Recipe for 4 scaled to 6
Factor × 1.5. 2 1/4 cups flour becomes 3 3/8 cups, 1/2 tsp salt becomes 3/4 tsp, and 250 g butter becomes 375 g.
Recipe scaler
—
Every amount is multiplied by new servings ÷ original servings. Amounts are rounded to the nearest kitchen fraction, such as 1/3 or 3/4. Baking times, pan sizes and eggs may need a judgement call.
Multiply every amount by
× 1.5
Going from 4 to 6 servings. 5 of 5 lines had an amount and were scaled.
- Original servings
- 4
- New servings
- 6
- Lines scaled
- 5 of 5
Scaled ingredients
| Ingredient | Original | Scaled |
|---|---|---|
| cups flour | 2 1/4 | 3 3/8 |
| cup sugar | 1 | 1 1/2 |
| eggs | 2 | 3 |
| tsp salt | 1/2 | 3/4 |
| g butter | 250 | 375 |
Resizing a recipe without the guesswork
Most recipes are written for four or six people. When you have more or fewer to feed, every ingredient has to be multiplied by the same number. That number is the new servings divided by the old servings. Going from 4 to 6 servings is a factor of 1.5. Going from 4 to 2 is 0.5.
Take a recipe for 4 with 2 1/4 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp of salt and 250 g of butter. For 6 servings that becomes 3 3/8 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 3 eggs, 3/4 tsp of salt and 375 g of butter. The tool rounds to the nearest fraction you can actually measure.
Some things do not scale neatly. Eggs come whole, so 1 1/2 eggs means beating two and using most of it, or weighing them. Pan sizes change too: doubling a cake recipe does not mean one pan twice as deep, because the middle will not cook in time. Use two pans or a bigger, wider one.
For baking, weight is more reliable than cups. If your recipe is in cups, scale it here and then convert the flour and sugar to grams. That small step makes a doubled recipe come out the same as the original.
Sources
What this calculator does not account for
- Cooking times and pan sizes do not scale with the amounts.
- Eggs and other whole items may need rounding by hand.
How this is calculated
Formula: Scaling a recipe
new amount =original amount × (new servings ÷ original servings)What the symbols mean
- original amountThe number at the start of each ingredient line.
- new servings ÷ original servingsThe scale factor. 6 ÷ 4 = 1.5.
Good to know
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest common fraction, such as 1/3 or 3/4, when that is within a small margin.
- To turn cups into grams for an exact bake, use the cups to grams calculator.
Read the full methodologyFound an error? Contact us
Worked examples
Each example is worked out by the same code as the calculator above.
Embed this calculator
The frame shows the tool only.
<iframe src="/embed/recipe-scaler" title="Recipe scaler" width="100%" height="720" style="border:0;max-width:42rem" loading="lazy"></iframe>Questions
How do I double a recipe?
Multiply every amount by 2. Enter the recipe's servings and twice that number as the new servings, and the tool does every line at once.
How do I halve a recipe with 3 eggs?
Half of 3 is 1 1/2. Beat 3 eggs and use half the mixture, or use 1 large and 1 small egg. One large egg is about 50 g without the shell.
Do I change the baking time when I scale a recipe?
Often, yes. A bigger cake in a deeper pan takes longer. Keep the same oven temperature and check early and often.
Can I scale salt and spices the same way?
Mostly. For big increases some cooks scale salt and strong spices a little less, then adjust to taste at the end.
What if a line has no amount, like salt to taste?
It is left as it is and marked as needed, so you can decide.