Recipe Calorie Calculator

Calculate Calories — Recipe Calorie Calculator

How to Use Recipe Calorie Calculator

1. Step 1: Add ingredients

   Search common foods or add a custom ingredient with calories per 100 g.

2. Step 2: Enter amounts

   Type the amount and choose g or oz for each ingredient (grams give the best accuracy).

3. Step 3: Set servings

   Enter how many servings your recipe yields to see calories per serving.

4. Step 4: Review totals

   See total recipe calories, per‑serving calories, and optional macros (protein, carbs, fat).

5. Step 5: Export or copy

   Copy a summary or export your recipe details to share or save.

Key Features

• Ingredient lookup and custom items
• Weight-based inputs (g/oz)
• Servings and per‑serving calories
• Optional macros (protein, carbs, fat)
• Copy and export recipe summary

Understanding Results

Formula

The tool adds calories for each ingredient based on weight. For an ingredient with calories per 100 g, the equation is: totalIngredientCalories = (caloriesPer100g × grams) ÷ 100. The recipe total is the sum of all ingredient totals. Calories per serving = totalRecipeCalories ÷ servings. When macros are available, protein, carbs, and fat are calculated the same way using grams per 100 g.

Interpreting totals and per‑serving values

This calories per serving calculator also works as a simple recipe calorie counter so you can plan portions without spreadsheets.

Use total calories to compare whole recipes and per‑serving calories to plan portions. Per‑serving calories help you line up a dish with daily targets from a calorie or macro plan. If your meal prep uses different container sizes, adjust the servings input to match how you plate the food and the per‑serving values update instantly.

Assumptions & Limitations

Ingredient density and cooking methods can change water content, but energy stays the same unless fat is added or removed. We encourage weighing ingredients in grams for the best accuracy. If you enter volume units from a label, consider checking a few real weights with a kitchen scale. For fried foods, sauces, or marinades, only include the amount that remains in the dish.

Complete Guide: Recipe Calorie Calculator

Use the recipe calorie calculator to add ingredients by weight, set servings, and see total calories and calories per serving. Fast, accurate, and private.

This recipe calorie calculator adds up calories from each ingredient in your dish and then shows calories per serving based on your yield. It is fast, private, and designed to be easy on a phone—no sign‑in, no pop‑ups, and no distracting extras. If you also want to plan daily targets, pair this with the calorie intake calculator or the macro calculator.

Why use a recipe calorie calculator?

Calories determine energy. When you cook at home, the quickest way to understand a meal is to total ingredient calories and divide by servings. You get clarity without obsessing over every gram all week. Planning a pasta bake? A curry? A smoothie? Add what goes in, set servings, and you have calories per serving you can actually use.

The benefit is consistency. You can batch‑cook two or three simple recipes that fit your daily budget, then rotate flavors and proteins. Use this page to level‑set a dish once, then adjust portions on your plate. If weight management is your goal, combine recipe planning with a modest deficit from the calorie deficit calculator and follow it for two weeks before making changes.

How to weigh ingredients for best accuracy

A kitchen scale is the single biggest upgrade to home cooking accuracy. Grams are reliable because they do not depend on how a cup is packed or the shape of a spoon. Weigh dry ingredients in a bowl and tare (zero) the scale between items. For liquids, weigh in a container or pour to a target weight. If you only know ounces, this calculator converts to grams automatically.

If you prefer to use pieces (for eggs or fruit), you can set grams per piece. We provide sensible defaults for common items, and you can edit them to match what you see on your scale. Consistency beats perfection—measure a few times to calibrate your eye, then you can estimate more confidently.

Using the ingredient lookup

Start typing an ingredient name and pick from the suggestions. We prefill calories per 100 g and, when available, protein, carbs, and fat. You just enter the amount and choose the unit (g, oz, or piece). Each row shows that item’s grams and calories, and the results panel adds everything together.

Labels can vary slightly by brand. If your package lists a different value, tap the kcal/100 g field and edit it. The math updates instantly. For items like “Egg, whole,” we use an average grams per piece. If your eggs are smaller or larger, simply adjust the grams per piece once and keep going.

Adding custom ingredients

If an item is not in the suggestions, add a custom ingredient. Type a clear name, enter calories per 100 g from a label or a trusted source, and—optionally—add protein, carbs, and fat per 100 g. Macros are helpful if you track them, but calories alone are enough for per‑serving math. You can always edit a custom item later.

