How to scale a recipe up or down
Short answer
Multiply each ingredient by new servings divided by original servings. Halving 1/3 cup gives 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, and halving 3/4 cup gives 6 tablespoons. In Recepti, the plus and minus servings buttons scale the ingredient amounts it could read.
The formula
Scale factor = servings you want ÷ servings in the recipe. Making 6 from a recipe for 4? Multiply every amount by 1.5.
Halving chart
| Original | Half |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 6 tablespoons |
| 2/3 cup | 1/3 cup |
| 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/3 cup | 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons |
| 1/4 cup | 2 tablespoons |
| 1 tablespoon | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon |
| 1 egg | Beat it, then use half (about 25 g) |
What does not scale in a straight line
- Pan size. Half a recipe in the same pan is thinner and cooks faster.
- Cooking time. Check early when you scale down and later when you scale up.
- Salt and strong spices. Scale, then taste and adjust.
- Yeast and baking powder. Usually scale directly, but watch the rise.
In Recepti
Open a saved recipe and use the plus and minus buttons next to Servings. Ingredient amounts that Recepti could read are scaled for you.
Paste a link and see what Recepti saves.
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Questions
How do I halve an egg?
Beat the egg and use half by weight or volume, roughly 25 g for a large egg.
Can I triple a cake recipe?
Often it is better to bake it in batches, because large pans bake unevenly.