baking times and pan sizes too?
Not by the same factor. A bigger batch in a bigger pan often needs only a little longer, while a deeper pan needs more time at a lower heat. Check doneness rather than the clock.