Cost Per Serving Calculator
Enter ingredient costs and servings to find cost per plate.
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How to Calculate Cost Per Serving
Knowing your cost per serving helps with meal planning and budgeting. Add up the cost of all ingredients used, then divide by the number of servings.
To find the cost of a partial ingredient (like half a bag of flour), divide the package price by the total amount, then multiply by the amount used.
Cost per serving = total recipe cost / number of servings. Total recipe cost = sum of (quantity used × unit cost) for each ingredient. Example: pasta dish using 400g pasta ($0.008/g), 200g ground beef ($0.012/g), 400g sauce ($0.003/g), plus 20g garlic/onion/oil ($0.005/g). Total cost = 3.20 + 2.40 + 1.20 + 0.10 = $6.90 for 4 servings = $1.73 per serving.
Calculating unit cost from store pricing: a 2 lb bag of pasta for $2.49 = $2.49 / 907g = $0.00274/g. A 1.5 lb package of ground beef for $7.49 = $7.49 / 680g = $0.011/g. Unit cost in $/g makes all ingredients comparable regardless of how they're sold.
Batch cooking savings: scaling a recipe from 4 to 16 servings typically reduces cost per serving by 10–20% through reduced waste (using up larger containers, buying bulk) and time savings (proportionally less labor per serving). Fixed costs (utilities, cooking time labor if you value it) spread over more servings.
Comparison with restaurant and delivery: a typical restaurant main course costs $15–30 with $3–8 in food cost (20–35% food cost percentage). Cooking the same dish at home at $2–4 food cost provides 75–85% savings on food cost alone. Factoring 30 minutes of home prep time at $20/hour adds $10 — still often cheaper than delivery with fees and tips.
See also: Recipe Scaler · Serving Adjuster