Recipe Scaling
Adjust ingredient quantities for a different number of servings.
Formula
Variables
Example
Double a 4-serving recipe to 8: ×2
How it works
Recipes are built around a fixed ratio between ingredients and servings, so if you change the number of servings, you scale each ingredient by the same factor. The formula multiplies the original quantity by the ratio of new servings to old servings, which keeps the recipe balanced and the taste the same. For example, if you want twice as many servings, every ingredient should be doubled.
When to use it
Use this when cooking, baking, mixing drinks, or preparing any recipe that needs to serve a different number of people. It is especially useful when you want to keep ingredient proportions correct while making more or less food.
Worked example, step by step
A soup recipe uses 3 cups of broth for 6 servings. You want to make 10 servings. Q_new = Q_old × (S_new / S_old) Q_new = 3 × (10 / 6) Q_new = 3 × 1.666... Q_new = 5 You need 5 cups of broth for 10 servings.
Common mistakes to avoid
- changing only one ingredient and forgetting to scale the rest
- using the wrong serving ratio, such as old/new instead of new/old
- rounding too early and making the recipe proportions inaccurate
Did You Know?
Baking is chemistry, so scale ingredients precisely.
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