Salad Servings Calculator

How it works

portions = adults + ½ × children · cups per guest = base (1 starter / 1.5 side / 3 main) × appetite (0.8 / 1 / 1.25) × buffet share ((1 + ½ × other salads) ÷ (1 + other salads)) · total = portions × cups per guest × (1 + extra %) · units to buy = total ÷ cups per head, heart, box or bunch (rounded up) · dressing = portions × tbsp per serving × share

A side salad runs about 1.5 cups of prepared greens per person. A small starter needs about 1 cup, and a main-dish salad with protein and toppings about 3 cups. Light or hearty eaters move that by about 20–25%, and children count as half a portion. On a buffet with other salads, guests take a little of each, so every salad needs less, though the total eaten still rises. Yields depend on the greens: a head of romaine gives about 6 cups chopped, iceberg about 7, leaf lettuce about 8 and butter lettuce only about 3, while a 5 oz (142 g) box of spring mix holds about 5 cups. The calculator divides your total by that yield and rounds up. It also gives the prepared weight, the dressing (about 2 tablespoons a serving, as bottles or a 3 : 1 oil-and-vinegar vinaigrette), the toppings, and for main salads the cooked protein. Tables compare other greens and other guest counts.

Worked example

For 12 guests as a side: 12 × 1.5 = 18 cups of salad, or 18 ÷ 6 = 3 heads of romaine, about 850 g (1.9 lb) of prepared greens. Dressing is 12 × 2 = 24 tablespoons (1.5 cups), so one 16 fl oz bottle, or a vinaigrette of 1.13 cups oil and 0.38 cup (6 tbsp) vinegar. If the same salad shares a buffet with one other salad, each guest takes about 1.5 × 0.75 = 1.1 cups, and 14 cups (3 heads) is enough.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central — portion weights for lettuce, spinach, kale and cabbage

Frequently asked questions