Meal Prep Calculator for Batch Cooking
This meal prep calculator multiplies the portions you choose by people, days and meals, so you know how much food to cook, buy and pack for the week or a party.
Plan your batch cooking
Foods in each meal (example portions shown; replace them with your own)
Optional yield test: cook a measured raw amount once, weigh it cooked, and enter both in the same unit as the portion to see how much raw food to buy.
How the meal prep calculator works
The meal prep calculator multiplies each portion you enter by the number of portions you need to make. It works the same way for a week of packed lunches and for a family gathering:
meals to make = people × days × meals per day
total to cook = portion per meal × meals to make
For each food it shows the amount per meal, the amount to cook each day for everyone, and the total for the whole plan. Large gram and millilitre totals are shown in kilograms and litres, and counted items such as roti or eggs are rounded up when a fraction would be left over. Containers are the total meals divided by the meals you pack in one container, rounded up.
Worked example: weekday lunches for two
Two people, five days, one lunch a day, one lunch per container: 2 × 5 × 1 = 10 meals and 10 containers.
| Food | Per meal | Each day | Total to cook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basmati rice (cooked) | 150 g | 300 g | 1.5 kg (500 g raw) |
| Chicken curry | 200 g | 400 g | 2 kg |
| Roti | 2 | 4 | 20 |
| Cucumber raita | 100 g | 200 g | 1 kg |
The raw rice figure comes from a yield test of 100 g raw rice cooking to 300 g. Your own rice and pan may give a different result, which is why the test uses your measurement.
How do I convert cooked amounts to raw?
Portions are easiest to judge cooked, but you buy and measure most foods raw. Rice, pasta and dal absorb water and get heavier when cooked, while spinach, mushrooms and meat lose water and get lighter. The change depends on the variety, the amount of water and the cooking time, so a single fixed ratio would often be wrong.
The yield test solves this with one measurement. Weigh some raw food, cook it the usual way and weigh it again. Enter both numbers next to the portion, in the same unit. The calculator then works out the raw amount for the whole plan: raw needed = total cooked × raw test ÷ cooked test. Keep the numbers and reuse them; your inputs are saved in this browser.
How much food for a party?
The same arithmetic plans a dawat, Eid lunch or birthday. Set the days and meals per day to 1, enter the number of guests, and use the portion you would serve each person. A buffet with several dishes usually needs a smaller portion of each than a single main dish, so adjust the portions to your menu rather than to a fixed rule. If you are adapting a recipe written for a few people, the recipe scaler resizes its ingredient list, and the recipe cost calculator shows what the event will cost. Our Karachi biryani recipe is a popular choice for larger gatherings.
Tips for safe meal prep
- Cool food quickly. Divide large batches into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
- Eat chilled portions within 3 to 4 days. For a longer plan, freeze the later days’ portions on the day you cook.
- Reheat thoroughly. Heat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through, and reheat only what you will eat.
- Label containers with the dish and the date it was cooked.
These points follow the USDA guidance on leftovers and food safety. For balanced ideas to prep, browse our 7-day meal plan.
With your portions measured once, the meal prep calculator turns any plan into a clear shopping and cooking list in seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply one portion by the number of people, the number of days and the meals per day. Two people eating 150 g of cooked rice at lunch for five days need 150 × 2 × 5 = 1,500 g, or 1.5 kg, of cooked rice. The meal prep calculator does this for every food at once.
Weigh or measure one ordinary serving the way you or your family normally eat it, for example a plate of rice or a bowl of curry. Using your own portion keeps the totals realistic. The calculator does not decide how much anyone should eat.
The US Department of Agriculture advises refrigerating cooked food within 2 hours and eating refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days. For a longer plan, freeze some portions on the day you cook and thaw them in the fridge before eating.
It depends on the rice and how you cook it, so measure it once. Cook a weighed amount of raw rice, weigh it cooked and enter both numbers in the yield test. If 100 g raw gives 300 g cooked, 1.5 kg of cooked rice needs 500 g raw.
Divide the total number of meals by the meals that fit in one container and round up. Ten meals packed one per box need 10 boxes; ten meals packed two per box need 5. A partly filled box still needs a container.