Recipe Scaler
Recalculate recipe ingredient amounts for a different number of servings. Supports fractions (1/2, 1½) and decimals with smart kitchen-friendly rounding.
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What is Recipe Scaler?
A Recipe Scaler that recalculates every ingredient amount for a different number of servings. Paste your ingredient list, set the original and target servings, and get an instantly scaled list that understands fractions (1/2, 1 1/2, 1½) and decimals, with smart rounding to practical kitchen amounts. Everything runs in your browser.
Key Benefits
- Scale recipes up or down without redoing the math by hand
- Understands mixed numbers, vulgar fractions, and decimals
- Smart rounding to sensible kitchen fractions
- Non-quantity lines like notes pass through unchanged
- No data leaves the browser — 100% client-side
Common Use Cases
- •Halving a cookie recipe for a small household
- •Doubling a dinner recipe for a party or meal prep
- •Adjusting baking recipes between pan sizes and yields
- •Scaling recipes for potlucks, catering, or batch cooking
How to Use the Recipe Scaler
- Enter the servings: Type the original servings count and the servings you want, e.g. 4 to 6.
- Paste your ingredients: One ingredient per line, starting with the amount: 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1½ tbsp oil.
- Review the scaled recipe: The tool recalculates every amount with smart fraction rounding and shows the scale factor used.
- Copy the result: Click Copy to grab the scaled ingredient list for your shopping list or recipe card.
Key Features
- Scales every ingredient line by the servings ratio automatically
- Understands mixed numbers, vulgar fractions, and decimals (1 1/2, ¾, 0.5)
- Smart rounding to sensible kitchen fractions (halves, thirds, quarters, eighths)
- Lines without a leading amount pass through unchanged
- Live preview with the exact scale factor shown
- 100% client-side — your recipes never leave the browser
Frequently Asked Questions
What quantity formats does the Recipe Scaler understand?
Each line should start with the amount. Supported formats: whole numbers (2), decimals (0.5), simple fractions (3/4), mixed numbers (1 1/2), and vulgar fraction characters (1½, ¾). The unit and ingredient name follow the amount.
How does the smart rounding work?
Scaled amounts are snapped to the nearest practical kitchen fraction — halves, thirds, quarters, sixths, or eighths — when the result is within 0.02 of that fraction. Otherwise the tool shows a trimmed decimal, e.g. 2.33 cups stays as 2.33.
What happens to lines without a leading number?
Lines that do not start with a parseable amount (such as "salt to taste" or a heading) pass through completely unchanged, so your notes and instructions survive the scaling.
Does it convert units between systems?
No. It scales amounts proportionally but keeps the original units. 2 cups scaled ×1.5 becomes 3 cups, not grams or milliliters. Use a unit converter for measurement system changes.