Plan a week of protein-focused meals with the Velora Foods Weekly Protein Prep Calculator. Estimate the number of portions required, the total cooked protein to prepare, the raw amount to purchase after trimming and cooking losses, and optional ingredient costs. Enter your household size, preparation days and cooked portion weight to create a practical batch-preparation estimate.
This tool separates the food you want to serve from the raw quantity you may need to buy. That distinction is important because trimming, bones, skin, moisture loss and cooking methods can change the final edible weight. Use measured yields from your own kitchen or supplier whenever possible; the calculator uses the values you enter rather than assuming one universal yield for every food.
Weekly Protein Prep Calculator
Enter the number of people, days and protein portions per person per day. Add the cooked weight of one portion and choose grams, ounces or pounds. Optional fields let you include a preparation buffer, trimming yield, cooking yield, price per kilogram, currency and package size. You can leave optional fields blank when you only need the cooked preparation target.
Results are estimates based on the values you enter. Nothing you type is sent to or stored on our servers.
What the Weekly Protein Prep Calculator Estimates
The calculator converts your meal-prep schedule into a batch quantity and, when yield details are supplied, estimates the raw purchase weight. It can help with household meal prep, batch cooking, lunch preparation and food-service planning. Results include:
- Total planned portions based on people, days and portions per person each day.
- Base cooked protein mass and the buffer-adjusted cooked preparation target in grams and kilograms.
- Estimated raw purchase weight after applying trimming and cooking yields.
- Estimated total ingredient cost and cost per planned portion when a price per kilogram is entered.
- Whole-package quantity, total purchased weight and estimated remainder when package size is supplied.
How to Use the Protein Meal Prep Calculator
1. Enter the number of people and days
Enter the number of people who will eat the prepared meals and the number of days the batch should cover. For example, a weekday lunch plan for four people over five days uses 4 people and 5 days. The calculator accepts up to 500 people and 31 days, making it useful for both household and larger batch estimates.
2. Set portions per person per day
Enter the number of protein portions each person is expected to receive each day. This is a planning count, not a dietary recommendation. If your schedule includes one protein serving at lunch and one at dinner, enter two portions per person per day. If only selected meals contain the food being prepared, count only those portions.
3. Enter the cooked weight of one portion
Enter the target cooked edible weight for one portion, then select grams, ounces or pounds. The calculator converts the selected unit to grams before performing the batch calculation. Use cooked weight because the primary output is the amount ready to serve. Do not enter raw package weight in this field.
4. Choose an optional preparation buffer
The preparation buffer increases the base cooked target by the percentage you enter. A 5% buffer adds five percent to the planned cooked quantity. This can help account for serving variation or additional portions, but it is optional and should reflect your own service needs. It is not a standard allowance or a recommendation to prepare more food.
5. Add trimming and cooking yield percentages
Usable trimming yield is the percentage of purchased raw weight remaining after trimming. Cooking yield is the percentage of trimmed raw weight remaining after cooking. For example, a 90% trimming yield followed by a 75% cooking yield gives a combined yield of 67.5%. Enter measured values from the same product and preparation method when available. If a yield field is left blank, the calculator treats that stage as 100%, meaning no loss is applied at that stage.
6. Add price and package size if needed
Enter the raw product’s purchase price per kilogram to estimate the batch cost. Select the currency that matches the price. For package planning, enter the net package weight in grams. The calculator rounds the required pack count up to a whole package and reports the estimated amount remaining. Make sure the price, currency and package weight refer to the same product.
Calculation Formula and Method
The calculator first converts the cooked portion weight to grams. It then multiplies the number of people, preparation days and portions per person per day to find the total number of portions.
Planned portions = people × days × portions per person per day.
Base cooked mass (g) = planned portions × cooked portion mass (g).
Cooked target (g) = base cooked mass × (1 + buffer percentage ÷ 100).
The raw purchase estimate reverses the yield losses in the order they occur: cooking yield is applied to trimmed raw food, and trimming yield is applied to the purchased raw food.
Trimmed raw mass (g) = cooked target ÷ (cooking yield ÷ 100).
Raw purchase mass (g) = trimmed raw mass ÷ (trimming yield ÷ 100).
Estimated cost = raw purchase mass in kilograms × purchase price per kilogram. Pack count = round up (raw purchase mass in grams ÷ package size in grams). The calculation assumes trimming happens before cooking and that the entered yields are percentages of the immediately preceding stage.
