How to use the pasta portion calculator
- Enter the number of adults and children who are eating.
- Choose ounces or grams and enter the dry pasta per adult. The 3 shown is only an example portion.
- Open More options to set the child portion, the package size and how much heavier pasta gets when cooked.
- Read the dry pasta to measure, the packages to buy and the cooked weight to expect.
Formula
Adult portions = adults + children x child portion %
Dry pasta = adult portions x portion per adult
Packages = dry pasta / package size, rounded up
Cooked weight = dry pasta x cooked factor
One ounce is 28.349523125 grams, so the page works in grams internally and shows your unit. Packages are rounded up so you never run short.
Four adults and two children
With children eating half a portion, the group is 4 + 2 x 0.5 = 5 adult portions. At 3 ounces of dry pasta each that is 15 ounces, which is 425 grams or 0.94 pounds. One 16 ounce package covers it with 1 ounce left over. Cooked at 2.25 times the dry weight, the pasta weighs 33.75 ounces.
In grams, three adults at 85 grams each need 255 grams, so one 500 gram package is enough and 245 grams stay in the package. Seventeen ounces would need two 16 ounce boxes.
Picking a portion
A portion depends on the role of the pasta. As a main course people often eat more than as a side or a first course, and a heavy sauce with meat or vegetables needs less pasta than plain butter or oil. Appetite, age and what else is on the table all matter. Start with a portion you know suits your household, measure once and adjust it up or down.
Dry versus cooked
Pasta absorbs water as it cooks, so cooked weight is a multiple of dry weight. The multiple depends on the shape and how long it boils, which is why the factor is an editable example. Recipes can give either dry or cooked amounts, so check which one you are reading.
To feed a bigger meal use the Party Food and Drink Quantity Calculator, to scale a recipe use the Recipe Scaler and for unit conversions use the Cooking Measurement Converter.
Assumptions and limits
- The portion is the dry weight for one adult, and a child eats the share you enter.
- Every package is the same size, and you buy whole packages.
- The cooked factor and package size are examples you can change.
- Nothing is uploaded. Calculations run in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How much pasta per person?
The default here is 3 ounces (85 grams) of dry pasta per adult, which is only an example. Use more for a main course and less for a side. Measure what your household actually eats and adjust.
Should I weigh pasta dry or cooked?
Weigh it dry when you can, because dry weight is consistent. Cooked weight changes with the shape and cooking time. If a recipe gives a cooked weight, divide by the cooked factor to find the dry amount.
How much do children eat?
It varies with age and appetite. The page uses 50% of an adult portion as an example and lets you change it, including to more than 100% for hungry teenagers.
Why does the tool round packages up?
You cannot buy part of a package, and running out in the middle of dinner is worse than having some left. The leftover weight in the last package is shown too.