Scale an ingredient amount from the servings a recipe was written for to the number of servings you actually want.
Calculations happen locally. We do not send your values to our server.
Going from 4 to 10 servings is a factor of ×2.5, so 2 cups of flour become 5 cups. Going from 6 to 4 servings is about ×0.6667, so 250 g becomes about 166.67 g.
The scale factor is the new serving count divided by the original serving count, and the ingredient amount is multiplied by that factor. Use the same factor for every ingredient in the recipe; both the scaled amount and the factor are shown.
Units are kept, not converted, so cups stay cups and grams stay grams. Seasoning, strong spices and leavening such as baking powder often need a little less than the full factor, and cooking time, temperature and pan size do not scale in a straight line with the servings.
Enter an ingredient amount, the servings the recipe was written for and the servings you want. The scale factor is new servings ÷ original servings. Going from 4 to 10 servings is ×2.5, so 2 cups of flour become 5 cups. Going from 6 to 4 servings is about ×0.6667, so 250 g becomes about 166.67 g. Use the same factor for every ingredient; the unit stays the one you entered, so cups remain cups and grams remain grams.
Scaled amounts are rarely neat. 1.5 teaspoons for 4 servings becomes 2.25 teaspoons for 6, which is 2 teaspoons plus a quarter teaspoon. Three eggs become 4.5 eggs; beat 5 eggs and use about nine tenths, or use 4 eggs plus a little milk, depending on the recipe. Half a teaspoon of salt for 8 servings becomes 0.1875 teaspoons for 3, just under a quarter teaspoon. Weighing ingredients in grams makes these fractions far easier to handle than cups and spoons.
Seasoning, strong spices and leavening such as baking powder are often increased a little less than the factor, then adjusted by taste. Cooking time and temperature depend on the depth of the food rather than the number of servings, so check doneness instead of multiplying the time. Pan size changes by area: moving from a 20 cm round tin to a 24 cm tin increases area by 1.44 times, so ×1.44 fits the new tin. Spoon sizes also differ; a Japanese or Australian tablespoon is not the same volume as a US one.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
2 · 4 → 10 | 5 (×2.5) |
250 · 6 → 4 | 166.6667 (×0.6667) |
1.5 · 4 → 6 | 2.25 (×1.5) |
3 · 4 → 6 | 4.5 (×1.5) |
0.5 · 8 → 3 | 0.1875 (×0.375) |
Round sensibly in the kitchen. 1.5 teaspoons for 4 servings becomes 2.25 teaspoons for 6, which is 2 teaspoons plus a quarter. Half a teaspoon of salt for 8 servings becomes 0.1875 teaspoons for 3, just under a quarter teaspoon. Weighing in grams makes these fractions far easier than cups and spoons.
Three eggs scaled by ×1.5 give 4.5 eggs. Beat 5 eggs and use about nine tenths of them, or use 4 eggs plus a little milk, depending on how much the recipe depends on the egg. The same judgement applies to items sold whole, such as a can of tomatoes or a single onion.
No. Time and temperature depend on the depth of the food and your equipment rather than the serving count, so check doneness instead of multiplying minutes. Pan size changes by area: moving from a 20 cm round tin to a 24 cm one increases the area by 1.44 times, so a factor of ×1.44 fits the larger tin.
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