For party hosts
How much food to buy for a party of 20, 50, or 100 guests, with real per-person numbers for mains, sides, snacks, and drinks, plus a free calculator that does the math for your exact guest count.
Planning a party and not sure how much food to buy? You're not alone. "enough for everyone, without a fridge full of leftovers" is basically the eternal party-planning question. The good news: it comes down to guest count and a few simple per-person numbers, not guesswork.
These are the numbers to work from, per adult guest. Scale them by your headcount and you're most of the way there.
Main dish / protein: 6-8oz if it's the centerpiece of the meal (think a taco bar, pulled pork, or a pasta dish)
Sides: Two sides at roughly 1/2 cup each per person
Snacks / appetizers: 6-8 pieces per person for the first couple hours if apps are part of the spread, fewer if it's a full sit-down meal
Drinks: Plan on 2 drinks per person for the first hour, then about 1 per additional hour. A case of 24 cans comfortably covers 12-15 people for an afternoon
The per-person math holds steady, but it helps to see it laid out at real party sizes so you're not doing multiplication in the grocery aisle.
Party of 20: About 10-13lbs of main dish, 5 cups of each side, 2-3 cases of drinks
Party of 50: About 25-30lbs of main dish, 12-13 cups of each side, 5-6 cases of drinks
Party of 100: About 50-60lbs of main dish, 25 cups of each side, 10-12 cases of drinks
Whatever your numbers come out to, buy a little more than the math says. Nobody wants to be the host who ran out of food an hour in. A 10-15% buffer on top of your per-person totals is a good rule of thumb, and it's usually cheap insurance: a few extra bags of chips or another pack of buns costs a lot less than the stress of running short.
Try the free calculator
No signup and nothing to download. Enter your guest count and get exact numbers in seconds.
Planning something bigger, like a full catered event? Catering Calc Pro has tools for that as well.