This food quantity chart lets you know how much food to purchase for cooking for a crowd of 50 or more.
This food quantity chart represents approximate amounts of food you should purchase when you are cooking for a crowd of 50 people. Food items are typical of what might be served at a party or meal for a large crowd.
This chart gives amounts for 50 servings. For 25 people, divide amounts indicated by 2. For 100, multiple by 2. All serving amounts are approximate. Please use your best judgment.
Food Type | Approximate Amount for 50 Servings | Serving Size Per Person |
Beverages | ||
Coffee (regular ground) | 11/2 lbs. | 1 cup |
| Half & Half, for coffee | 2 1/2 pints | 1½ tablespoons |
| Sugar, for coffee | 12 ozs | 11/2 teaspoons |
| Fruit juice, lemonade, tea, etc | 1 cup | |
| Bottles, cartons, cans | 4 32 oz. | |
| Frozen | 7 12 oz. cans | |
| Cocoa | To make 2½ gals. | ¾ cup |
| Instant mix | 2½ lbs. | " |
| Unsweetened powder | 8 oz. | " |
| Tea, hot or cold (follow package directions | 2½ gals | ¾ cup |
| Cider, hot or cold | 2 gals | ½ cup |
Sodas, Punch | 4 1-liter bottles or 3 gallons | 8 ozs. Purchase more for extra servings |
Bottled Water | as packaged | 1 each |
Breads, Rice, Pasta, Beans | ||
| Bread, sandwiches or side dish | 4 loaves (22-24 slices per loaf) | 2 slices |
| Rolls, biscuits, croissants, small muffins, bagels, etc | determine by pkg. size | 2 pieces |
| Crackers | determine by pkg. size | 4 |
| Pancake Mix | app. 6 lbs, see pkg directions | 2 4-inch cakes |
| French Toast | 4 loaves (22-24 slices per loaf) | 2 slices |
| Cereal | ||
| Cooked, oatmeal, grits | about 2 gals. cooked (app. 2 lbs dry) | 2/3 cup |
| Cold | app. 5 boxes | ½-1 cup |
| Coffee Cake | 4 8" bundt cakes | 1 regular slice |
| Pasta, as side dish, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles | 4-5 16 oz. pkgs. | 1/2 cup, cooked |
| Rice, uncooked | 3-4 lbs | 1/2 cup, cooked |
| Beans, canned | 8-12 15.5 ounce cans | 1/2 cup |
Dairy | ||
Eggs, scrambled, omelets, frittatas | 8 1/2 dozen | 2 eggs |
Butter, for bread | 1lb. | 1 pat, 1/2 inch thick |
Cheese, cut as appetizer | 4 lbs. | 2 oz. |
| Milk | 3 gals | 1 cup |
| Heavy whipping cream | 11/2 pints | 2 tablespoons whipped |
Meat, Poultry-Quantity Uncooked | ||
Beef, Lamb, Pork, | 16-18 lbs | 3 ounces cooked |
| Beef, Lamb, Pork, roast, bone-in | 22-24 lbs | 3 ounces cooked |
| Beef or Pork Ribs | 25-40 lbs | 1 pound cooked |
Pork Chops | 17 lbs | 1 chop 3/4" Thick |
| Chicken, pieces with bone-in | 18-20 lbs | 1-2 pieces |
| Chicken, boneless, skinless, cut-up for casserole, soup, stew etc. | 16-18 lbs | 3 ounces |
| Turkey, whole, to roast | 40-50 lbs. (2-3 large birds) | 3 ounces |
Bacon | 6 lbs., 12-20 slices per lb | 2 slices |
| Ham, bone-in, to bake | 18-20 lbs. | 3 ounces, cooked |
| Purchased ready to eat | 15 lbs | 3 ounces, cooked |
| Sausage, links i.e.. Pork, Polish, Knockwurst or other variety sausages | 10-12 lbs. | 1-2 links=2 to 3 ounces, cooked |
| Hamburgers, ground beef or mixtureof ground meats | 13-15 pounds (app. 25% fat) | 4-8 ounces, cooked |
| Ground Meat, beef, turkey, pork, veal for meat sauce, lasagna, tacos, casseroles, etc | 12-16 pounds (app. 25% fat) | 1/2 cup cooked |
