Free noodle serving calculator. Enter servings to find the dry noodles in grams and the cooking water in millilitres you need for the meal.
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Enter servings. This calculator allows 100 grams of dry noodles and 1000 ml of cooking water per serving.
The standard dry pasta portion is 2 ounces, about 57 grams, per adult for a main course, which is the USDA label standard. Some guides use a larger main of 85 grams, and Italian restaurant mains run 80 to 100 grams dry. This calculator allows 100 grams of dry noodles per serving, a generous main course figure, plus 1000 ml of cooking water per serving. For a light side dish, halve the portion to about 50 grams.
Dry pasta roughly doubles in weight when cooked, which is what a dry to cooked pasta converter measures. The expansion ratio by shape runs from 1.9 times for angel hair to 2.1 times for penne, rotini and shells, and 2.2 times for lasagne sheets. Rice noodles expand more, about 2.2 to 2.4 times their dry weight. So 100 grams of dry noodles gives about 200 grams cooked, a cooked noodle yield of about double, and 400 grams dry gives about 800 grams cooked. Fresh pasta expands less, only about 1.5 to 1.7 times.
Without a scale, measure long pasta by bundle size: a bundle the diameter of a US quarter is about one 57 gram serving, and a spaghetti portion calculator uses the same bundle idea, with a thumb and index finger circle giving about the same. Short shapes measure about a heaping half cup dry per serving, small shapes a level half cup, and corkscrew or shell shapes about a heaping three quarter cup. A kitchen scale is still the most accurate method, since cup measures can differ by 15 to 20 percent between loose and tight packing.
Wheat pasta serves 57 to 85 grams dry per person. Egg noodles serve 2 ounces dry per person, which cooks to about 1 cup, or 160 grams, of cooked egg noodles. Ramen serves one brick per person, about 70 to 100 grams. Rice noodles for pad thai serve 2.5 to 3 ounces dry per adult main, and fresh pasta serves 85 to 113 grams per person, heavier than dry because it already holds water. Fresh pasta portion versus dry pasta portion therefore differs by about half as much again.
Competitor guides disagree on side dish size, and the disagreement is worth explaining. One guide gives a side dish as 1 ounce, 28 grams, dry, while another gives 2 ounces, 57 grams. The difference is the rest of the meal: a side next to a rich main with other dishes can be 1 ounce, while a side that carries the meal needs closer to 2 ounces. Soup takes only about 0.5 ounces, and pasta salad takes 1 to 1.5 ounces per person.
Use plenty of water so noodles cook evenly: about 1000 ml per serving in this calculator, or at least 4 litres per pound of pasta. Salt the water at about 1 tablespoon per 4 litres, and reserve a cup of starchy cooking water before draining, since it helps sauces cling to the noodles. Cook al dente, 1 to 2 minutes before the package time, especially if the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce, because it keeps absorbing moisture in the pan.
For a crowd, multiply the per person figure and round up to whole boxes. At 2 ounces per person, 4 guests need 8 ounces, 8 guests need 1 pound, 12 guests need 24 ounces, 20 guests need 40 ounces, and 50 guests need 100 ounces, which is 6.25 boxes, so buy 7 boxes. For buffets, reduce per person amounts by about 20 to 25 percent, since guests take smaller helpings alongside other dishes.
Children aged 4 to 10 need about 1 ounce, 28 grams, dry per serving, roughly half an adult portion, while teenagers and athletes need 3 to 4 ounces. Heavy rich sauces need less pasta, about 1.5 to 1.75 ounces per person, since the sauce fills the plate. Leftover cooked pasta keeps in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Always weigh pasta dry for calorie counting, since water adds mass but not calories, and cooked weight tracking can underestimate intake by 30 to 50 percent.
About 2 ounces, 57 grams, of dry noodles per adult for a main course, or 85 grams for a generous main. This calculator uses 100 grams per serving.
For long pasta, a bundle the diameter of a US quarter is about one serving. For short shapes, use a heaping half cup dry per serving.
About double its dry weight. Two ounces dry becomes about 4.5 to 5 ounces cooked, and 100 grams dry becomes about 200 grams cooked.
Roughly 1.9 to 2.2 times by shape, and 2.2 to 2.4 times for rice noodles. Fresh pasta expands only about 1.5 to 1.7 times.
Always weigh it dry. Water adds mass, not calories, so cooked weight tracking can underestimate calories by 30 to 50 percent.
Divide the cooked weight by the shape ratio. For penne at 2.1 times, 300 grams cooked needs about 143 grams dry.
About 1 cup, 160 grams, of cooked egg noodles, which comes from 2 ounces of dry egg noodles per person.
Half a pound, 8 ounces, serves 2 to 3 people at a standard portion, or 200 grams dry in this calculator for 2 servings.
At 2 ounces per person, 20 guests need 40 ounces, or 2.5 pounds. For buffets, reduce by 20 to 25 percent and round up to whole boxes.