{
  "slug": "recipe-yield-scaling",
  "title": "Recipe Yield & Batch Scaling Calculator",
  "heading": "Recipe Yield & Batch Scaling Calculator",
  "category": "math",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recipe-yield-scaling",
  "summary": "Scale a recipe up or down to a new batch size with per-ingredient math.",
  "description": "Scaling a recipe isn't just multiplication once you go beyond small factors — cooking times, pan sizes, leavening ratios, and seasoning intensity don't scale linearly the way raw ingredient weights do. But the starting point is always the scale factor: new yield divided by original yield. This calculator gives you that factor and applies it to a sample ingredient quantity so you can check your math, plus shows the new total batch weight if you enter it. Use it for banquet scaling (a 12-portion recipe scaled to 150 covers), bakery batch production (scaling a test batch of dough to a full sheet pan run), or right-sizing a recipe that's currently written for the wrong station. A rule of thumb: scale factors under 2x rarely need seasoning adjustment, but above 4-5x, salt, spice, and leavening should be scaled at roughly 90% of the linear factor and adjusted to taste, since surface-area-to-volume ratios change how strong seasoning reads.",
  "formula": "Scale factor = new yield ÷ original yield. Scaled quantity = original quantity × scale factor.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=recipe-yield-scaling",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "originalYield",
      "label": "Original recipe yield",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "portions",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "newYield",
      "label": "Target yield",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 150,
      "unit": "portions",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "ingredientQty",
      "label": "Sample ingredient quantity (original recipe)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "oz",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "batchWeight",
      "label": "Original total batch weight (optional)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "lb",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "factor",
      "label": "Scale factor",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "scaledQty",
      "label": "Scaled ingredient quantity",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "scaledBatchWeight",
      "label": "Scaled total batch weight",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "seasoningFactor",
      "label": "Suggested seasoning scale factor",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Original recipe yield: 12 portions",
      "Target yield: 150 portions",
      "Sample ingredient quantity (original recipe): 8 oz",
      "Original total batch weight (optional): 6 lb"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Scale factor: 12.5",
      "Scaled ingredient quantity: 100",
      "Scaled total batch weight: 75",
      "Suggested seasoning scale factor: 11.25"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter original recipe yield (portions).",
      "Enter target yield (portions).",
      "Enter sample ingredient quantity (original recipe) (oz).",
      "Enter original total batch weight (optional) (lb).",
      "Read your scale factor on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "originalYield": 7,
        "newYield": 90,
        "ingredientQty": 4.8,
        "batchWeight": 3.5999999999999996
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "originalYield": 12,
        "newYield": 150,
        "ingredientQty": 8,
        "batchWeight": 6
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "originalYield": 19,
        "newYield": 240,
        "ingredientQty": 12.8,
        "batchWeight": 9.600000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are rounded for display; the underlying calculation keeps full precision.",
    "Very large or very small inputs may hit floating-point limits in the browser.",
    "Inputs outside the accepted range are clamped rather than rejected."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Do all ingredients scale the same as the main quantities?",
      "a": "Weight-based ingredients like flour, protein, and produce scale linearly and reliably. Leavening agents (yeast, baking powder), salt, and strong spices should scale slightly under the linear factor at large batch sizes because concentration effects intensify flavor and speed reactions."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does cooking time scale with the recipe?",
      "a": "No, and this is the most common scaling mistake. Doubling a braise doesn't double cook time — thermal mass and pan depth matter more than proportion. Scale cook time by testing with a thermometer or by adding roughly 15-25% more time per doubling for dense proteins, not a linear multiple."
    },
    {
      "q": "What about pan size when scaling baked goods?",
      "a": "Match pan surface area to the new batch volume, not linear dimensions. A 9x13 pan (117 sq in) scaled to 2x volume needs about 234 sq in of surface area, which is closer to two 9x13 pans than one larger pan, or you'll get an uneven bake."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I scale down a recipe for a single test batch?",
      "a": "Same math in reverse — set new yield lower than original to get a scale factor under 1. Round to practical measuring quantities and taste-test seasoning before committing to a full-size production run, since down-scaling exposes rounding errors faster than up-scaling."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dough-batch-scaling",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/banquet-beo-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-cost-percentage"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Recipe Yield & Batch Scaling Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recipe-yield-scaling)"
}