Help & Reference

Scaling a recipe

Scale a recipe up or down to match the batch you want to cook. Quantities, the yield line, and any numbers marked scalable in prose update in place.

Open the scaling bar

  1. Open a recipe.
  2. Tap Scale in the actions row (next to Edit, below the description and yield line).
  3. The scaling bar drops open with four preset buttons and a text input.

Pick a preset

The four presets cover the common cases:

Preset Factor
½× Half
1× Original (default)
2× Double
3× Triple

Tap one. Quantities update across the recipe and the toggle shows the active factor — for example, Scale (×2). The active preset stays highlighted.

Type a custom factor

For anything else, type into the input next to the presets. It accepts:

Invalid input shows an error state on the field; the recipe doesn’t change until the value parses.

Reset to 1×

Tap the 1× preset, or tap Reset — the Reset button appears next to the input only when the factor isn’t 1×.

Where the scale factor is remembered

The current factor is saved in your browser’s local storage, scoped to the recipe. Reopen the recipe within 48 hours on the same browser and it comes back at the same factor. Editing the recipe invalidates the saved state — the next visit starts at 1×.

The factor is browser-local. A second device, a private window, or a different browser won’t see it. The same browser does see it across kitchens, though — if two of your kitchens have a recipe with the same slug, they share the saved scale.

What scales

Surface How
Ingredient quantities Every numeric quantity, including ranges (1-2 eggs becomes 2-4 eggs at 2×)
Ingredient names Pluralization tracks the scaled count — 1 egg becomes 2 eggs
Quantity units 1 loaf becomes 2 loaves
The yield line The number in Makes: and Serves: updates, with the same singular/plural handling
Marked numbers in prose Anything written with a * suffix in step text, ingredient prep notes, cross-reference prep notes, or the footer
Embedded cross-references An embedded recipe’s own multiplier compounds with the parent’s factor — at 2× with a , 2 cross-reference, the inner recipe scales 4×

Hover or long-press a scaled number to see its original value as a tooltip.

What doesn’t scale

Surface Why
Times A 30-minute bake is still 30 minutes at double batch — pan size and oven, not the scale factor, decide cooking time
Temperatures Same reason
Plain numbers in prose Numbers in step text without a * aren’t scaled — only marked numbers are

To make a number in prose scale, add * after it in the recipe source. The full list of surfaces where * is recognized is on Recipe format.

See also