Enter a recipe measurement, its unit, and the original and target serving sizes to scale it up or down, with a metric equivalent included.
Doubling a recipe or cooking for two instead of six means every measurement needs the same scaling factor. This tool does the multiplication and adds a rough metric conversion so you’re not doing double math.
Recipe Scaler
Amount:
Unit:
Original Servings:
Target Servings:
Scaled Amount: —
How Recipe Scaling Works
Scaling a recipe is a single ratio applied to every ingredient: target servings divided by original servings. This calculator applies that ratio to one measurement at a time and also converts common cooking units (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, ounces, pounds) into their approximate metric equivalent.
How to Use This Calculator
- Amount: the measurement listed in the original recipe.
- Unit: the unit that amount is measured in.
- Original/Target Servings: how many servings the recipe currently makes, and how many you want instead.
- Repeat for each ingredient in the recipe.
Example: 2 cups scaled from 4 servings to 6 servings becomes 3.00 cups (about 709.8 mL).
The Formula and More Examples
Scaled amount = original amount × (target servings ÷ original servings). The ratio is the same for every ingredient in the recipe.
Scaling up: 3 tbsp of oil in a recipe for 4, made for 8, becomes 3 × 2 = 6 tbsp. Scaling down: 1.5 tsp of salt in a recipe for 6, made for 2, becomes 1.5 × ⅓ = 0.5 tsp. Fractional ratio: 2 cups of flour for 4 servings, made for 6, becomes 2 × 1.5 = 3 cups.
What Doesn’t Scale Cleanly
Salt, spices, and leavening are best increased a little less than the full ratio and then adjusted by taste. Pan size changes cooking time, so a doubled casserole in a bigger dish may need longer at the same temperature. For baking, weighing ingredients in grams is more reliable than measuring by volume, and scaling by weight avoids rounding awkward cup fractions.
Did You Know?
- Scaling doesn’t always work perfectly for leavening agents like baking soda or yeast; many bakers scale these slightly less than the full ratio to avoid an overpowering rise or taste.
- Cooking and baking times generally don’t scale linearly with quantity, so a doubled dish may not need exactly double the cook time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which units does this support?
Cup, tablespoon (tbsp), teaspoon (tsp), fluid ounce (fl oz), and milliliter/liter for volume; ounce (oz), pound (lb), and gram/kilogram for weight.
Is the metric conversion exact?
It uses standard conversion factors (like 1 cup = 236.588 mL) and is accurate for volume and weight conversion, though ingredient density can shift a volume-to-weight comparison for a specific ingredient.
Can I scale a recipe down as well as up?
Yes, entering a target serving count lower than the original scales every measurement down using the same ratio.
How do I scale an ingredient that is a whole item, like one egg?
Round to the nearest practical amount. For one egg scaled by 1.5, use one egg plus a little beaten egg, or round to two eggs if the recipe is forgiving.
Do I need to change the pan size?
Often yes. Doubling a recipe usually calls for a larger pan or two pans, and cooking time may change, so check for doneness rather than following the original time exactly.