Recipe costing: how to work out the cost of a dish

By mise · Updated September 29, 2026

Quick answer: to cost a recipe, list every ingredient with the quantity used, convert it to the unit you buy in, multiply by the purchase price (adjusted for yield), add it up and divide by the number of portions. Plate cost ÷ menu price = food cost % for that dish; to hit a 30% target, menu price = plate cost ÷ 0.30.

Every menu price is a guess until the recipe is costed. It takes ten minutes per dish, and it is the base of theoretical food cost and menu engineering.

Step by step

List every ingredient — including garnish, oil, sauce and the side.
Use the quantity actually used, weighed, not estimated.
Price it from the invoice, converted to the same unit (e.g. $/oz).
Adjust for yield: if 10 lb of salmon gives 7.2 lb of portions, the usable cost is 39% higher. See food yield percentage.
Divide by portions to get cost per plate.
Compare with the menu price.

Recipe costing calculator

Ingredients (cost of the amount used in one batch)

Portions per batch

Menu price ($)

From plate cost to menu price

Menu price = plate cost ÷ target food cost %

A $3.60 plate at a 30% target → $12.00. Then check the market and the dish's role on the menu: a signature dish can run a higher food cost if it sells well and carries a good dollar margin — that is what menu engineering measures.

Keep it current

A recipe card costed last year is wrong today. Re-cost when a supplier price moves more than 5–10% or when you change the recipe. In mise recipe cards use the ingredients in your inventory at the price you last paid, so the cost updates with each invoice.

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Keep reading Food cost percentage: formula, examples and targets Actual vs theoretical food cost: how to find the gap Menu engineering: the matrix and how to use it Food yield percentage: formula, chart and calculator All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate the cost of a recipe?

Sum the cost of every ingredient in the quantities used (adjusted for yield) and divide by the number of portions.

What is plate cost?

The ingredient cost of one portion as served. Plate cost ÷ menu price gives the food cost percentage of that dish.

How do I price a dish from its cost?

Divide plate cost by your target food cost: $4 ÷ 0.30 = $13.33, then round to a menu price.