How-to guide

How to cost a recipe per portion

If you don't know what a dish costs to make, you can't know whether you make money on it. Costing a recipe is simple arithmetic - the work is keeping ingredient prices up to date.

Published 8 Nov 20264 min readBy metre2

Quick answer

Cost each ingredient by the amount used, add them up, divide by portions, then price to your margin. Open the Metre2 Recipe & Allergen Costing in your browser - it's free for 15 days, then a one-off price, and nothing you type is uploaded.

1. Price your ingredients

For each ingredient, record the pack price and pack size, so you have a cost per gram, millilitre or unit.

2. Cost the recipe

Multiply each ingredient's unit cost by the quantity used, and add them up. Sauces and bases used in several dishes can be costed once as a sub-recipe.

3. Cost per portion

Divide the total by the number of portions the recipe makes.

4. Set the price

Selling price = cost per portion ÷ (1 - target margin). A £2.00 portion at a 70% margin needs a price of about £6.67 before VAT.

5. Allergens

Record which of the 14 allergens each ingredient contains, so every dish's allergens follow automatically - including those in sub-recipes.

Do it in the Metre2 Recipe & Allergen Costing - 15 days free in your browser, or as a Windows app.

Use it in your browser - free, no sign-up Get the Windows app More about Recipe & Allergen Costing

Common mistakes

Costing with old ingredient prices.
Forgetting sauces, garnish and waste.
Working out margin as a percentage of cost instead of the selling price.

Frequently asked questions

Does it handle sub-recipes?

Yes - costs and allergens roll up through sub-recipes at any depth.

Where are my recipes saved?

In your browser on that device. Nothing is uploaded.