Recipe Converter for 1 or 2

Tell it how many servings the recipe makes and how many you want. Every amount comes back in cups and spoons you can actually measure, with the pan to use.

How to cut a recipe in half

• Halve every amount, then turn awkward ones into spoons you own: half of ¾ cup is 6 tablespoons.
• For an odd number of eggs, use the whole ones and beat the last one to measure half.
• Use a pan about half the area, so the food sits at the same depth.
• Start checking early: a smaller dish cooks a little faster.

What is half of ¾ cup? A halving chart

Half of ¾ cup is 6 tablespoons: a ¼ cup measure plus 2 tablespoons. The rest of the common ones:

Amount	Half	Double
1 cup	½ cup	2 cups
¾ cup	6 tbsp (¼ cup + 2 tbsp)	1½ cups
⅔ cup	⅓ cup	1⅓ cups
½ cup	¼ cup	1 cup
⅓ cup	2 tbsp + 2 tsp	⅔ cup
¼ cup	2 tbsp	½ cup
1 tbsp	1½ tsp	2 tbsp
1 tsp	½ tsp	2 tsp
½ tsp	¼ tsp	1 tsp
¼ tsp	⅛ tsp	½ tsp

The measures behind it: 1 cup is 16 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, ¼ cup is 4 tablespoons, and ⅓ cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. One stick of butter is ½ cup, 8 tablespoons, or 4 oz.

How do I cut a recipe in half that calls for 3 eggs?

Use 1 egg, then beat a second egg in a cup and add half of it. A large egg weighs about 50 g, roughly 3 tablespoons beaten, so half is about 1½ tablespoons. If the recipe calls for 1 egg, beat it and use half the same way. Cover the rest and keep it in the fridge for scrambled eggs; raw beaten egg keeps 2 to 4 days.

Which pan do I use when I halve a recipe?

Match the pan’s area to the amount of food and keep the batter or casserole at the same depth. Same depth means close to the same baking time; deeper takes longer.

The recipe’s pan	Area	For half the recipe
9 x 13 inch dish	117 square inches	8 x 8 inch square or 9 inch round (about 64)
9 x 9 inch square	81 square inches	9 x 5 inch loaf pan (45)
11 x 7 inch dish	77 square inches	9 x 5 inch loaf pan (45)
8 x 8 inch square	64 square inches	8 x 4 inch loaf pan (32)
10 inch round	79 square inches	9 x 5 inch loaf pan (45)
12-cup muffin pan	12 cups	6 cups

Area is length times width for a rectangle, and 3.14 times the radius squared for a round pan. Any oven-safe dish of about the right size works.

Does halving a recipe change the cooking time?

Not by half. A smaller dish at the same depth cooks a little faster, so start checking well before the original time. Doubling doesn’t double the time either: use a bigger pan or two pans at the same depth, and start checking at the original time. For anything with meat, eggs or poultry, a food thermometer settles it.

Food	Done at
Chicken, turkey and casseroles	165 °F
Ground beef or pork	160 °F
Steaks, chops and roasts	145 °F, then rest 3 minutes
Fish	145 °F

What doesn’t scale neatly

• Salt and spices: start with the new amount, then taste and add more if it needs it.
• Baking powder, baking soda and yeast: measure the new amount carefully. A small spoon error matters more in a small batch.
• Rice and its water: follow the package for the new amount of rice, because some water always boils off.
• Soups and sauces that simmer down: a smaller pot reduces faster, so keep an eye on it.
• A box cake mix: weigh the mix and use half by weight, with half the eggs, oil and water.

Cooking for one or two

You don’t have to shrink every recipe. Cook the whole thing and freeze it in single portions. Most cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and a few months in the freezer. The leftovers checker has the time for each food. Family-size packs of raw meat freeze well split into portions: ground meat for 3 to 4 months, chicken pieces for 9 months.

Try it with a Lazy Plate recipe

• Cheddar biscuit chicken cobbler for 2
• Egg-stuffed bacon meatloaf for 2
• Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers for 2

Every recipe card on the site has the same link, just under the servings buttons.