Recipe Scaling Calculator

Who this is for

Any recipe, resized to the servings you need. Enter how many the recipe feeds and how many you are cooking for, and each ingredient quantity is multiplied by the same factor, with room to round it to something you can actually measure.

Anyone cooking a recipe for more or fewer people than it was written for, from halving a cake to doubling a stew for guests.

What this helps you track

• The scale factor between the original and required servings
• Each ingredient's scaled quantity, in the recipe's own units
• A practical amount to measure, such as whole eggs or a full tin
• Notes on seasoning, tin size and anything that does not scale neatly

How to use it

1. Write the recipe name, how many servings it was written for and how many you need.
2. List each ingredient with its original quantity and unit, exactly as the recipe gives them.
3. The scaled quantity is worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, multiply each quantity by required servings divided by original servings.
4. Write a rounded, practical amount next to each scaled figure and note anything to adjust by taste.
5. Check the tin or dish size and the points in the checklist before you start cooking.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is the scale factor worked out?

Required servings divided by original servings. A recipe for four made for six has a factor of 1.5, so every quantity is multiplied by 1.5. The same factor applies to every ingredient.

Do cooking times scale too?

Not in proportion. A larger quantity in a deeper dish usually takes longer and a smaller one less, but by how much depends on the dish and your oven. The sheet leaves timing to you; check doneness rather than relying on the original time.

What about seasoning and spices?

Many cooks add scaled seasoning gradually and taste as they go rather than putting the full scaled amount in at once. The note column is there to record what you ended up using.

Can it convert between units?

No. It keeps each ingredient in the unit the recipe uses. If you want grams instead of cups, convert with your own kitchen scales or a conversion you trust and write it in the practical amount column.