For a broader nutrition view (fiber, sugar, saturated fat), see the recipe nutrition calculator. It complements this tool when you want more detail beyond calories and the three macros.

Servings and portion sizes

Servings are flexible. If your casserole fills six containers, set servings to 6. If you like bigger portions, set 4. The calculator divides totals evenly by the number of servings you enter. You can also view calories per 100 g to portion by weight—a simple way to split leftovers fairly or scale a dish to a new plan.

Need a daily target? Try the daily calorie calculator and the protein calculator to set a clear baseline, then build recipes that fit.

Viewing the macros breakdown

Toggle Macros to see protein, carbs, and fat totals and per‑serving grams. This helps you plan meals that hit your protein and balance carbs and fat across the day. If you want stricter macro planning, the macro calculator and the keto macro calculator provide presets and custom options you can pair with recipes.

Cooking losses, oil absorption, and yield

Cooking changes water weight, not the inherent energy of protein, carbs, and fat. A stew reduces and tastes richer because water evaporates; calories do not evaporate. For frying and sautéing, some oil remains in the pan while some absorbs into food. Include the amount you use and, if you can, subtract what stays in the pan from the ingredient total. When draining marinades or pasta, only count the portion you eat.

Yield affects per‑serving math. If you start with 1000 g of ingredients and finish with 850 g, you still have the same total calories. You can portion by containers (servings) or by weight (kcal/100 g). Both are valid and the calculator shows both so you can choose the method that fits dinner time.

Cups vs grams: why grams win

A cup of flour can vary by 25–30% depending on how it is scooped. Tablespoons of oil are more consistent but still imprecise when poured quickly. Grams remove that ambiguity. If you must use cups, add a note in your recipe and stick to the same method (scoop and level, spoon and level) so your results repeat. When you get a chance, weigh your usual cup once to calibrate future cups.

Label‑based shortcuts

Packaged foods often list calories per serving and the grams per serving. You can reverse‑engineer calories per 100 g by dividing calories by grams and multiplying by 100. If a label says 180 kcal per 45 g serving, that is 400 kcal per 100 g. You can enter those numbers directly for a custom ingredient if the lookup does not match your brand.

Saving and exporting recipes

Use the Copy summary button to paste a plain‑text version into your notes. Download creates a .txt file you can keep with a recipe card. If you batch‑cook frequently, consider pairing this with the meal plan calculator to line up a week’s worth of meals.

Worked example: chicken pasta bake

Suppose you cook a simple pasta bake for four. Ingredients: 300 g dry pasta, 500 g cooked chicken breast, 200 g tomato sauce, 100 g mozzarella, and 10 g olive oil. Using typical values, that is approximately 300 g pasta (≈ 1110 kcal), 500 g chicken (≈ 825 kcal), 200 g sauce (≈ 120 kcal), 100 g mozzarella (≈ 280 kcal), and 10 g oil (≈ 88 kcal). The total is ≈ 2423 kcal. Per serving (divide by 4): ≈ 606 kcal. If you prefer a 500 kcal meal, make five servings or reduce cheese and oil.

Now imagine you are managing carbs for training. Open the macros toggle to view per‑serving protein, carbs, and fat. To bias toward protein, increase chicken or add a yogurt‑based sauce. For lower carbs, swap a portion of pasta for roasted zucchini. Use the carb calculator if you want a daily carb target to hit.

Troubleshooting and common pitfalls

• Totals look high? Check that units are grams, not ounces. Ounces convert to grams automatically; ensure you intended oz.
• Per‑serving looks off? Confirm the servings box matches how many portions you plated or containers you filled.
• Macros missing? Some custom items may not include macros. You can add protein, carbs, and fat per 100 g later and results update.
• Fried foods? Include only the oil that remains in the dish; scrape or measure what you discard.
• Volume confusion? When possible, weigh once and note grams per cup for your own future reference.

Linking your recipe to a daily plan

A recipe is only part of the day. Use the TDEE calculator to estimate your daily energy burn and the weight loss calorie calculator to set a sensible deficit. Then, use this page to shape meals that fit. If you need protein guidance, try the protein calculator for weight loss.

Final notes

Keep it simple: build a few reliable dishes that align with your targets, and repeat them with small variations. This calculator exists to remove guesswork, reduce friction, and help you enjoy meals that fit your plan. Use grams for accuracy, set servings to match reality, and adjust ingredients to taste—your totals will stay transparent.

Frequently Asked Questions