Recipe Servings Calculator
Found a recipe serving 4 but you need 9? Enter original servings, target servings, and every ingredient — we scale them all.
How scaling works
Scale factor = target servings ÷ original servings. A recipe for 4 you want for 8 people → factor 2 — every quantity doubles. Simple math, but doing it in your head while cooking is error-prone. This calculator removes that step.
Ingredients that should NOT scale linearly
Salt, pepper, and strong spices should scale by roughly the square root of the factor, not the factor itself — or season to taste at the end. Yeast and leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda) can be reduced slightly in very large batches to prevent over-rising. For most home cooking, linear scaling works just fine.
Frequently asked questions
Mixing units (cups, grams, oz)?
Yes — we scale by factor only, preserving your unit labels. But converting everything to metric grams is most accurate for baking, since volume varies by scoop technique.
Weird decimals in output?
Math. 2 cups × 1.8 = 3.6 cups. Round to kitchen-practical amounts — 3.5 cups or 3¾ cups are fine approximations.
Scaling down to half a serving?
Enter original = 2, target = 1. Not recommended for most recipes — single-serve cooking is one thing, halving a cake is rarely worth the dishes.
Cooking time changes?
Usually not for small changes (0.5–2×). For very large batches, thick pans or full ovens may need slightly longer. Use a thermometer, not the clock.
Oven temperature?
Never scale oven temperature. Keep it the same. Only cooking time may shift for extreme batch sizes.
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For general calculations only. Not financial, tax, or legal advice — see our disclaimer.