Portion planner: how much to cook per person
Type how many people are eating and this planner gives the amount per person that US labelling rules set for each food, multiplied out: rice, pasta, beans, potatoes, vegetables, bread, fish, meat and poultry. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Where the amounts come from
American labels do not let a manufacturer choose its own serving size. The amount is fixed in regulation as the reference amount customarily consumed per eating occasion, and it is derived from national food consumption surveys. FDA sets the amounts for most foods in 21 CFR 101.12; USDA sets them for meat in 9 CFR 317.312 and for poultry in 9 CFR 381.412.
That makes them a defensible answer to "how much rice for four people?" — not a recommendation about what anyone should eat, but a published figure for what one person eats at one sitting.
| Food | Per person | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Rice, barley, plain grains | 45 g | dry (140 g cooked) |
| Pasta, plain | 55 g | dry (140 g cooked) |
| Beans, plain | 35 g | dry (90 g cooked) |
| Potatoes, plain | 110 g | fresh or frozen |
| Vegetables, without sauce | 85 g | fresh or frozen |
| Bread and rolls | 50 g | about one slice |
| Fish and shellfish, plain | 110 g | raw (85 g cooked) |
| Meat, plain cuts | 114 g | raw (85 g cooked) |
| Poultry, plain cuts | 114 g | raw (85 g cooked) |
Reading the table
Two things are worth knowing before you shop with these numbers.
Dry or raw is not what lands on the plate. Rice roughly triples; 45 g dry is 140 g cooked. Meat loses water and fat as it cooks, which is why the rules give 114 g raw against 85 g cooked. Buy on the raw or dry line, serve on the other.
One amount is one eating occasion. Two sides at the same meal do not each need a full amount, and a pot cooked for two dinners needs two. The planner multiplies people, not meals.
Turning amounts into a shop
Once you know the weights, the money is easy to work out. The unit price calculator tells you which pack is cheaper per ounce, the bulk buy calculator says whether the big bag survives what you throw away, and the recipe cost calculator prices a whole dish per serving.
For the week as a whole, meal planning from your pantry starts from what you already have, and the printable grocery list puts the shop on one page by aisle.
Common questions
How much rice per person?
FDA's reference amount is 45 g dry, which is 140 g cooked. For four people that is 180 g dry, a little over 6 oz.
How much pasta per person?
55 g dry, or 140 g cooked, in the same table. For four, 220 g dry — close to half a standard 500 g box.
How much meat per person?
USDA's reference amount for plain cuts is 114 g raw, 85 g cooked, for meat and poultry alike. For four people, about 1 lb raw.
Are these amounts a diet recommendation?
No. They are labelling amounts: what people customarily eat at one sitting, measured in national surveys. What anyone should eat is a different question, and not one this site answers.
Is anything I type saved?
No. The planner runs in the page, and Duneed stores nothing from it.