Recipe Cost Calculator

Work out what a recipe actually costs per serving — and, if you sell it, your profit and margin per serving. Add your ingredients and their costs, set the number of servings, and (optionally) a sale price. Updates as you type.

How it works

cost per serving = total ingredient cost ÷ servings

profit per serving = sale price − cost per serving

• Cost per serving is your ingredient floor — the least a serving can cost you.
• Add packaging and labour as extra lines, or price high enough that the margin covers them.
• Selling food? A healthy ingredient margin (often 65–75%) leaves room for those other costs and profit.

An educational estimate based on ingredient cost. It excludes labour, packaging, utilities and overhead unless you add them. Not financial or food-safety advice.

FAQ

How do I calculate the cost per serving of a recipe?

Add up the cost of every ingredient used in the recipe, then divide by the number of servings it makes. If the ingredients cost $9.50 and the recipe serves 8, the cost per serving is $9.50 ÷ 8 = about $1.19.

How do I price food that I sell?

Start from your cost per serving, then add the margin you need to cover packaging, labour, overhead and profit. Enter a sale price and this calculator shows your profit per serving and your margin percentage so you can price with confidence.

What is a good profit margin on food?

It varies, but home and small food businesses often aim for a food-cost percentage around 25–35% (i.e. a 65–75% gross margin) to leave room for labour, packaging and overhead. Use the margin figure here as the gross margin on ingredients before those other costs.

Should I include packaging and labour?

This tool focuses on ingredient cost per serving. For a full price, add packaging, your time and overhead on top — either as extra ingredient lines or by setting a sale price high enough that the margin covers them. Ingredient cost is the floor, not the full cost.

More calculators: profit margin calculator, markup & margin calculator, unit price calculator, and the full tools list.