Recipe Scale Calculator
| Original | x 1/2 | x 2 | x 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1/2 cup | 2 cups | 3 cups |
| 3/4 cup | 6 tbsp | 1-1/2 cups | 2-1/4 cups |
| 2/3 cup | 1/3 cup | 1-1/3 cups | 2 cups |
| 1 tbsp | 1-1/2 tsp | 2 tbsp | 3 tbsp |
| 1 egg (50 g) | 25 g | 100 g | 150 g |
Scaling a recipe is multiplying by a factor - but a recipe that says 2/3 cup tripled wants 2 cups, stated plainly, not 1.9639 cups. The calculator does the multiplication and then speaks kitchen: whole fractions stay, weird ones become tablespoons and teaspoons.
Bottom line: enter the amount, the unit and the factor - one third, half, two thirds, one and a half, double or triple - and read the answer in a measure you own. 16 tablespoons per cup and 3 teaspoons per tablespoon re-phrase anything the factor makes awkward.
The honest part: two scaling rules are not multiplication. Pan size scales by area, not by length - a 9x13 pan doubled wants two 8x8 pans, not one twice as long. And spices scale gently: start at half the factor for salt, chili and herbs, taste, then close the gap.
How to use
- Type the amount from the recipe, pick its unit, and pick the factor - up or down, thirds, halves, doubles or triples.
- Read the scaled amount: clean fractions stay in the original unit, and awkward ones convert to tablespoons or teaspoons on the spot so the measure exists in your drawer.
- Apply the two non-multiplication rules by hand: match the pan by area (doubling a 9x13 means two 8x8 pans or one half-sheet), and season to about half the factor before tasting.
Frequently asked questions
How do you double 2/3 cup?
Two-thirds cup doubled is 1 and 1/3 cups - which pours as 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, or a 1-cup measure plus a scant second. The multiplication is easy; the answer is only useful when it names measures you actually own.
What pan do I use when I double a recipe?
Double the area, not the shape: a 9x13 pan is about 117 square inches, so the doubled batch fills two 8x8 pans or one half-sheet. A pan twice as long but the same width doubles the depth, and deeper batter bakes slower in the middle - the undoing of doubled brownies.
Do spices double when the recipe doubles?
Start lower - salt, chili and dried herbs go in at about half the new factor, taste, then add. Capsaicin and salt carry more than their volume suggests at scale, and a flat dish can be fixed at the table while an over-spiced double batch cannot.
Does baking powder scale exactly?
Yes - leaveners are the one ingredient that scales linearly, and they demand it: half the baking powder in a doubled cake bakes a brick. Sugar and flour scale exactly too; it is spices and cook time that refuse the linear rule, not chemistry.