Portion Size Chart

But How Much Will They Eat?

Portion Size Chart

Use these common portion sizes as a guideline of how much food to plan for each guest. Simply multiply the serving size by the number of guests you expect to grace your table to come up with the amount of food to purchase.

Food	Typical Portion Size/Person
Bacon	2 slices
Bread	1 slice
Butter	2 tsp.
Cake	3 x 2.5"
Cantaloupe	½ melon
Carrots	4 oz
Cereal	2/3 cup cooked, 1 oz cold
Cheese	2 oz
Chicken	5 oz (before cooking)
Cocoa	¾ cup or 6 oz
Coffee	¾ cup or 6 oz
Cottage cheese	2 oz or ¼ cup
Crackers	1 oz or 2 graham, 4 saltines, 2 soda
Creamer	1 tsp.
Fruit Juice	4 oz
Fruit Salad	1/3 cup
Gelatin Salad	½ cup
Grapes	4 oz
Gravy	3-4 tablespoons
Ham	3 oz (after cooking)
Hamburger	5.5 oz (before cooking; 3 oz after cooking)
Ice	3-4 oz
Ice Cream	¼ cup with cake, 1/3 cup for sundae or dish
Jam/Preserves	¼ cup
Lemonade	1 cup
Lettuce (salad)	1/6 head or 3 oz
Luncheon Meat	1 oz
Mayonnaise	2 tsp.
Meat Salad	½ cup
Milk	1 cup
Potato	1 each (4.5-5 oz) or ½ cup (4 oz) mashed or French fried
Potato Chips	1 oz
Potato salad	½ cup
Pudding	½ cup
Punch	½ cup
Rice	½ cup
Rolls	1 each for heavy meals, 2 each for light meals
Salad Dressings	4 tsp.
Sandwich Filling	¼ cup
Soup	1/2 cup (if appetizer), 1 cup (if main course)
Spareribs	8-12 oz (before cooking)
Strawberries	4 oz
Tomatoes	2.5 oz or ½ cup diced or 3 slices/person
Vegetable Salad	1 cup
Vegetables	2.5 oz canned
Watermelon	12-16 oz
Wieners	2 each
Whipping Cream	2 tablespoons

* DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *