Scaling a recipe

Scale a recipe up or down — halve it, double it — 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

Open a recipe.
Tap Scale in the actions row (next to Edit, below the description and yield line).
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 labelled Custom, next to the presets. It accepts:

Whole numbers: 4
Decimals: 1.5, 0.75
Fractions with a slash: 3/2, 2/3

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

Scaling to a serving count

There’s no dedicated target-servings control. Divide the servings you want by the recipe’s Serves number and type the result as a custom factor — fractions welcome. For Serves 4 and a party of 10, type 10/4.

When Serves is a range, use its midpoint, rounded to a whole number: Serves 4–6 → 5, so a party of 10 is 10/5, i.e. 2.

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`
Alternate measures	A second measurement in parentheses scales with the main quantity — `1 cup (125 g)` becomes `2 cups (250 g)` at 2×, and a range inside scales on both ends like the main quantity does (`2-3 tbsp (30-45 mL)`); scaled text renders the unit in its standard lowercase spelling (`45 mL` becomes `720 ml` at 16×)
The yield line	The number in `Makes:` and `Serves:` updates — both ends scale when the yield is a range (`Makes: 12-16 cookies`, `Serves: 4-6`), 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. A Fahrenheit temperature still gets its automatic Celsius conversion — the conversion doesn’t scale, it just converts
Plain numbers in prose	Numbers in step text without a `*` aren’t scaled — only marked numbers are
Amounts with no number in them	`Salt, to taste` or `Active dry yeast, q.b.` has nothing to scale, so it reads as written at every factor

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.