How to Halve a Recipe — A Complete Guide With Common Conversions
4 min read
Halving a recipe sounds simple but it gets tricky fast. What is half of 3/4 cup? What do you do with half an egg? This guide covers everything you need to know about scaling recipes down. Or use our free recipe scaler to do the math automatically.
The Simple Math
To halve any ingredient simply divide the amount by 2. Here are the most common conversions you will need:
| Original Amount | Halved Amount |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 6 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/3 cup | 2 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 1/4 cup | 2 tbsp |
| 1 tbsp | 1 1/2 tsp |
| 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp |
| 1/2 tsp | 1/4 tsp |
What to Do With Half an Egg
Beat the egg lightly and use half by volume — roughly 1.5 tablespoons for half a large egg.
Adjusting Baking Times
When halving a recipe baked in a pan, use a smaller pan to maintain the same depth of batter. Reduce baking time by about 25% and check for doneness early.
Scale any recipe automatically
Paste your recipe into our free scaler and it handles all the math instantly.
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