Recipe scaler: from 4 portions to 40 (or 40 to 4)
Paste or type a recipe, say how many it makes and how many you need, and get the new quantities, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh. Add pack prices if you want the cost of the new batch too. Scaling is multiplication; the skill is knowing which lines should not scale in a straight line, which is below.
Want it as an Excel workbook? See the Recipe Scaler & Batch Converter template, for Excel or Google Sheets.
| Ingredient | Amount | Unit | Scaled | Pack price £ / pack size (optional) | Cost |
|---|
Add ingredients to scale them.
What scales and what doesn't
Ingredients by weight scale in a straight line. Meat, veg, pasta, flour, butter and stock go up and down with the portion count.
Seasoning, spice and strong flavours don't. Salt, chilli, garlic and dried herbs taste stronger in a big batch. Scale them to about three-quarters of the straight figure, then taste and adjust.
Raising agents and setting agents need care. Baking powder and bicarb are best scaled by the tin, not the batch: two tins of the same size means double; one bigger tin needs a recipe written for that tin. Gelatine sets by the volume of liquid, so scale it with the liquid.
Cooking times and evaporation change. A bigger pot loses less liquid for its volume, so a scaled-up sauce or braise can need less stock than the multiplication says. A deeper tray needs longer at a slightly lower heat.
Worked example: beef lasagne with garlic bread from 10 to 40
Our costed beef lasagne with garlic bread makes 10 portions for £22.61. Scaled to 40 the factor is 4.0, so the batch costs £90.44 and the cost per portion stays £2.26, unless buying in bigger packs brings the price down. Pick it from the list above to see every line scaled.
Questions people ask
How do I scale a recipe?
Divide the portions you need by the portions the recipe makes to get the factor, then multiply every quantity by it. 4 portions to 30 is a factor of 7.5: 200 g of onion becomes 1.5 kg.
Does the cost per portion change when I scale?
Not on paper: double the batch, double the cost. In practice it often drops a little, because bigger batches use bigger, cheaper packs and less is wasted per portion.
Can I scale by weight instead of portions?
Yes: put the recipe's total weight in the first box and the weight you need in the second. The factor is the same either way.
Which tool should I use for costing, not scaling?
The recipe cost calculator works out the cost per portion and the menu price; this page is for changing the quantities.
Other free tools: Recipe cost calculator · Menu price calculator · Cake pricing calculator · GP calculator · Food cost calculator · Ingredient yields · Costed UK dishes · Put a calculator on your site
Run the free calculator → · See the templates → · Save your recipes free →