Recipe Scaling Calculator
Scale a recipe up or down to the right number of servings, and find the new amount for each ingredient.
How to use the calculator
- Enter how many servings the recipe is originally written for.
- Enter how many servings you actually want to make.
- Enter the amount of one ingredient (e.g. "200" for 200 g flour), and get the new amount.
How the scaling is calculated
The calculator first finds a scaling factor based on the ratio between the desired and original number of servings:
New amount = Recipe amount × Scaling factor
You can repeat the calculation for every ingredient in the recipe using the same scaling factor — just swap in the number for that particular ingredient. Things like spices, salt and acid (e.g. lemon juice or vinegar) should often be scaled a bit more cautiously than purely proportionally, since flavor doesn't always scale linearly. Taste as you go and adjust as needed, especially for large changes in serving count.
Not everything in a recipe scales equally
Quantities scale proportionally, but several other things do not. Cooking time does not follow the number of servings — a double batch of stew does not take twice as long, though it does take longer to come up to temperature, and a cake tin twice the size needs longer at a lower temperature to avoid burning outside while raw inside.
Spices, salt and raising agents should also be adjusted by judgement rather than by calculator. Strong spices and chilli often come across as more intense than straight multiplication suggests, and too much baking powder gives an off taste and a cake that rises fast and collapses. Scale such ingredients cautiously, taste as you go, and remember that the pan or tin has to hold the increased volume.
Frequently asked questions
Does baking time scale proportionally with the amount?
No. Baking time relates to heat conduction and the size of the pan, not just the amount of ingredients. A double batch usually only needs slightly longer baking time, not double — check with a toothpick test or food thermometer instead.
Should I scale spices and salt the same as other ingredients?
Not necessarily. Strong flavors like spices, salt, chili and acid (lemon, vinegar) often taste stronger than purely proportional at large amounts, so it can be worth scaling these a bit more cautiously and tasting as you go.
How do I use this to scale the whole recipe?
Calculate the scaling factor once using the original and desired number of servings. Then apply the same factor to the amount of each individual ingredient in the recipe, one by one.