Potluck calculator: how much food for your group
Every potluck organizer has stood over a table with six bags of chips and one lonely casserole. This calculator heads that off. Tell it who's coming and what kind of meal it is, and it tells you how many of each dish to ask for, how big each dish should be, and how much ice and how many plates to buy.
Fill in the boxes above and press Plan the food. Your plan shows up here.
How we calculate
Portions come from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (AnswerLine, "Graduation Party Tips," March 3, 2026), which suggests 1 to 1.5 pounds of food per guest: 6 to 8 oz of protein, 4 to 6 oz of each side, 4 to 7 bite-size appetizer pieces, and one dessert (a slice of cake, a cupcake, or 1 to 2 cookies or bars). It also suggests up to 2 drinks per guest per hour.
Here is the math, step by step:
- Adult servings = adults + half the kids, rounded up. 20 adults and 10 kids make 25.
- A full meal plans one serving of main, side, salad, and dessert per adult serving. That's 7 oz of main plus 5 oz each of side and salad, so about 17 oz before dessert, inside Iowa State's range. Appetizers and desserts plans one appetizer portion and one dessert. Desserts only plans 2 desserts.
- Dishes in each category = servings ÷ how many people each dish feeds, rounded up.
- Drinks per person = hours × 1, or hours × 2 on a warm day or outdoors, never fewer than 2. One drink contribution covers 24 servings.
- Ice = 1 lb per guest, or 2 lb on a warm day or outdoors, the range in Reddy Ice's party ice guide. Bags are 10 lb.
- Paper goods: 2 plates per guest for a full meal (dinner and dessert) and 1 otherwise, 2 cups, 3 napkins, and 1 fork per guest, each rounded up to the next 10 so you have spares.
- Sign-up spots = one per dish, one per drink contribution, one per 4 bags of ice, and one per 50 guests for paper goods.
Three numbers are our own rules of thumb, not the sources': kids at half a serving, 1 drink per hour indoors, and the paper goods counts. Change the inputs if your group eats more.
Sources: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, AnswerLine, "Graduation Party Tips"; Reddy Ice, "How Much Ice Do You Need for a Party?"
FAQ
How much food do I need per person at a potluck?
Plan 6 to 8 ounces of main dish, 4 to 6 ounces of each side, and one dessert per adult. Those portions come from Iowa State University Extension, which puts a party spread at 1 to 1.5 pounds of food per guest.
How many dishes should I ask for?
Divide your adult servings by how many people each dish feeds, then round up for each category. For 20 adults and 10 kids with dishes that feed 10, that is 3 mains, 3 sides, 3 salads, and 3 desserts.
Do kids count as full guests?
No. This calculator counts each kid as half an adult serving and rounds the total up, so 10 adults and 6 kids count as 13. The half is our own rule of thumb. If your kids eat like adults, count them as adults.
How much ice do I need for a potluck?
Plan 1 pound per guest to chill drinks, or 2 pounds on a warm day or outdoors. That range comes from Reddy Ice's party ice guide. This calculator counts ice in 10-pound bags.
Is the sign-up sheet free?
Yes, up to 100 signups per event, with one active event at a time and no ads. Guests sign up with a name and email, no account, and get reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before the event. A bigger sheet needs Pro, which is $99 a year or $12 a month.