List the ingredients in your recipe, what it makes now and what you want it to make. The tool multiplies every quantity by the same factor and gives you two columns: the exact figure and the figure rounded so you can weigh it or buy it.
How it works
- Factor = yield you want ÷ yield of the recipe. A tray of 16 brownies scaled to 40 has a factor of 2.5.
- New quantity = original quantity × factor, for each ingredient.
- Rounding for the scales: grams and millilitres get one decimal under 10 and none from 10 up. Kilos and litres get three decimals, which is what a kitchen scale reads. Units show the exact figure and the figure rounded up.
Yield can be portions, pieces, trays or kilos of dough. What matters is using the same measure in both boxes.
Worked example: brownies for a 40-piece order
Your brownie recipe makes one tray of 16. A café orders 40, so the factor is 40 ÷ 16 = 2.5.
| Ingredient | For 16 | × 2.5 | To weigh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | 250 g | 625 g | 625 g |
| Dark chocolate | 200 g | 500 g | 500 g |
| Sugar | 300 g | 750 g | 750 g |
| Eggs | 4 units | 10 units | 10 units |
| Plain flour | 120 g | 300 g | 300 g |
| Cocoa powder | 40 g | 100 g | 100 g |
| Salt | 3 g | 7.5 g | 7.5 g |
| Vanilla extract | 5 ml | 12.5 ml | 13 ml |
The salt stays at one decimal because it is under 10 g, and at that size half a gram matters. The vanilla is above 10 ml, so it rounds to a whole millilitre.
What does not scale in a straight line
Salt, spices, yeast and baking powder do not always multiply like everything else. Nor do times: two and a half trays in one oven do not bake like one, and a deeper tin needs longer in the middle. Use the scaled figure as a starting point, bake a test batch and write down what you changed.
If you scale often, keep the recipe on a standard recipe card with weights in grams and a measured yield, not a guessed one. The guide to scaling a recipe shows how to do it without losing the flavour, and the one on recipe yield helps you check how many portions you really get out of a batch.
Before you shop
Once you have the scaled quantities, you can write the shopping list. Ingredients come in packs: if you need 625 g of butter and it comes in 250 g blocks, you buy three blocks and keep 125 g. To see which pack size is cheapest per kilo, use the unit price comparison tool. And if an order changes your batch size a lot, read how it moves your cost in the guide to batch size economics.
For the full cost of a product, with ingredients, packaging, your time and the gas, use the food cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I scale a recipe written in cups and spoons?
You can, by entering cups as units, but the result is only as precise as the cup. For production it pays to weigh the recipe once in grams and millilitres and scale from there.
Why are units rounded up?
Because you cannot buy 10.4 eggs or 3.6 tins. The tool shows the exact figure and the figure rounded up so your shopping covers the batch. Whatever is left over belongs in the cost.
Does scaling change the cost per portion?
Ingredients per portion stay about the same, but labour, oven time and pack-size buying do change with batch size. Re-cost the recipe when you change the batch a lot.
Can I use it to make a recipe smaller?
Yes. Enter a target yield below the original and the factor comes out under 1. Watch the ingredients that end up in tiny amounts, such as salt or yeast.