Halving and doubling are the two most common recipe conversions. Doubling is useful for meal prep, parties, and freezer cooking. Halving is helpful when a recipe feeds a family but you only need one or two portions. Both conversions use the same rule: multiply each ingredient by the serving ratio.

To halve an 8-serving recipe for 4 servings, multiply every amount by 0.5. To double a 4-serving recipe for 8 servings, multiply every amount by 2. Serving Scaler does this automatically, but it helps to understand how the result should look so you can make good kitchen decisions.

Common half measurements

Half of 1 cup is 1/2 cup. Half of 3/4 cup is 6 tablespoons. Half of 1 tablespoon is 1 1/2 teaspoons. Half of 1 teaspoon is 1/2 teaspoon. For eggs, half an egg can be beaten in a bowl and measured by tablespoons, or you can round based on the recipe type.

Common double measurements

Double 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Double 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup. Double 3 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons. Double 8 ounces to 1 pound. When doubling liquids, confirm your pot or mixing bowl can hold the larger volume before you start.

Ingredients to adjust carefully

Salt, hot spices, extracts, yeast, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch deserve attention. Scale them first, then consider adding a little less at the beginning. You can add more seasoning later, but it is hard to remove once it is mixed in.