Recipe Scaler
Make a recipe for more or fewer people: paste the ingredients and get every amount scaled, shown as friendly fractions like ½ and ¾.
Start each line with the amount (2, 1½, 1 1/2, 0.5 or a range like 2-3), or end it with one (Chicken 1 kg). Lines without an amount are kept as they are.
Multiply everything by
× 2.5
- For example
- 5 cups basmati rice
To serve 10 instead of 4, multiply every amount by 2.5.
How it's worked out
- Scale
10 servings ÷ 4 servings× 2.5
Scaled recipe
| Original | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 2 cups basmati rice | 5 cups basmati rice |
| 1 kg chicken | 2½ kg chicken |
| 1½ cups yoghurt | 3¾ cups yoghurt |
| 3 onions | 7½ onions |
| 1/2 tsp turmeric | 1¼ tsp turmeric |
| Salt to taste | Salt to taste (adjust to taste) |
- Spices, salt and chilli often need less than a straight multiple; add gradually and taste. Cooking times change less than amounts, so check as you go.
How it works
Scale = servings wanted ÷ recipe servings · New amount = amount × scale
Worked example
Scaling a 4-person biryani to 10 people is × 2.5: 2 cups of rice becomes 5, 1½ cups of yoghurt becomes 3¾, and ½ teaspoon of turmeric becomes 1¼.
Questions people ask
How do I scale a recipe?
Divide the servings you want by the servings the recipe makes, and multiply every amount by that number. Going from 4 to 10 people is × 2.5.
Should I scale spices the same way?
Not quite. Salt, chilli and strong spices often need a little less than a straight multiple; add gradually and taste.
Does the cooking time change?
Much less than the amounts. A bigger pot of biryani or curry takes somewhat longer, so check rather than multiply.
About this calculator
Formula and rules last checked 25 October 2026Written and tested by the CalculatorDex teamReport a problem