Recipe scaler for the portions you need

How to scale a recipe

1. Paste the ingredient list into the recipe converter above, keeping the amounts beside their ingredients.
2. Enter the original number of servings and the number you want to make. The scale factor is new servings divided by original servings.
3. Check the result before you cook. Countable ingredients such as eggs round to whole or half units, and lines such as salt to taste stay as written.

The tool reads whole numbers, decimals and fractions, including 1/2 and ½. It also reads mixed numbers such as 1 1/2 and ranges such as 2-3. Look over the original recipe's instructions, too: an ingredient amount mentioned only in a cooking step can be easy to miss.

Halve a recipe or make a larger batch

To halve a recipe for 4 servings, set the new servings to 2. The factor is 2 divided by 4, or 0.5. If the sauce starts with 2 cups (about 480 ml) of crushed tomatoes and 2 carrots, use 1 cup (about 240 ml) of tomatoes and 1 carrot.

For a soup that serves 2, increasing it to 6 gives a factor of 3. An amount of 1/2 cup (about 120 ml) of broth becomes 1 1/2 cups (about 360 ml), and 2 potatoes become 6. Choose a pot with room to stir, then check the liquid as it cooks.

To double a recipe, multiply the ingredients by 2. That doubles the amount of food you prepare; it doesn't mean leaving it in the oven twice as long.

Measure half an egg by weight

Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it until the yolk and white are mixed. Weigh the beaten egg, then use half. A large egg without its shell is about 50 g, so half is about 25 g. Dividing an unbeaten egg gives you an uneven share of white and yolk.

A fractional egg and a missing egg are different problems. If you need a replacement, choose an egg substitute for baking that suits the recipe.

Taste seasoning and check the raising agents

Salt, strong spices and chili need a taste check after scaling. When multiplying by 3 or more, start with less than the calculated seasoning and add more as needed. Taste at a stage when the food is cooked and safe to sample.

Large baking batches need more care with baking soda and baking powder. A multiplied ingredient list can't promise the same rise in a much larger pan. For a big increase, use a recipe tested for that batch size or make several batches at the original size.

Match the pan to the batch

Pan area affects how deep the batter sits. An 8-inch (about 20 cm) square pan has roughly the same area as a 9-inch (about 23 cm) round pan. A 9-inch (about 23 cm) square pan is larger than either, despite sharing a dimension with the round pan.

Doubling a recipe for a 9-inch (about 23 cm) round pan roughly fills a 9-by-13-inch (about 23-by-33-cm) pan. Watch the batter depth and leave room for rising. Keep the recipe's oven temperature as your starting point and check for doneness; a deeper cake needs a different baking time.

For stir-fries and seared food, cook in batches so the pan stays hot. With reduced sauces, watch the consistency: a larger amount in the same pot loses water differently from the original batch.

Use a scale for awkward fractions

Weighing helps when halving eggs or dividing baking ingredients into small portions. If the source recipe uses cups, use the cups to grams converter for the right ingredient. Keep any gram weights the author already provides.