Pasta Serving Calculator
How much dry pasta do you need per person? Enter the number of eaters and the pasta shape to get dry weight, cooked weight and the right amount of water and salt.
Long and short dried pasta weigh the same per serving — the shape changes the volume, not the weight. Fresh pasta weighs more per serving because it already holds water.
Pasta for 4 people — main course, long pasta — spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine
400 g dry pasta — 100 g per person · about 14.1 oz
| What you need | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dry pasta (dried) | 400 g |
| Cooked pasta (approx.) | 1,000 g |
| Water — at least 1 litre per 100 g | 4 L |
| Salt for the water — about 10 g per litre | 40 g |
Cooked weight is approximate: dried pasta roughly doubles and a half in weight as it absorbs water (about 2.5×), fresh pasta gains less (about 1.5×). Salt the water — about 10 g of salt per litre — and do not add oil; it stops the sauce sticking. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining: the starch helps the sauce cling.
Formula used: Dry pasta = eaters × 100 g per person (main course, dried). Cooked weight ≈ dry weight × 2.5. Water = 1 L per 100 g of pasta; salt = 10 g per litre of water.
How the pasta serving calculator works
One serving of dry pasta is about 100 g (3.5 oz) for a main course and 75 g for a starter or side. The tool multiplies by the number of eaters, adjusts for pasta shape — long pasta and short pasta weigh the same per serving, but the volume differs — and gives the cooked weight (about 2.5× the dry weight), water and salt.
Watch out for
Use at least 1 litre of water per 100 g of pasta, and salt the water — about 10 g of salt per litre. Do not add oil to the water; it stops the sauce sticking. And reserve a cup of pasta water before draining: the starch in it helps the sauce cling.
Try next: Salt Converter · Liquid Volume Converter · Weight Converter
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