Ingredient Scaling
Free Ingredient Scaling calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Ingredient Scaling
Not every ingredient scales at the same rate. Bulk ingredients scale linearly with servings, but salt, spice and chemical leavening scale sub-linearly because perceived intensity and reaction rates do not follow volume - a common cause of over-seasoned large batches.
Formulas
Serving factor
Factor = target servings / original servings
Sub-linear scaling
Applied factor = serving factor raised to the power 0.75
Worked example
With the default values below, Ingredient Scaling returns Scaled quantity of 625.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Servings the recipe makesminimum 0.5
- 4
- Servings you wantminimum 0.5
- 10
- Quantity of the ingredientminimum 0
- 250
- Ingredient behaviour when scalingone of Scales linearly - flour, liquid, protein, Scales sub-linearly - salt, spice, leavening, Fixed - pan grease, aromatics base
- Scales linearly - flour, liquid, protein
Results
- Scaled quantity
- 625.00
- Serving scale factor
- 2.500 x
- Factor actually applied
- 2.500 x
- Quantity per serving
- 62.500
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Serving factor
- 3Sub-linear scaling
- 4Scaled quantity= 625.00
- 5Serving scale factor= 2.500 x
- 6Factor actually applied= 2.500 x
- 7Quantity per serving= 62.500
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does salt scale sub-linearly?
Perceived saltiness follows a compressive response to concentration, and a bigger batch also has proportionally less surface area losing seasoning. Scaling salt linearly usually tastes too salty.
What about baking powder?
Also sub-linear. Doubling a cake recipe with double the leavening frequently produces a coarse crumb that collapses; roughly 1.7 times is a better starting point.