How much food for Christmas dinner?
Tell us how many you're feeding and what's on the menu, and get exactly how big a main to buy and how much of each classic side to cook, with leftovers factored in, so you never run short (or drown in food).
How much to cook
Feeding
8 guests
Main dish to buy
12 lb turkey
12 lb needed (1–1.5 lb per person, bone-in) · leftovers included
The classic sides
Potatoes (mash or roast)
≈0.4 lb raw per person
3.8 lb
Stuffing / dressing
≈3/4 cup per person
7 cups prepared
Gravy
≈1/3 cup per person
3.2 cups
Green vegetables
≈4 oz per person
2.4 lb
Cranberry sauce
≈3 tbsp per person
1.8 cups
Dinner rolls
≈1.5 per person
15 rolls
Pie / dessert
1 slice per person, ~8 slices per pie
2 pies
These are generous starting amounts for a sit-down dinner. The main rounds up to a practical size to buy. Always size up rather than down. A slightly bigger bird and a few extra rolls cost little and save the night.
Now plan the cook and the shop
Got your amounts? Build a backward-timed cooking timeline so everything lands hot at once, then turn the menu into a printable grocery list grouped by store section.
How the amounts work
The main.Whole bone-in birds and roasts carry weight you don't eat (bone, carcass), so they're sized higher per person: ~1.25 lb for turkey, ~1 lb for prime rib or a whole chicken, 3/4 lb for bone-in ham. Boneless cuts drop to ~1/2 lb per person because there's no waste. The tool rounds the main up to a practical size to buy.
The sides. Per person: about 0.4 lb of potatoes, 3/4 cup of stuffing, 1/3 cup of gravy, 4 oz of green vegetables, a few tablespoons of cranberry sauce, around 1.5 rolls, and one slice of pie (roughly eight to a pie). Quantities scale with your headcount, not the number of dishes. Pick the four to six sides your family loves and make those well.
Kids, appetite, and leftovers. Children count as half a portion; the appetite setting scales everything up or down about 15–20%; and the leftovers option adds 20% across the board. Stacked together, these are generous, real-world numbers for a sit-down dinner.
When in doubt, size up. A slightly larger bird and a few extra rolls cost little and rescue the night; coming up short with guests still seated is the only real failure mode.
Common questions
How much turkey do I need per person?
Plan on about 1 to 1.5 pounds of whole, bone-in turkey per person. This calculator uses 1.25 lb as a sensible middle, which accounts for the bone and gives a little carving room. For a table of 10, that's a 13–15 lb bird. If you specifically want leftovers (turkey sandwiches the next day are half the point), bump it toward 1.5 lb per person. Boneless turkey breast is different: there 1/2 lb per person is plenty since there's no bone or carcass.
How much ham do I need per person?
For a bone-in ham, plan on about 3/4 pound per person; for a boneless ham, 1/2 pound per person is enough because there's no waste. So a bone-in ham for 12 wants roughly 9 pounds. Ham is denser and richer than turkey, so people tend to eat a little less of it, but it also makes excellent leftovers, so rounding up is rarely a mistake.
How much mashed potato do I need per person?
About 1/2 pound of raw potatoes per person for mashed or roast potatoes. This tool uses 0.4 lb as a base and scales it with appetite and leftovers. For 10 guests that's roughly 4–5 pounds of potatoes. Potatoes are the side people go back for seconds on, so if you're choosing one dish to make extra of, make it this one.
How many side dishes should I serve at Christmas dinner?
A classic Christmas dinner runs four to six sides: a potato (mashed or roast), a stuffing or dressing, at least one green vegetable, a bread or roll, plus gravy and cranberry sauce as condiments. More guests doesn't mean more types of sides; it means larger quantities of the same ones. This calculator gives you the quantity for each classic side; pick the four to six your family actually loves rather than spreading yourself thin across ten dishes.
How much extra should I cook for leftovers?
Adding about 20% across the board gives you comfortable leftovers without a fridge full of waste. That's what the "cook for leftovers" option here does. For the main specifically, leftovers fans often go further and plan 1.5 lb of turkey per person instead of 1.25. The sides that keep and reheat best are potatoes, stuffing, and the main; delicate green vegetables are better cooked fresh, so there's less reason to over-make those.
Do children count as a full portion?
No. Count each child (roughly under 12) as about half an adult portion, which is what this calculator does. Very young children eat even less, while hungry teenagers should be counted as full adults. When in doubt with a mixed table, round the total up slightly: running a little over on Christmas dinner is far less stressful than running short with guests still at the table.
Plan the rest of the meal
Christmas Dinner Timing Calculator
Work backward from your serve time so everything lands hot at once: thaw, brine, cook, and rest.
Christmas Dinner Shopping List
Turn the menu into a printable grocery list, grouped by store section and scaled to your guests.
Christmas Tip Calculator
Sorting out the holidays beyond the table: who to tip, and how much.
Christmas Decoration Budget Planner
Fit the whole season (dinner, decor, and gifts) into one realistic budget.
Prefer pen & paper?
The Christmas Planner
A 20-page printable kit covering budget, gifts, hosting, and decor, built on the same planning logic as this tool. Print it once, keep it in a binder, and reuse it every year.
Or grab 3 pages free first.
Decor that suits the home you have.
A new tool launching this fall. Pick Christmas decor your home will love, before you buy. Plus seasonal decorating tips between now and then. One list, no spam.