How Much Food Per Person?

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For a main course, plan on about 90 g (3 oz) of dry pasta, 75 g of uncooked rice, 175 g (6 oz) of boneless chicken breast, or 225 g of potatoes per person — more if your crowd is hungry or the dish is the centerpiece. The reference table below lists standard and generous per-person amounts for 13 common foods, and the calculator turns them into a shopping quantity for any number of guests, in metric or imperial.

Per-Person Serving Sizes

Standard portions follow common catering allowances; generous suits big appetites, buffets, or guaranteed leftovers. Weights are raw or dry unless noted.

Methodology note: These serving estimates are practical planning ranges, not nutrition advice. Actual needs vary by appetite, side dishes, event length, and guest mix. Use the higher end when the dish is the main course or when cooking for larger appetites.

Pasta, Rice & Potatoes

Food	Standard (per person)	Generous (per person)	Notes
Pasta (dry)	90 g / 3 oz	115 g / 4 oz	Dry weight — roughly doubles when cooked
Rice (uncooked)	75 g / 2.5 oz	95 g / 3.5 oz	Dry weight — about triples when cooked
Couscous (dry)	60 g / 2 oz	80 g / 3 oz	Dry weight
Potatoes	225 g / 8 oz	285 g / 10 oz	Raw, for mash, roast, or boiled

Meat, Poultry & Fish

Food	Standard (per person)	Generous (per person)	Notes
Chicken breast	175 g / 6 oz	225 g / 8 oz	Raw, boneless and skinless
Chicken thighs (bone-in)	250 g / 9 oz	320 g / 11.5 oz	Raw, bone-in — about 2 thighs
Ground beef	125 g / 4.5 oz	165 g / 6 oz	Raw, for burgers, bolognese, or tacos
Steak	200 g / 7 oz	250 g / 9 oz	Raw, boneless
Salmon fillet	165 g / 6 oz	200 g / 7 oz	Raw, skin-on fillet
Shrimp (peeled)	110 g / 4 oz	150 g / 5.5 oz	Raw, peeled and deveined
Turkey (whole, bone-in)	450 g / 16 oz	680 g / 24 oz	Raw, bone-in — generous leaves leftovers

Vegetables & Salads

Food	Standard (per person)	Generous (per person)	Notes
Salad greens	60 g / 2 oz	80 g / 3 oz	Washed leaves, as a side salad
Roasted vegetables	150 g / 5.5 oz	200 g / 7 oz	Raw, trimmed, as a side

Serving Size Calculator

Pick a food, set your head count, and choose standard or generous portions to get the total amount to buy.

Food

People

Portion size

Units

Pasta (dry) for 4 people (standard portions):

360 g

90 g / 3 oz per person · Dry weight — roughly doubles when cooked

How to Use These Numbers

These amounts assume the food is the main component of a single course with normal sides. Serving several courses or a buffet with many dishes? You can comfortably drop toward 75% of standard for each item, because guests spread their appetite across the table. Cooking for teenagers, athletes, or a long evening — go generous.

Dry goods change weight when cooked: pasta roughly doubles and rice roughly triples once boiled, which is why the table lists dry weights — that's what you measure when shopping and cooking. Bone-in cuts need noticeably more raw weight per person than boneless, since the bone can be a third of the purchase weight.

Scaling a specific recipe rather than planning quantities from scratch? Use the recipe scaler to rescale a full ingredient list, and the cooking converter to move between cups, grams, and ounces.