Free tool for professional kitchens
Free recipe costing calculator for UK chefs
Know what each dish really costs. Enter the ingredients you use, what you pay for each pack and how many portions the recipe makes. Calculate batch cost, cost per portion and ingredient-based GP without creating an account.
Open the free recipe calculator →Free one-recipe calculator · No sign-up · No payment card · Figures entered by you
Try it before you sign up
Cost your first recipe.
See your GP instantly.
Use the calculator right here. No login, no card and no commitment.
Want to save your recipes and scan supplier invoices?
Try the full Mise en Price app free for 14 days. No card required.
Start your free trial ↗How to calculate your recipe cost
- Add your ingredients. Enter the quantity used, purchased pack size and price for the whole pack. Keep units compatible within each ingredient.
- Set your portions. Enter how many portions the full batch makes.
- Add your selling price. Use a price excluding VAT when checking food-cost GP.
- Review the result. The calculator shows total ingredient cost, cost per portion, cash GP per portion and food-cost GP percentage.
Worked example: recipe costing and GP
Suppose a batch of soup costs £12.00 in ingredients and makes 10 portions. You sell each portion for £5.00 excluding VAT.
| Total ingredient cost | £12.00 |
|---|---|
| Portions made | 10 |
| Ingredient cost per portion | £1.20 |
| Selling price per portion (ex VAT) | £5.00 |
| Ingredient-based GP per portion | £3.80 |
| Ingredient-based GP % | 76% |
Cost per portion = total batch ingredient cost ÷ portions made. Ingredient-based GP % = (selling price excluding VAT − ingredient cost per portion) ÷ selling price excluding VAT × 100.
This is an ingredient-only gross profit calculation, not net profit. It does not automatically account for labour, utilities, rent, wastage or other operating costs. Compare costs and selling prices on a consistent VAT basis.
Recipe costing questions
Is the recipe calculator free?
Yes. The one-recipe calculator on our homepage can be used without signing in or entering payment details.
Can I calculate the food cost percentage?
Yes. Food cost percentage is the ingredient cost per portion divided by the selling price, both on a consistent VAT basis, multiplied by 100. Ingredient-based GP % is 100 minus that food cost percentage.
What happens when supplier prices change?
Re-entering revised pack prices shows how the cost of a dish changes. The full Mise en Price app also provides a supplier price book and linked recipe pricing, which can make repeated re-costing easier.
Does Mise en Price work for restaurants and caterers?
It is designed for professional kitchens, including independent restaurants, cafés and catering businesses that need to cost batches, portion sizes and menus.
Want to save recipes and manage supplier prices?
The full Mise en Price app adds a recipe library, supplier price book, invoice scanning and exports. Try it for 14 days without a card; afterwards, choose whether to subscribe for £9.99 per month. There is no automatic charge when the trial ends.
Start a free 14-day trial →Prefer a spreadsheet?
Download our free recipe costing spreadsheet template for a worked ingredient-cost example you can edit in Excel or Google Sheets.