Catering portion guide
How much soup per person?
In short
Plan on 8 oz of soup per person as a starter, which is one cup. As a main course served with bread, move to 12 oz. For 50 guests as a starter that is about 3.1 gallons.
How much soup for 10 to 100 people
Planned at finished weight, so what you make is what you serve.
| Guests | Order | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1.5 qt | 1.5 qt |
| 10 | 2.5 qt | 2.5 qt |
| 12 | 3 qt | 3 qt |
| 15 | 3.8 qt | 3.8 qt |
| 20 | 1.3 gal | 1.3 gal |
| 25 | 1.6 gal | 1.6 gal |
| 30 | 1.9 gal | 1.9 gal |
| 40 | 2.5 gal | 2.5 gal |
| 50 | 3.1 gal | 3.1 gal |
| 60 | 3.8 gal | 3.8 gal |
| 75 | 4.7 gal | 4.7 gal |
| 100 | 6.3 gal | 6.3 gal |
These are standard food-service planning figures, not fixed constants. Real yield moves with cut, trim level, cooking method, and how long the food is held. Weigh your own results once and adjust the factor to your kitchen.
Things that change the number
- A 5 gallon pot covers about 80 starter portions, which is the practical batch ceiling for most kitchens.
- Cream soups are richer and guests take less, so 6 oz per person is usually enough.
- Hold soup at or above 140F on a buffet, and stir it, because it skins over quickly.
Common questions
- How much soup per person?
- Plan on 8 oz of soup per person as a starter, which is one cup. As a main course served with bread, move to 12 oz. For 50 guests as a starter that is about 3.1 gallons.
- How much soup for 50 people?
- For 50 guests, order about 3.1 gal of finished soup, which serves about 3.1 gal.
- How much soup for 100 people?
- For 100 guests, order about 6.3 gal of finished soup, which serves about 6.3 gal.
Working out a whole menu, not one dish?
The catering food calculator takes your actual dish list and guest count and returns quantities, tray counts, and a cost range for the whole event.
Quoting events for your restaurant? ZiaPilot captures catering inquiries and helps your team prepare quotes from your own menu. Start with Free; Growth adds WhatsApp and AI quoting.
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