Recipe Portion Size Calculator

Divide the total recipe yield (by weight or volume) by your desired portion size. The formula: Number of Portions = Total Yield ÷ Portion Size. If a soup recipe makes 128 oz and you serve 8 oz bowls, you get 16 portions. For solid foods, weigh the total batch after cooking and divide by the per-plate weight.

Always weigh — do not eyeball. A "scoop" of mashed potatoes can vary by 30-50% between cooks without a portioning tool. That variance directly hits your food cost percentage.

Industry-standard protein portions by cut type:

• Boneless chicken breast / fish fillet: 6-8 oz raw
• Steak (boneless): 8-12 oz raw depending on price point
• Bone-in cuts (pork chop, chicken thigh): 8-12 oz raw (bone adds non-edible weight)
• Fine dining: 4-6 oz with richer accompaniments
• Casual dining: 6-8 oz, larger perceived value

These are raw weights. After cooking, expect 20-30% shrinkage, so an 8 oz raw chicken breast yields about 6 oz cooked. Use our recipe yield calculator to determine exact cooking yields for your proteins.

It depends on when you portion. Most restaurants portion raw during prep, then cook. In that case, use raw weight and account for cooking shrinkage (typically 25% for most proteins). If you portion after cooking, use cooked weight.

The key is consistency — pick one method and use it across all your recipes. Mixing raw and cooked weights on the same recipe card creates confusion and inconsistent plates. For recipe costing, raw weight is standard because that is what you purchase and what your invoices reflect.

Shrinkage varies by cooking method:

Grilling / frying: 30-40% loss (high heat, fast moisture evaporation)
Roasting: 25-35% loss (depends on temperature and time)
Braising / stewing: 15-25% loss (moist heat retains more weight)
Poaching / steaming: 15-20% loss (gentlest methods)

A general rule: assume 25% loss as your baseline. So if you want to serve a 6 oz cooked chicken breast, start with 8 oz raw. For expensive proteins, run your own cooking yield tests — a 5% difference on a $22/lb tenderloin is $1.10/lb in hidden cost.

Portion scoops are numbered by how many scoops fit in a quart. The smaller the number, the bigger the scoop. Common sizes:

• #6 — 5.3 oz (large entrée portions, ice cream)
• #8 — 4 oz (mashed potatoes, rice, fruit salad)
• #12 — 2.67 oz (muffin batter, small side portions)
• #16 — 2 oz (meatballs, large cookies)
• #20 — 1.6 oz (medium cookies, falafel)
• #24 — 1.33 oz (small appetizer portions, truffles)
• #30 — 1 oz (mini cookies, small garnishes)

Invest in color-coded scoops for your kitchen. They cost $3-5 each and pay for themselves within a week by eliminating portion guesswork.

Buffet service typically requires 20% more food per person than plated service. Guests serve themselves and take more than a kitchen-controlled plate.

Plated dinner: 4-6 oz protein, controlled sides, total plate ~12-16 oz
Buffet: 6-8 oz protein, self-serve sides, total ~16-20 oz per person
Family-style: Between the two — plan for 15-20% more than plated

For total food at a buffet, budget about 1 lb per person across all dishes. For portion-level cost analysis, use our cost per plate calculator.

A 1 oz overserve on protein across 100 plates a week adds up fast. If your protein costs $8/lb, that extra ounce is $0.50 per plate — $2,600 per year. Across a 5-item menu with similar variance, you could be losing $10,000-13,000 annually to inconsistent portioning.

The fix is simple: weigh proteins on a digital scale during prep, use numbered scoops for sides, and use ladles for soups and sauces. Post portion specs on recipe cards at every station. For a full strategy on controlling costs, see our guide on how to control food cost.

Common side portions in full-service restaurants:

• Rice / grains: 4-6 oz cooked (about 3/4 cup)
• Mashed potatoes: 4-5 oz (#8 scoop)
• Steamed vegetables: 3-4 oz
• Salad (side): 2-3 oz greens + toppings
• Soup (cup): 6-8 oz
• Soup (bowl): 10-12 oz
• Pasta (side): 4-5 oz cooked
• Pasta (entrée): 8-10 oz cooked

These portions are cooked weights. For raw-to-cooked ratios: rice roughly doubles in weight, pasta roughly doubles, and vegetables lose about 10-15% during cooking. Factor these into your prep quantities using our recipe scaler.