Syed Waleed

The turkey gets all the attention, but the sides are where hosts run short. Enter your guest count and appetite level to get exact portions of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, rolls, and pie — plus a ready-made grocery list.

Thanksgiving Side Dish Calculator: Feed Every Guest Without Running Short

Enter your guest count and appetite level, and get exact per-person portions for all seven classic sides — mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pie — plus a ready-to-shop grocery list.

Kids are counted at 0.6 of an adult portion — enough for smaller plates, with seconds available.
Light: mostly tasting plates. Hearty: big plates plus seconds — adds about 25%.
The turkey is not covered here — size it with our Thanksgiving Turkey Calculator (plan 3/4 lb per person).
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Unlimited recalculations, the grocery list, every feature included.

Get your portions in 3 steps

  1. 1Enter your guests

    Count adults (teens and up) and kids separately — kids eat about 60% of an adult portion.

  2. 2Pick the appetite level

    Choose Light for tasting plates, Average for a normal dinner, or Hearty if your family goes back for seconds.

  3. 3Shop the grocery list

    Every amount updates live. Print or screenshot the grocery list — it converts portions into bags, boxes, cans, and pies.

Why these portions are trustworthy

Catering-standard rules

Every dish uses published catering per-person amounts: 1/2 lb mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup stuffing, 1/3 cup gravy, 1/4 lb green beans, 1/4 cup cranberry sauce, 1.5 rolls per guest.

Kids counted fairly

Children 12 and under are weighted at 0.6 of an adult, so a table with lots of kids is not over-catered.

Appetite adjustment

Light eaters get 80% portions, hearty eaters 125% — one tap instead of guesswork.

Pie math that works

A standard 9-inch pie serves 8. The calculator rounds up so there is always a full last slice — never a sad sliver.

Real grocery list

Portions are converted into buyable units: 12-count roll bags, 14 oz cranberry cans, 6 oz stuffing boxes, gravy packets.

US units throughout

Pounds, cups, and counts with ounces and metric in parentheses where it helps.

Thanksgiving portion questions, answered

How much mashed potatoes do I need per person?
Plan 1/2 lb of prepared mashed potatoes per adult — about 3/4 cup. For 10 adults that is 5 lb. Buy about 25% more raw potatoes than the prepared weight (so 6.25 lb raw for 5 lb mashed) to cover peeling and trimming waste.
How much gravy should I make for Thanksgiving?
About 1/3 cup per guest — enough to cover turkey, potatoes, and stuffing with some for seconds. Ten adults need roughly 3.3 cups, or a little over 3 cups. Always make a touch extra; gravy is the first thing to run out.
How many dinner rolls per person?
1.5 rolls per guest — one for dinner, half a roll for the plate-scrape at the end. Ten adults need 15 rolls, which is why dinner rolls are sold in 12-count bags.
How much stuffing per person?
3/4 cup per guest. One 6 oz box of stuffing mix serves about 6, so scale boxes at one per 6 guests and round up.
How many pies do I need for Thanksgiving?
A standard 9-inch pie serves 8. Divide guests by 8 and round up — and consider making at least two flavors (pumpkin plus apple or pecan) if you have more than 8 guests.
Should I plan for leftovers?
If you want leftovers, choose the Hearty appetite level, which adds about 25% across every dish. USDA guidance: refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3–4 days.
How much turkey per person do I need?
The rule is 3/4 lb of turkey per guest (about 1 lb per guest if you want generous leftovers). Sides are covered here — size the bird itself with our Thanksgiving Turkey Calculator.

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