| Hot Dogs | 12 lbs | 2 hot dogs |
Sandwiches | ||
| Beef, Ham, Turkey, deli sliced | 4 lbs, in total | 2 slices (about 1 oz) |
| Cheese, deli sliced | 3 lbs. | 1 slice |
| Bread | 4 loaves (22-24 slices per loaf) | 2 slices |
Condiments, Relishes and Salad Dressings | ||
| Mayonnaise | 32 ozs | 1 tablespoon |
| Ketchup | 2 20-oz bottles | 1 tablespoon |
| Mustard | 8 ozs. | 1 teaspoon |
| Pickles, whole, dill or sweet | 2½ qts | 1 pickle |
| Pickle relish | 2 qts | 1 oz. |
| Olives, ripe, whole or pitted | 1½ qts | 3-5 |
| Salad dressing, self serve | 1 quart | 1 tablespoon |
| Mixed in salad | 3-4 cups | |
| Salsa | 2-3 qts. | 2-3 tablespoons |
| Jelly, jam preserves, | 2 32-oz jars | 1 tablespoon |
Seafood | ||
| Lobster, in shell | 1 lobster per person | 1 1/2 lb |
| Crabs, whole, steamed, boiled in shell | 4-5 bushels, (medium crabs, app. 80-90 crabs per bushel; check with your local seafood market as this varies by region) | 6-8 crabs per person, depending on how much other food is served |
| Fish, Fillets and steaks, fresh or frozen | 14-16 lbs uncooked | 3-4 ounces, cooked |
| Whole, cleaned | 40 lbs uncooked | app. 3 ozs |
| Shrimp, raw in shell (any size) | 18-20 lbs | 3 ozs. cooked (app. 6-7 medium shrimp) |
| Cooked (packaged frozen variety) | 10 lbs | 3 ozs. cooked (app. 6-7 medium shrimp) |
| Sea Scallops, fresh or frozen | 10-12 lbs. | 4 scallops |
| Crabmeat, lobster meat, squid, cooked, canned or packaged | 12-15 lbs | app. 1/2 cup |
| Mussels, Oysters, Clams, in shell | 12 each per person | |
Vegetables and Fruit | ||
| Potatoes, red, white, Yukon gold, Russet or sweet; mashed, scalloped, au gratin, salads. etc. | 18-22 lbs raw | 1/2 cup, cooked |
| Frozen, French fries, wedges, hash browns | 12-13 lbs | 1/2 cup |
| Lettuce, romaine, red leaf, iceberg | About 6 large bunches | 1 cup |
Vegetables, served as side dish, untrimmed, most varieties: broccoli, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini; sliced, diced or whole, | Fresh Frozen | 1/2 cup cooked |
Vegetables served in salad or in vegetable platter, untrimmed | Fresh | 1/4 cup, as ingredient in salad |
| Canned Most varieties 18-20 cups (8-10 14.5-15 oz cans, drained | 1/2 cup cooked | |
| Tomatoes, sliced, for salad | 20-30 medium | 3 slices |
| Fruits,served as side dish or salad, cut up, most varieties,apples, grapes, melons, berries, bananas | Fresh 10-15 lbs In total Ex. 2-3 pounds each of 5-6 types of fruit | 1/2 cup |
| Canned Most varieties 18-20 cups (8-10 14.5-15 oz cans, drained | 1/2 cup | |
Desserts | ||
| Cakes | 2 13x 9 x 2" sheet cakes 4 9" layer cakes 4 loaf pound cakes | 1 small square or 1 slice |
| Pies, 8-9 inch | 7-8 pies | 1 regular slice |
| Cookies | determine by pkg. size | 2-3 cookies |
| Ice Cream, Sherbet | 2 ½ gallons | 1/2 cup |
| Purchased Desserts | determine by pkg. size | 1/2 cup or 3-4 |
Other | ||
| Nuts, mixed | 2 lbs | 2 tablespoons (1 good handful) |
| Potato Chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, cheese curls etc | 3-4 lbs (check package size) | 1-3 ozs |
| Dip | 16-20 ozs | 1 tablespoon |
