Recipe Yield Calculator

AP (As Purchased) is the weight and cost of an ingredient as it arrives from your supplier — whole, untrimmed, unprocessed. EP (Edible Portion) is the weight after trimming, peeling, deboning, or other processing. The difference is waste.

A whole pineapple (AP) weighs 2 lbs, but after peeling and coring you get about 1.04 lbs of usable fruit (EP) — a 52% yield. This distinction is the foundation of accurate recipe costing. If you use AP cost in your recipes, you are understating true food cost by 20-40% on many ingredients.

Weigh the ingredient before processing (AP weight). Process it as you normally would — peel, trim, debone. Weigh the usable portion (EP weight). The formula: Yield % = (EP Weight ÷ AP Weight) × 100.

For accuracy, repeat with 3-5 batches and average the results. Your prep cook, your supplier, and your cut specs all affect actual yield — published averages are a starting point, not gospel. Document your tested yields on standardized recipe cards so every cook uses the same numbers.

Because AP cost is not your true cost. If you buy carrots at $1.20/lb but only 82% is usable after peeling, your real cost is $1.46/lb. For expensive proteins the gap is much larger — beef tenderloin at $22/lb AP with 52% yield actually costs $42.31/lb of usable meat.

Across an entire menu, ignoring yield inflates your margins on paper while your actual food cost percentage creeps up. This is one of the most common reasons a restaurant's theoretical food cost does not match actual spend. For more, see our guide on how to calculate food cost.

A yield test measures the usable portion of an ingredient. The process differs by category:

Produce: Weigh before and after peeling/trimming. Record both weights and calculate yield %.
Proteins: Weigh the primal cut, then weigh each component separately — usable portions, usable trim (stew meat, ground), bones (stock), fat, and pure waste. Calculate yield % for each.
Seafood: Weigh whole fish, then weigh fillets after fabrication. Track head, bones, and skin separately (bones have value for stock).

Run at least 3-5 tests per ingredient and average the results. Record the supplier, grade, and season — yield can vary by 5-10% between suppliers or times of year.

Multiply the two yield percentages — do not add them. If an ingredient has 85% trim yield and 80% cooking yield: 0.85 × 0.80 = 68% total yield, not 65%.

Common combined yields:

• Bone-in chicken thigh: 78% trim × 75% cooking = 58.5% total
• Beef chuck roast: 85% trim × 65% braising = 55.3% total
• Whole salmon: 64% fabrication × 85% cooking = 54.4% total

This calculator handles both stages and shows you the combined yield automatically. Use the result in your recipe cost calculator for accurate per-serving costs.

Standard yield percentages (trim only, before cooking):

Vegetables: onions 89%, carrots 82%, celery 75%, bell peppers 82%, broccoli 61%, lettuce 74%
Fruits: apples 91%, bananas 68%, oranges 62%, strawberries 92%, pineapple 52%, watermelon 52%
Proteins: chicken breast (boneless) 95%, whole chicken 67%, beef tenderloin 52%, pork loin 85%, salmon fillet 95%, whole salmon 64%

These are industry averages. Your actual yields depend on supplier quality, prep skill, and cut specifications. Use these as starting points, then run your own yield tests for the numbers that matter to your bottom line.

Yield directly determines your true ingredient cost, which is the foundation of menu pricing. A fish dish using whole salmon at $12/lb AP with 64% yield has a true cost of $18.75/lb EP. At a 6 oz portion, that is $7.03 in fish alone — before any sides, sauce, or garnish.

If you price this dish using the AP cost ($12/lb = $4.50 per 6 oz), you are underpricing by $2.53 per plate. Sell 30 of these a week and that is $3,947/year in lost margin. Use our menu pricing calculator with EP costs to set prices that actually protect your margins.

Compare the EP cost, not the AP cost. A whole tenderloin at $22/lb with 52% yield costs $42.31/lb usable. Pre-cut tenderloin steaks at $38/lb with 95% yield cost $40/lb usable — actually cheaper, plus you save labor time.

Run this comparison for your high-volume ingredients: 1) Calculate EP cost for the whole product. 2) Calculate EP cost for the pre-cut version. 3) Factor in labor time for fabrication. Pre-cut often wins on expensive proteins where yield loss is high. Whole makes more sense for items with high yield or when you can use the trim (bones for stock, fat for rendering).