Party Food Calculator — How Much to Cook
Know exactly how much food and drink to buy for a crowd.
- Main protein (raw)
- 2.2 kg
- Side dishes (total)across ~2 sides
- 1.75 kg
- Salad / vegetables
- 900 g
- Bread / rolls
- 15 pieces
- Dessert
- 1.1 kg
- Drinks
- 25 servings
- Icefor the drinks themselves
- 2.5 kg
- Portions assume a hungry mix of guests — trim 10–15% for a lighter crowd, add for big eaters.
- Buy main protein by raw weight; it loses ~25% cooking down, which these figures already expect.
- The ice figure is what goes in the glasses. Chilling bottles or cans in coolers needs roughly 1 lb (450 g) more per guest on top — double that outdoors in the heat.
- Always cook one or two extra portions so no one misses out.
Saved setups
Save your settings to reuse them later. They’re stored only on this device — nothing is uploaded.
What is the Party Food & Catering Quantity Calculator?
Catering for a crowd is mostly a portion-maths problem, and this calculator solves it. Enter how many adults and children are coming and the kind of meal, and it estimates how much main protein, sides, salad, bread, dessert, drinks and ice you need. The figures use standard catering portions (adjusted so a child counts as roughly 60% of an adult) and tell you raw protein weight, so you can shop with confidence and avoid running out — or massively over-buying.
How to use the Party Food & Catering Quantity Calculator
- 1 Enter the number of adults and children.
- 2 Choose the type of meal you’re serving.
- 3 Read the quantities for protein, sides, dessert, drinks and ice.
Frequently asked questions
How much meat per person for a party? +
Plan on roughly 220 g of raw main protein per adult for a dinner — about 165 g once cooked — and 270–280 g raw for a buffet or BBQ, where guests serve themselves. All the figures here are raw purchase weights: meat loses about a quarter of its weight cooking down, which they already allow for.
How much should I plan for children? +
A child typically eats about 60% of an adult portion. Enter the number of children separately and the calculator weights them accordingly.
How accurate are the results? +
The figures come from standard, tested references (USDA FoodData Central and King Arthur Baking) and are excellent starting points. Ovens, ingredients and equipment vary, so treat the numbers as a reliable guide and adjust to taste and doneness.
Is this calculator free, and does it send my data anywhere? +
Yes — it’s completely free and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server; the maths happens on your device, even offline once the page has loaded.