The Easiest Way to Resize a Recipe
Found a great chili recipe that serves 4, but you're hosting a football party for 12? Or maybe you want to cut a massive batch of cookies in half? Our Recipe Scaler does all the math for you instantly.
How the Math Works
Scaling a recipe is a simple matter of finding the "multiplier." The formula is:
Desired Servings ÷ Original Servings = Multiplier
If you want 12 servings from a recipe that originally makes 4, your multiplier is 3 (12 ÷ 4 = 3). You then multiply every ingredient by 3.
Smart Tips for Scaling Recipes
- Convert Fractions to Decimals: Our auto-scaler works best with decimals. If a recipe calls for `1 1/2` cups of flour, type it as `1.5` cups.
- Watch Your Pan Sizes: If you double a cake recipe, you cannot bake it in the original pan. You will either need to use two pans or use our Cake Pan Size Converter to find the right vessel.
- Cooking Times May Vary: Doubling a soup recipe means there is more liquid in the pot, which will take longer to bring to a boil. However, if you are baking two separate trays of cookies instead of one, the baking time remains the exact same.
Frequently Asked Questions
To scale a recipe, divide your desired number of servings by the original number of servings to get your multiplier. Then, multiply every ingredient in the recipe by that multiplier.
Yes, you can easily double the ingredients in a baking recipe. However, you may need to use a larger pan or bake it in two separate batches. Baking times may also change if you change the pan size.
When doubling a savory recipe (like a soup or stew), it's often best to only increase strong spices (like cayenne or salt) by 1.5x initially, then taste and adjust. For baking, you should double all spices exactly.