Worked Example: Protein Prep for Four People
Suppose you are preparing two protein portions per person per day for four people over five days. Each cooked portion weighs 120 g, and you choose a 5% preparation buffer. The planned portion count is 4 × 5 × 2 = 40 portions. The base cooked quantity is 40 × 120 g = 4,800 g, or 4.8 kg. Adding the 5% buffer gives a cooked preparation target of 5,040 g, or 5.04 kg.
Now assume a measured trimming yield of 90% and a cooking yield of 75%. The raw purchase estimate is 5,040 ÷ 0.75 ÷ 0.90 = approximately 7,467 g, or 7.47 kg. If the product is sold in 1,000 g packages, the calculator rounds up to eight packages. The estimated remainder is approximately 533 g before any additional handling losses. Actual results will differ with the food, cut, supplier, trimming standard and cooking method.
Understanding Food Yield and Estimate Accuracy
Yield percentages are not fixed properties of a food. Boneless chicken, bone-in cuts, fish fillets, tofu, tempeh, beans and lentils have different preparation characteristics. Even the same ingredient can produce different results depending on trimming standards, cooking temperature, cooking time, moisture loss and final doneness. A yield entered for one cut or cooking method may not represent another.
For a more reliable estimate, weigh a representative batch at three stages: purchased raw weight, usable trimmed weight and final cooked weight. Calculate trimming yield as trimmed raw weight divided by purchased raw weight, multiplied by 100. Calculate cooking yield as cooked weight divided by trimmed raw weight, multiplied by 100. Record the ingredient, cut and cooking method alongside the measurements so that future estimates use comparable data.
Keep portion weights on a consistent basis. If your meal plan specifies 120 g cooked portions, enter 120 g cooked—not 120 g raw. For dry beans or lentils, use a yield basis that reflects dry-to-cooked expansion rather than assuming a meat-style cooking loss. The tool performs quantity arithmetic only; it does not evaluate protein quality, nutrient adequacy or an individual’s dietary requirements.
Practical Weekly Protein Meal-Prep Workflow
- Choose the meals and preparation days that the batch needs to cover.
- Set a consistent cooked portion weight based on your recipe or serving plan.
- Measure or select trimming and cooking yields that match the food being purchased.
- Calculate the cooked target and raw purchase estimate before shopping.
- Check storage capacity and plan safe cooking, cooling, refrigeration and freezing.
- Weigh the finished batch and compare its actual yield with the estimate to improve future plans.
For related planning, try the Weekly Meal Prep Quantity Calculator, Family Meal Quantity Planner and Meal Prep Container Calculator. To estimate food spending, use the Grocery List Cost Calculator or Food Cost Per Serving Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I enter raw or cooked portion weight?
Enter the cooked edible weight per portion. The calculator uses this value to determine the amount you want ready to serve. The optional trimming and cooking yield fields then estimate how much raw product may be required to produce that cooked amount.
What happens if I leave the yield fields blank?
A blank trimming or cooking yield is treated as 100%. No weight loss is applied at that stage. Enter measured percentages when you want the raw purchase estimate to account for trimming and cooking losses.
Can I use the calculator for plant-based protein foods?
Yes. You can use it for tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils and other foods when you know the cooked portion weight and relevant preparation yields. For dry beans and lentils, use a yield basis that matches the form being measured, such as dry-to-cooked expansion. Do not use a yield percentage from an unrelated food or preparation method.
Does this calculator tell me how much protein I should eat?
No. It estimates food quantities from the schedule and portion weight you choose; it does not prescribe a daily protein target or assess individual nutrition needs. For a separate general estimate, see the Daily Protein Target Calculator. Consult a qualified health professional for personalized nutrition advice.
How can I improve the estimate over time?
Record purchased raw weight, usable trimmed weight and final cooked weight for representative batches. Note the ingredient, cut, supplier and cooking method. Use those measured yields in later calculations and update them when the product or preparation process changes.
Can I calculate the cost and number of packages?
Yes. Enter the raw purchase price per kilogram and select its currency to estimate total cost and cost per planned portion. Enter the net package size in grams to calculate the number of whole packages to buy. The price and package size must describe the same product.
Related Velora Foods Calculators
Explore the Meal Planning Tools, Nutrition Calculators and Food Calculators collections. The Cooked Yield Calculator can also help compare raw and cooked batch weights.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides general food quantity and cost estimates for planning. It does not provide medical, dietetic or personalized nutrition advice. Results depend on the values entered and may differ from actual batch weights, supplier prices and package contents. Follow local food-safety guidance for cooking, cooling, refrigeration and freezing.