How much meat per person for a BBQ?

The calculator plans 320 g of meat per adult for a BBQ, before the 10% buffer — about 350 g per adult with it. Children count as 60%.

How much food per person for a buffet?

Per adult: 220 g of meat or fish, 300 g of sides, 4 appetizer pieces, 80 g of bread and one dessert, plus 10%. For 20 adults that is about 19 kg of food in total.

How do I plan for vegetarians and children?

Enter them separately. Vegetarians get 180–220 g of vegetarian protein instead of meat, and a child counts as 60% of an adult portion.

Calculator

Food Calculator: How Much Food per Person for a Party

Enter your guests, how many are children or vegetarian, and the kind of meal. The calculator turns that into amounts per dish — ready to shop for or to split as a bring list.

Food Calculator

Plan the right amount of food for your party

Number of guests*

🧒 ≤ 12 · Number of guests

🌱 · Number of guests

Meal type

BuffetBBQSit-down dinner

Results

Protein (meat/fish)4.9 kg10 × 500 g

Side dishes6.6 kg3 × 2.2 kg

Appetizers88 ×≈ 5 × / 👤

Dessert21 ×1 × / 👤

Bread1.8 kg4 × 500 g

Total18.9 kg≈ 945 g / 👤

Estimated total amounts for all guests entered. Vegetarian portions use your vegetarian guest count.

Portions per adult guest

Buffet: 220 g of meat or fish (180 g vegetarian protein for vegetarians), 300 g of sides, 4 appetizer pieces and 80 g of bread. BBQ: 320 g of meat (220 g vegetarian), 260 g of sides, 3 appetizer pieces and 100 g of bread. Sit-down meal: 220 g of meat or fish (180 g vegetarian), 220 g of sides, 3 appetizer pieces and 60 g of bread. Everyone also gets one dessert, plus 5% extra.

Children, vegetarians and the buffer

A child counts as 60% of an adult portion. Vegetarian guests get the vegetarian protein amount instead of meat or fish, and everyone shares the sides. All amounts include a 10% buffer, and the sides are also split into three dishes so they can go straight onto a bring list.

Example amounts

Buffet for 20 adults: 4.9 kg of meat or fish, 6.6 kg of sides (three dishes of 2.2 kg), 88 appetizer pieces, 21 desserts and 1.8 kg of bread. BBQ for 20 guests, 4 of them vegetarian: 5.7 kg of meat, 1 kg of vegetarian protein, 5.8 kg of sides, 66 appetizer pieces, 21 desserts and 2.2 kg of bread. Sit-down dinner for 12 including 2 children: 2.8 kg of meat or fish, 2.8 kg of sides, 37 appetizer pieces, 13 desserts and 0.8 kg of bread.

From amounts to a bring list

Potlucks work best when every dish is claimed once. Create a free Venuva party, add the dishes with the amounts from the calculator and let guests pick what they bring — so you don't end up with five pasta salads and no bread.

Create a party

FAQ

How much meat per person for a BBQ?: The calculator plans 320 g of meat per adult for a BBQ, before the 10% buffer — about 350 g per adult with it. Children count as 60%.
How much food per person for a buffet?: Per adult: 220 g of meat or fish, 300 g of sides, 4 appetizer pieces, 80 g of bread and one dessert, plus 10%. For 20 adults that is about 19 kg of food in total.
How do I plan for vegetarians and children?: Enter them separately. Vegetarians get 180–220 g of vegetarian protein instead of meat, and a child counts as 60% of an adult portion.

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