Food Costing

Cost Per Portion Calculator

Use this calculator when you already know the total recipe cost and need to divide it into portions for menu pricing, catering, or batch production.

Cost per portion calculator

Divide a batch or recipe cost into portion cost, suggested price, and pricing checkpoints.

Example presets Load example values to see how the calculator works.

Results Updates after calculation

Enter values to calculate.

What this means

Results will appear here with a practical note about what to check next.

Worked example

Example calculation

If a soup batch costs $36.00 and makes 12 portions, each portion costs $3.00. At a 30% target food cost, the suggested price is $10.00 before market and rounding checks.

Formula

Calculator formula

Cost per portionCost Per Portion = Total Recipe Cost / Number of Portions

Food cost percentageFood Cost % = Cost Per Portion / Selling Price x 100

Suggested priceSuggested Price = Cost Per Portion / Target Food Cost %

Steps

How to use this tool

01
Enter the total recipe or batch cost.
02
Enter the number of finished portions the batch produces.
03
Add a selling price if you want to check food cost percentage and gross profit.
04
Set a target food cost percentage for suggested price guidance.
05
Use the result as the portion-cost input for menu pricing or catering quotes.

Practical checks

What cost per portion tells you

Cost per portion is the bridge between recipe costing and menu pricing. It turns a full batch cost into the cost of one saleable serving.

Cost per portion decision checks
Result	What it means	Next step
Cost per portion	Ingredient cost for one serving	Use it in food cost percentage or menu price formulas
Suggested price	Price needed at the target food cost	Compare with market and menu position
Food cost %	Ingredient cost as a share of selling price	Check whether price, portion, or recipe needs review
Gross profit	Dollars left before labor and overhead	Compare against prep complexity and item role

Watchouts

Common mistakes

Dividing by planned portions instead of actual finished portions.
Leaving out garnish, sauce, included sides, or packaging.
Using portion cost from a different portion size than the selling price.
Ignoring batch waste or hold loss that reduces saleable portions.

Quality control

Use actual finished portions

If a batch is supposed to make 24 portions but only yields 20 saleable portions, use 20 for the portion-cost calculation.
Record portion size and yield assumptions so the next batch can be costed the same way.
Use the Recipe Cost Calculator first if total recipe cost is not already known.

Use these guides when you want the assumptions and examples behind the calculator.

Guide Food Costing Practical explainer

How to Calculate Cost Per Portion

Learn how to calculate cost per portion from total recipe cost, finished servings, and menu price for restaurants, caterers, and food businesses.

Read guide

Guide Food Costing Practical explainer

Portion Cost Formula

Learn the portion cost formula for restaurants, catering, and batch recipes with examples, pricing checks, and common mistakes.

Read guide

Guide Food Costing Practical explainer

How to Calculate Recipe Cost

A practical method for adding ingredient costs, yield, and portion cost before pricing a recipe.

Read guide

Guide Menu Planning Practical explainer

How to Price Menu Items

Use food cost, target percentage, market position, and contribution margin to set better menu prices.

Read guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate cost per portion?

Divide the total recipe cost by the number of finished portions the recipe produces.

What is the portion cost formula?

Cost Per Portion = Total Recipe Cost / Number of Portions.

Should I use planned portions or actual portions?

Use actual finished saleable portions when possible, because waste and yield loss can change the true cost per portion.

How does cost per portion help with menu pricing?

It gives the ingredient cost for one serving, which can be compared with selling price, target food cost percentage, and gross profit.