Free kitchen tool
Recipe Scaler Calculator
Scale a recipe up or down by servings. Paste your ingredients, choose how many portions you need, and get a clean list with practical fractions—right in your browser.
- No sign-up
- Smart fractions
- Copy or print
- Nothing is uploaded
Adjust ingredients by yield
Scale Your Recipe
Scale factor: 2×
Understands: 2, 0.5, ½, 1 1/2, 1½, and ranges such as 2–3 tbsp. Lines such as “salt to taste” stay unchanged.
Scaled ingredient list
Your Scaled Recipe
How to Use the Recipe Scaler
- Enter the original and target servings. If a recipe serves four and you need six, enter 4 and 6.
- Paste ingredients one per line. Put each measurable amount at the beginning, such as “1 1/2 cups chickpeas.”
- Select Scale Recipe. Review the result, then copy or print your adjusted ingredient list.
The conversion factor is the desired yield divided by the original yield. A four-serving recipe adjusted to six servings uses a factor of 6 ÷ 4 = 1.5. Each recognized ingredient amount is multiplied by 1.5. This follows the standard recipe-scaling method described by the University of Wyoming Extension.
Recipe Scaling Example
| Ingredient | Original | Scaled |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked chickpeas | 2 cups | 3 cups |
| Extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | 3 tbsp |
| Lemon juice | 2 tbsp | 3 tbsp |
| Chopped parsley | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
Tips for Better Results
Taste seasoning gradually
Salt, chile, garlic, and strong spices may not taste balanced when increased mechanically. Start below the displayed quantity when practical, then adjust.
Keep food depth similar
When making a larger baked or casserole recipe, use a larger dish or multiple pans so the food depth stays close to the original.
Check cooking time separately
Cook time does not scale in a straight line. Begin checking doneness near the original time and use recipe-specific visual or temperature cues.
For school and institutional recipe records, the USDA Food Buying Guide also distinguishes the recipe’s total servings from its serving size and ingredient quantities. See the USDA Recipe Analysis Workbook guidance for that methodology.
Related Kitchen Tools and Guides
Scaling changes the quantity but keeps the written unit. If your result is awkward to measure, use our Kitchen Measurement Converter. You can also check teaspoons in a tablespoon, milliliters in a teaspoon, cups in a pint, or cups in a quart.
Planning a healthier meal as well as changing its yield? Try the Mediterranean Diet Food Swap Calculator for practical ingredient alternatives.
Recipe Scaler FAQs
How do I double a recipe?
Set the target servings to twice the original servings, or choose the 2× quick option. Every recognized ingredient amount will be multiplied by two, while lines without measurable amounts remain unchanged.
How do I halve a recipe?
Choose the ½× quick option or set the target servings to half the original yield. The calculator converts decimal results into familiar cooking fractions when a close practical fraction is available.
Does the calculator understand fractions?
Yes. It supports decimals, slash fractions, mixed numbers, Unicode fractions such as ½ and ¾, and ingredient ranges such as 2–3 tablespoons.
Should cooking time be doubled when a recipe is doubled?
No. Cooking time usually does not increase in direct proportion to ingredient quantities. Pan size, food depth, cooking method, and appliance performance all matter, so use the original recipe’s doneness cues.
Can I scale salt, spices, yeast, and baking powder exactly?
The calculator shows the mathematical quantity, but flavor and baking performance may need manual adjustment. Taste seasonings gradually and follow a tested, recipe-specific method for yeast or chemical leaveners.
Does this tool convert cups to grams?
No. This tool changes recipe yield without changing units. Cup-to-gram conversion requires an ingredient-specific density because equal cup volumes of flour, oil, and sugar do not weigh the same.
Methodology and Limitations
Formula: scale factor = target servings ÷ original servings; scaled amount = original amount × scale factor. Calculations use unrounded decimal values, while displayed results use practical fractions or up to three decimal places.
Privacy: all calculations run in your browser. Recipe text is not sent to Mediterranean Tastes or a third-party service by this code.
Limitations: the tool scales numbers at the start of ingredient lines. It does not verify a recipe, assess food safety, predict cooking time, convert between weight and volume, or guarantee that a heavily scaled recipe will behave identically.
Tool version 1.0.0 · Formula and software checks completed August 26, 2026