How do I double a recipe?

To double a recipe, multiply every ingredient quantity by 2. For fractions: ¼ cup becomes ½ cup, ¾ cup becomes 1½ cups, and 1 egg becomes 2. A recipe scaler does this instantly so you do not have to convert fractions by hand.

How do I halve a recipe?

To halve a recipe, divide every ingredient by 2. The tricky ones: ¾ cup halved is 6 tablespoons, and a single egg halved is about 25 g of beaten egg (or just use one whole egg in forgiving recipes).

What is the scale factor for resizing a recipe?

The scale factor is the servings you want divided by the servings the recipe makes. A recipe for 4 scaled to 6 has a scale factor of 1.5, so you multiply every ingredient by 1.5.

Does cook time double when I double a recipe?

No. Cook and bake times do not scale linearly. Use a larger pan or multiple pans when doubling, and check for doneness early rather than simply doubling the time.

Is there a free recipe scaling calculator?

Yes. The Drizzlelemons recipe scaler lets you paste ingredients and double, halve, or resize to any number of servings for free, with no sign-up required.

How to Double or Halve Any Recipe (the Easy Way)

You found a recipe that serves 4, but you're cooking for 8 — or just for yourself. Resizing a recipe sounds fiddly, but it comes down to a single number called the scale factor. Get that, and every ingredient follows.

This guide shows you exactly how to double, halve, and resize any recipe — plus a quick measurement chart and a free recipe scaler that does the math instantly.

The One Rule: Find Your Scale Factor

The scale factor is the servings you want divided by the servings the recipe makes:

Doubling? Scale factor = 2. Multiply every ingredient by 2.
Halving? Scale factor = 0.5. Divide every ingredient by 2.
Recipe makes 4, you want 6? 6 ÷ 4 = 1.5. Multiply everything by 1.5.

That's the whole trick. The only hard part is the arithmetic on fractions — which is exactly what a calculator is for.

How to Double a Recipe (2×)

Multiply each quantity by two. Whole numbers are easy; the fractions are where people slip up. Here's a quick reference for doubling common measurements:

Original	Doubled
¼ cup	½ cup
⅓ cup	⅔ cup
½ cup	1 cup
¾ cup	1½ cups
1 tsp	2 tsp
1 tbsp	2 tbsp

How to Halve a Recipe (0.5×)

Divide each quantity by two. The awkward ones are odd fractions and single eggs:

¾ cup halved = 6 tablespoons (because ¼ cup = 4 tbsp, so ⅜ cup = 6 tbsp).
⅓ cup halved ≈ 2 tbsp + 2 tsp.
1 egg halved: beat the egg, then use half by weight (about 25 g), or just use one whole egg for forgiving recipes like soups and stews.

A recipe scaler converts these to the nearest sensible measurement automatically, so you don't have to keep a fraction chart on the fridge.

Scaling to Any Number of Servings

The same formula handles any target. Recipe serves 6 and you need 10? 10 ÷ 6 ≈ 1.67, so multiply everything by 1.67. Paste your ingredients into the recipe scaler, set the new servings, and every line updates in proportion.

What Doesn't Scale Linearly

Most ingredients scale cleanly, but a few don't — keep these in mind:

Cook and bake times: a doubled cake doesn't bake twice as long. Use a bigger pan or two pans and check for doneness early.
Salt, spices, and leavening: these can taste too strong when scaled up. Scale them, then taste and adjust.
Pan and pot size: doubling a one-pan dish may need a wider pan so it cooks evenly rather than steaming.

The Fastest Way: Let a Tool Do It

You can do all of this by hand, but it's faster to let a calculator handle the fractions:

Use the free recipe scaler to paste ingredients and double, halve, or resize to any servings.
Use the recipe converter to paste a recipe URL and get a clean, ad-free recipe you can scale, convert units on, and save.
Cooking from it tonight? Save it and open Cook Mode for a step-by-step view with built-in timers.