Food & cooking · Meal prep
Meal prep portion calculator.
Weigh the full pot, subtract the pot, pick how many containers you want and get the grams, calories and protein in each one.
Inputs
Per portion
Enter your numbers.
How to portion a meal prep batch by weight
Weigh the finished pot, subtract the empty pot, and divide the food weight by the number of containers. Dividing by weight is more even than dividing by eye, and it makes the calories and protein per container match your recipe. The calories and protein you type are for the whole batch; the tool divides them by the number of portions, so they are only as accurate as the recipe numbers you start with.
Worked example. A pot of chili weighs 3,200 g on the scale and the empty pot is 700 g, so the food is 2,500 g. Split into 5 containers, each holds 500 g. If the whole batch is 3,000 kcal and 200 g protein, each container is 600 kcal and 40 g protein, and the chili is 120 kcal per 100 g. At a 450 g target size you would get 5 portions with 250 g left over.
Frequently asked questions
How do I divide a meal prep batch evenly?
Weigh the cooked food, subtract the empty pot, and divide by the number of containers. Fill each container to the same weight on the scale.
Do I include the pot weight?
No. Weigh the empty pot once and enter it so only the food is divided.
How long can I keep the portions?
Health Canada lists cooked meat, stews and vegetable dishes at 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, and soups at 2 to 3 days in the fridge and 4 months in the freezer. The fridge should be 4 C or colder and the freezer -18 C or colder. See the leftovers storage time calculator for other foods.
Are the calories exact?
Only as exact as the batch calories you enter. Cooking changes weight through water loss, so use calories for the whole batch from the raw ingredients, not from the cooked weight.
Sources
Checked
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Scope
Portion math only. Safe storage times come from Health Canada and apply to food kept at 4 C or colder in the fridge and -18 C or colder in the freezer. General information, not medical or dietetic advice. Needs differ with age, health conditions, pregnancy and medication, so talk to a registered dietitian or your doctor about your own targets.