Thanksgiving Sides Calculator
Potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, rolls and pie — turned into a shopping list in pounds, cups, cans and packs, scaled to how many dishes you're actually making.
More dishes means smaller helpings of each — not more food per person. People eat a roughly fixed volume of sides no matter how many options are in front of them, so this calculator scales every dish down as your spread grows. Cooked food shouldn't sit out more than 2 hours; leftovers keep 3–4 days refrigerated (FoodSafety.gov).
Counted as half an adult.
You need
Enter your guest count
| Shopping list | Amount |
|---|---|
| Potatoes (mashed) | — |
| Stuffing | — |
| Gravy | — |
| Cranberry sauce | — |
| Green beans | — |
| Sweet potatoes | — |
| Corn | — |
| Mac & cheese | — |
| Green salad | — |
| Dinner rolls | — |
| Pie | — |
| Butter | — |
Sides and dessert commonly run $8–$15 per guest, before the turkey.
How Much of Each Side to Make
Most guides give you a fixed number per person for every dish and stop there. That's wrong in a way that costs real money: the more dishes you serve, the less of each one people take. Plates are finite. Eight dishes at full portions produces a fridge full of food nobody wanted.
- Decide the spread first — four dishes, seven, or ten. That decision drives everything else.
- Start from the classic per-adult portions: 0.4 lb potatoes, ¾ cup stuffing, ⅓ cup gravy, ¼ cup cranberry, ¼ lb green beans, 1.75 rolls.
- Scale for the spread: about +25% per dish on a four-dish table, −20% on a ten-dish one.
- Count kids under 12 as half an adult, and add 30% across the board if leftovers are the whole point.
The formulas
Per dish = (adults + kids × 0.5) × base portion × spread factor × leftovers
Pies = ceil(guests × 1.15 ÷ 8) · Butter sticks = ceil(guests ÷ 8)
Worked example — 12 adults + 3 kids, classic 7-dish spread, some leftovers: 13.5 adult-equivalents → 5.5 lb potatoes, 10.1 cups stuffing (3 boxes), 4.5 cups gravy (3 jars), 24 rolls (2 packs), 3 pies.
Quick Reference by Guest Count
Classic seven-dish spread, adults (kids count half in the calculator): Every row is the calculator above at its default settings.
| Adults | Potatoes (lb) | Stuffing | Gravy | Green beans | Dinner rolls | Pie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1.5 | 3 cups (1 boxes of mix) | 1.3 cups (1 jars, 12 oz) | 1 lb | 7 rolls (1 packs of 12) | 1 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 6 | 2.5 | 4.5 cups (1 boxes of mix) | 2 cups (2 jars, 12 oz) | 1.5 lb | 11 rolls (1 packs of 12) | 1 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 8 | 3 | 6 cups (2 boxes of mix) | 2.6 cups (2 jars, 12 oz) | 2 lb | 14 rolls (2 packs of 12) | 2 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 10 | 4 | 7.5 cups (2 boxes of mix) | 3.3 cups (3 jars, 12 oz) | 2.5 lb | 18 rolls (2 packs of 12) | 2 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 12 | 5 | 9 cups (2 boxes of mix) | 4 cups (3 jars, 12 oz) | 3 lb | 21 rolls (2 packs of 12) | 2 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 16 | 6.5 | 12 cups (3 boxes of mix) | 5.3 cups (4 jars, 12 oz) | 4 lb | 28 rolls (3 packs of 12) | 3 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 20 | 8 | 15 cups (4 boxes of mix) | 6.6 cups (5 jars, 12 oz) | 5 lb | 35 rolls (3 packs of 12) | 3 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 25 | 10 | 18.8 cups (5 boxes of mix) | 8.3 cups (6 jars, 12 oz) | 6.5 lb | 44 rolls (4 packs of 12) | 4 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
| 30 | 12 | 22.5 cups (5 boxes of mix) | 9.9 cups (7 jars, 12 oz) | 7.5 lb | 53 rolls (5 packs of 12) | 5 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) |
Planning the Day
- Gravy is what runs out. It goes on the turkey, the potatoes and the stuffing. Make or buy half again as much as you think you need — nobody has ever complained about extra gravy.
- Make cranberry sauce days ahead. It keeps a week refrigerated and genuinely improves. It's the one dish with no downside to doing early.
- Oven space is the real constraint, not your cooking. Count how many dishes need 350°F at the same time as the turkey rests, and move at least one to the stovetop or slow cooker.
- Mashed potatoes hold two days and reheat well with a splash of warm cream. Doing them ahead frees the stovetop when it matters.
- Two kinds of pie beat two of the same. Variety gets eaten; duplicates get left.
- Send leftovers home. Buy a stack of cheap containers — it costs a few dollars and solves the fridge problem entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much mashed potatoes per person?
About 0.4 lb raw per adult on a classic spread — up to ½ lb if you're only serving a few sides, down to ⅓ lb on a big table.
How much stuffing per person?
¾ cup prepared. A 6-serving box makes ~4.5 cups and covers about six people.
How much gravy per person?
⅓ cup. A 12 oz jar is ~1.5 cups and covers four or five. Buy extra — it's the usual casualty.
How many sides should I make?
Four to seven. More guests means bigger quantities, not more dishes.
How many rolls per person?
1.5–2, so a 12-pack covers six to eight. One stick of butter per eight guests.
How many pies?
One 9-inch pie per 8 guests, rounded up. Two varieties once you're over 12.
What can I make ahead?
Cranberry (a week), mashed potatoes (2 days), stuffing assembled the day before, casseroles built ahead and baked fresh.
How much food do I need for Thanksgiving dinner for 8 people?
For 8 adults and a classic spread, plan about 3 lb of potatoes, 6 cups (2 boxes of mix) of stuffing, 2.6 cups (2 jars, 12 oz) of gravy, 2 lb of green beans, 14 rolls (2 packs of 12) rolls and 2 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) of pie. Portions per dish shrink as you add dishes — people eat a fixed amount of sides, not more per dish.
How much food do I need for Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people?
For 12 adults and a classic spread, plan about 5 lb of potatoes, 9 cups (2 boxes of mix) of stuffing, 4 cups (3 jars, 12 oz) of gravy, 3 lb of green beans, 21 rolls (2 packs of 12) rolls and 2 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) of pie. Portions per dish shrink as you add dishes — people eat a fixed amount of sides, not more per dish.
How much food do I need for Thanksgiving dinner for 20 people?
For 20 adults and a classic spread, plan about 8 lb of potatoes, 15 cups (4 boxes of mix) of stuffing, 6.6 cups (5 jars, 12 oz) of gravy, 5 lb of green beans, 35 rolls (3 packs of 12) rolls and 3 pies (9-inch, 8 slices each) of pie. Portions per dish shrink as you add dishes — people eat a fixed amount of sides, not more per dish.
References
- FoodSafety.gov — cold food storage and leftover limits: foodsafety.gov
- USDA FSIS — the 2-hour rule and holding cooked food: fsis.usda.gov
- Penn State Extension — cooking for crowds, portion planning: extension.psu.edu
Embed This Calculator
Run a blog, a supplier site, or a class page? You're welcome to put this calculator on your own site — free, no signup, no API key. Copy the snippet, paste it into your HTML, done.
The only condition: keep the “Powered by PartyQuik” link visible. It's how we keep the calculators free. Full details on the embed page.