Recipe Scaler — Scale Any Recipe Up or Down

To double a recipe, multiply every ingredient amount by 2. If the recipe calls for 1.5 cups of flour, use 3 cups. If it calls for 2 eggs, use 4 eggs. Baking time does not double when you double a recipe. A larger volume of batter takes longer to cook through, but typically only 20 to 35 percent longer. Start checking for doneness 10 to 15 minutes earlier than twice the original bake time and use a toothpick or thermometer to confirm.

To cut a recipe in half, divide every ingredient amount by 2. For odd amounts like 3 eggs, use 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk for a richer result or 1 whole egg plus 1 white for a lighter one. For 1 tablespoon, half is 1.5 teaspoons. For 1/3 cup, half is approximately 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. When halving baked goods, use a smaller pan so the batter depth is similar to the original recipe, which keeps bake time roughly the same.

Salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda should not always be scaled linearly for very large batches. When multiplying a recipe by 4x or more, start with 75 percent of the scaled salt and spice amounts and adjust to taste. Leavening agents like baking powder may only need to be increased by 1.5x even when doubling a recipe, since too much causes bitterness and a metallic aftertaste. For standard 2x scaling, linear scaling of all ingredients is generally fine.

Cooking time does not scale proportionally with ingredient amounts. Doubling ingredients does not double cook time. The total added time depends on pan size and batter depth. If the pan size stays the same but the batter is deeper, add 15 to 25 percent more time. If you use a wider pan that keeps depth similar, time stays nearly the same. Always rely on visual cues and a thermometer rather than timing alone when scaling baked goods or roasts.

To scale a recipe from cups to grams, first multiply the cup amount by your scaling factor, then convert the scaled cup amount to grams using the ingredient's weight per cup. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of all-purpose flour and you want to triple it, 2 times 3 equals 6 cups, and 6 cups times 125 grams equals 750 grams. Working in grams makes scaling more precise and eliminates rounding errors from fractional cup measurements.

Yes. To scale to any number of servings, divide the desired serving count by the original serving count to get your scaling factor, then multiply every ingredient by that factor. For example, to scale a recipe from 6 servings to 9 servings, the scaling factor is 9 divided by 6, which equals 1.5. Every ingredient gets multiplied by 1.5.

To scale a recipe for a different pan size, calculate the volume of both pans and use the ratio as your scaling factor. A 9-inch round cake pan holds approximately 8 cups of batter. A 9-by-13-inch rectangular pan holds approximately 14 to 15 cups. To convert a round cake recipe to a 9-by-13 pan, multiply all ingredients by 1.75 to 1.9.