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Party Food Calculator
Work out how much food and drink to buy for a party: drinks, appetizers, main dish and sides, snacks, dessert, ice, plates, cups, and napkins, from the number of guests and how long it lasts.
Party Food Calculator: The calculator applies common party-planning rules of thumb: two drinks per guest in the first hour and one an hour after, about four appetizers in the first hour before a meal or eight when they are the meal, 170 g (6 oz) of cooked main dish and 115 g (4 oz) of each side per person, and about 450 g (1 lb) of ice per guest. Children count as half a guest for food. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Home & family tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Shopping list for 12 guests
3 h- Drinks
- 53 servings
- Appetizers
- 106 pieces
- Main dish, cooked
- 5 lb
- Side dishes, all together
- 7 lb
- Dessert
- 14 servings
- Ice
- 13.5 lb
- Plates
- 27
- Cups
- 27
- Napkins
- 40
Adjust the amounts per person
Amounts per adult; a child counts as half for food. These are common planning rules of thumb: appetite, the time of day, and how much else is served all change them.
Where the amounts come from
Quantities for parties are rules of thumb rather than measurements, and guides differ, so the defaults here are the ones repeated most often: the 2-1 rule for drinks, four bite-size appetizers in the first hour and two after when dinner follows, eight and four when they are dinner, and about a pound of ice a guest. A sit-down meal is planned at 6 oz of cooked main dish and 4 oz of each side, roughly what a plate holds.
Change any amount to match what you know about your guests, and the page remembers it for next time. The extra percentage is applied to every line and rounded up, so nothing comes out short by a fraction.
Planning around the clock and the guests
Time of day matters more than any formula: guests arriving hungry at dinner time eat more appetizers than guests who have already eaten. Long parties need less food per hour as they go on, which is why the rates fall after the first hour, while drinks keep going.
For the Thanksgiving bird itself, the turkey cooking time calculator plans the roast; to share the costs afterwards, use the split bill calculator.
How to use it
- Choose a meal, appetizers instead of a meal, or drinks and snacks.
- Enter the adults and children and how many hours the party lasts.
- Read the shopping list, adjust any amount per person, then copy or print it.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is calculated in your browser. Your settings and any amounts you change are remembered in this browser only.
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Frequently asked questions
How many drinks do I need per person?
A common rule is two drinks per guest in the first hour and one each hour after that, so a three-hour party needs about four per guest. Hot weather, dancing, and salty food all push it up; keep water available as well.
How much food per person for a party?
For a sit-down meal, plan about 170 g (6 oz) of cooked main dish and 115 g (4 oz) of each side per adult. When appetizers replace the meal, guests eat around eight pieces in the first hour and four an hour after.
How much ice do I need?
About 450 g (1 lb) per guest covers chilling and drinks for an evening; double it if ice also has to keep drinks cold in tubs on a hot day.
Are these amounts exact?
No. They are rules of thumb that caterers and party guides use as a starting point. Every amount per person can be changed, and the extra percentage adds a safety margin, rounded up.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required