Recipe cost examples
Template recipes with US average ingredient costs. Pick one as a starting point, replace with your own supplier prices.
Pizza Margherita
Classic Neapolitan pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Average US restaurant food cost for a 12" pie.
Caesar Salad
Restaurant-style Caesar with romaine, parmesan, croutons, and anchovy dressing. Average food cost per serving.
Beef Burger with Fries
6 oz ground beef patty with brioche bun, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and side of fries. Typical casual-dining food cost.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Indian restaurant favorite - marinated grilled chicken in creamy tomato sauce. Food cost per entrée portion.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (batch of 24)
Classic bakery-style chocolate chip cookies, about 2 oz each. Ingredient cost for a full batch of 24, with the per-cookie cost and typical retail markup.
Pad Thai (Chicken)
Thai restaurant favorite with rice noodles, chicken, peanuts, and tamarind sauce. Food cost per entrée portion.
Sourdough Bread
Artisan sourdough loaf, about 454g (1 lb). Ingredient cost for home bakers selling at farmers markets, where a loaf typically retails for $7-10.
Chicken Wings (10-piece)
Bar-style chicken wings, 10 pieces with sauce and dip. Common pub/sports bar food cost.
Pasta Carbonara
Classic Roman pasta with guanciale, egg, pecorino, and pepper. Italian restaurant entrée food cost.
Fish Tacos (3 piece)
Three corn-tortilla fish tacos with cabbage slaw, crema, and lime. Coastal/Mexican food truck typical food cost.
Tonkotsu Ramen Bowl
Pork-bone broth ramen with chashu pork, soft egg, scallions, and noodles. Ramen shop entrée food cost.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
BBQ pulled pork on brioche bun with slaw and pickles. Food truck and BBQ joint typical food cost.
Blueberry Muffins (batch of 12)
Bakery-style blueberry muffins. Per-batch ingredient cost; typical bakery retail $3-4 each.
Croissant
Classic French laminated butter croissant. Per-unit cost from a batch yield, against a typical bakery price of $4-5.50, and the highest food cost of any baked good on this site.
Philly Cheesesteak
Sliced ribeye, melted cheese, sautéed onions on hoagie roll. Sandwich shop / food truck food cost.
Bagel
NYC-style boiled and baked bagel, about 4 oz of dough. Per-unit cost from a batch yield, against a typical bakery counter price of $1.50-2.50.
Birthday Cake (8 inch)
Two-layer 8 inch buttercream cake with decoration, serving 12-16. Cottage food and home baker ingredient cost against a typical $50-90 retail price.
Mac & Cheese (single serving)
Restaurant baked mac & cheese with three-cheese sauce and breadcrumb topping. Casual dining side or entrée food cost.
Pan-Seared Salmon Fillet
Restaurant entrée - 6 oz salmon with two sides. Mid-tier dining food cost.
12 oz Ribeye Steak
Steakhouse entrée - 12 oz USDA Choice ribeye with sides. Steakhouse food cost typically 30-38%, the highest of any menu category.
California Sushi Roll (8 piece)
Standard sushi-bar California roll. Per-roll ingredient cost; typical retail $7-12.
Breakfast Burrito
Egg, cheese, potato, and protein burrito wrapped in flour tortilla. Food truck and brunch typical food cost.
Pho Bo (Beef Pho)
Vietnamese rice noodle soup with beef broth, rare beef, and herbs. Pho shop entrée food cost.
Falafel Pita Wrap
Mediterranean wrap with falafel, hummus, vegetables, and tahini sauce. Food truck / fast-casual food cost.
Maine Lobster Roll
Cold lobster meat tossed with mayo, served on butter-toasted split bun. Premium seafood runs a food cost twice a normal entrée.
Smoothie (16 oz)
Fruit smoothie blend with banana, berries, yogurt, and juice. Smoothie bar / juice shop food cost.
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Grilled chicken, romaine, parmesan, and Caesar dressing in a flour tortilla. Lunch counter food cost.
Vegetable Stir Fry over Rice
Mixed vegetables in stir-fry sauce served over jasmine rice. Asian-inspired vegetarian entrée food cost.
Cinnamon Roll
Bakery cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting, from a 12-roll batch. Ingredient cost against a typical $4-5 counter price, and the waste that decides whether it is profitable.
Iced Latte (16 oz)
Iced espresso drink with milk, no flavoring. Coffee shop drink food cost; typical retail $4.50-6.
Eggs Benedict (single)
Brunch classic - poached eggs and Canadian bacon on English muffin with hollandaise. Brunch service food cost.
Kombucha Bottle (12 oz)
Home-brewed flavored kombucha. Per-bottle ingredient cost; typical retail $3-4.50.
Cupcakes (dozen)
Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, sold by the dozen. Cottage food and home baker batch cost, with the per-cupcake figure and typical retail pricing.