Recipe Cost Calculator Widget
A costing sheet that fits in a sidebar. Readers list each ingredient with the amount used, what they paid for how much, and the usable yield after trimming; the widget converts units, prices every line and returns the batch cost, the cost per serving and a price at their target food-cost percentage.
Live preview
Under the widget on your page: Powered by A2Z Tools
Embed code
<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/recipe-cost-calculator" title="Recipe Cost Calculator by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="1100" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.
<div data-a2z-widget="recipe-cost-calculator" data-height="1100"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed.js"></script>
Adds a small script (what it does) that sizes the widget to fit its content, loads it lazily and keeps it isolated from your page's CSS.
Works with
How it works
Each line is costed from the price actually paid. The amount used and the purchase pack can be in different units - grams against a kilogram bag, ounces against a pound, millilitres against a litre bottle, or pieces against a dozen - and are converted before dividing. Yield is the usable share of what was bought: tomatoes that lose 10% to cores and skins have a 90% yield, so using 800 g means paying for 800 / 0.9 = 889 g. At 3.00 a kilogram that line costs 2.67. Adding 500 g of pasta from a 2.40 kilo bag (1.20), 30 ml of a 9.00 litre of oil (0.27) and 60 g of a 250 g wedge of parmesan at 6.00 with 95% yield (1.52) gives a batch of 5.65; four servings cost 1.41 each, and at a 30% food-cost target the suggested price is 4.71. A line that mixes weight with volume is refused because the conversion would need a density. Up to 30 lines are allowed.
Calculation method
- As-purchased quantity = quantity used / (yield % / 100)
- Line cost = as-purchased quantity / purchase quantity x purchase price (same unit family)
- Batch cost = sum of line costs; cost per serving = batch cost / servings
- Suggested price = cost per serving / (target food cost % / 100)
Worked examples
Tomato pasta for four
Inputs: Pasta 500 g of a 1 kg bag at 2.40; tomatoes 800 g of 1 kg at 3.00, 90% yield; oil 30 ml of 1 l at 9.00; parmesan 60 g of 250 g at 6.00, 95% yield; 4 servings; 30% target
Result: Batch 5.65; 1.41 per serving; suggested price 4.71
The tomato line costs 2.67 because only 90% of what was bought is usable.
Imperial units
Inputs: 4 oz from a 1 lb pack costing 8.00; 100% yield
Result: 2.00
4 / 16 of the pack.
Limitations
- Prices are what the reader enters; supplier prices change and should be updated regularly.
- Volume-to-weight conversion is not offered inside a line - convert first with the cooking converter.
- Lines are not saved between visits.
Where publishers use it
- A home-bakery or cottage-food blog teaching new sellers to price their cakes
- A culinary-school costing assignment
- A catering company's internal recipe card template
- A meal-prep business pricing a new weekly menu
- A food-blogger's recipe post showing the cost per portion
Questions
What does yield percentage mean?
The share of the purchased weight you can actually use. Whole onions lose skins and ends, meat loses trim and cooking shrink. If 1 kg of whole carrots gives 850 g peeled, the yield is 85%, and every gram used really costs 1 / 0.85 = 1.18 grams' worth.
Can I mix grams and kilograms?
Yes, within the same family: g, kg, oz and lb are all weights and convert automatically (1 lb = 453.6 g, 1 oz = 28.35 g); ml and l are volumes; each is for pieces. Weight against volume is refused because a cup of flour and a cup of honey weigh very different amounts.
Why use a target food-cost percentage to price?
It keeps ingredient cost a fixed share of the price, leaving the rest for labour, rent and profit. At a 30% target the price is about 3.3 times the plate cost. Use the menu price calculator to round the result to a menu-friendly ending.
Should spices and oil be costed?
Yes, even if small. Small items add up, and many kitchens add a 2-5% allowance for seasonings and garnish instead of listing every pinch. You can enter that as one extra line.
Does it include labour or packaging?
Only if you add them as lines. A takeaway container at 0.25 each, for example, can be entered as 1 each from a pack of 1 at 0.25.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools Recipe Cost Calculator https://a2z.tools/embed/recipe-cost-calculator
<a href="https://a2z.tools/embed/recipe-cost-calculator">A2Z Tools Recipe Cost Calculator</a>
[A2Z Tools Recipe Cost Calculator](https://a2z.tools/embed/recipe-cost-calculator)
Recipe Cost Calculator by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/embed/recipe-cost-calculator
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