Scale Your Recipe
Formats supported: "2 cups flour", "1/2 tsp salt", "2 1/2 cups sugar", "½ cup butter", "3 eggs"
| Ingredient | Scaled Amount | In Grams | Original |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paste or enter ingredients above to see scaled results. | |||
🌡️ Oven Temperature Converter
📊 Cups to Grams — Quick Reference
Values based on USDA data and King Arthur Baking weight charts. Actual weight may vary slightly by brand and how the ingredient is measured.
| Ingredient | 1 Cup (g) | 1 Tbsp (g) | Notes |
|---|
How to Scale a Recipe Successfully
Scaling a recipe seems simple — just multiply everything — but there are a few important exceptions that can make or break a dish.
What Scales Linearly
Most ingredients scale proportionally: flour, sugar, butter, milk, oil, salt, and herbs all work well when doubled, halved, or tripled. The tool applies the exact ratio (target ÷ original servings) to every quantity.
What Needs Extra Attention
- Leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda): When scaling up significantly (3× or more), use slightly less than the proportional amount — excess leavening can make baked goods collapse. A rough guide: scale fully up to 2×, use about 80–90% of the calculated amount for 3× and above.
- Eggs: Half an egg is awkward. Beat the egg fully and use half of the beaten mixture. The tool notes this for you.
- Salt and strong spices: Scale these to about 75% of the calculated amount first, then taste and adjust. Flavor concentrates differently in large batches.
- Cooking time: A doubled batch does NOT take twice as long to bake. Pan size changes and fill depth matter. Check doneness early and watch for visual cues.
- Pan size: Doubling a recipe usually means switching from one 9×13 pan to two, not using one larger pan.
Large-Batch Cooking
For batches 4× original or more, some technique adjustments are necessary. Liquid may need slight reduction (less evaporation surface relative to volume). Ovens may need more preheating time. The tool shows a warning for very large scale factors.
Why Cup Measurements Are Unreliable for Baking
A "cup of flour" can range from 100g to 160g depending on how you measure it. Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour and can result in 40% more flour than intended. This is why professional bakers universally use a kitchen scale.
The Scoop-and-Sweep Problem
The "spoon and level" method — spooning flour into a measuring cup and leveling it off — gives roughly 120–125g per cup. Scooping directly gives 140–160g. The recipe was almost certainly developed using one specific method, and if you use a different one, you'll get different results.
The Solution: Measure by Weight
The weight values in this tool are based on published data from USDA and King Arthur Baking's weight chart (spoon and level method). Switching to grams eliminates measurement ambiguity entirely. A cheap kitchen scale ($15–25) is the single best upgrade you can make to your baking.