Recipe nutrition estimator

Add up the totals from the labels of what went in, tell us how many portions, and see the nutrition per serving and per 100 g.

Your details

Per portion, 4 servings

550

kcal, 28% of the 2,000 kcal reference

Protein35 g (70% of RI)
Fat20 g (29%, amber)
Saturates7.0 g (35%, red)
Sugars10 g (11%, green)
Salt1.5 g (25%, amber)
Portion weight450 g, 122 kcal per 100 g
Fibreadd the total fibre to see it per portion
5 A Dayadd the grams of fruit, veg and pulses to count portions

On a shop label this would show red for saturates. A smaller portion with extra veg, or less cheese, butter or salt, changes that quickly. RI is the reference intake used on UK labels, so you can compare your dish with a ready meal. Raw weights and cooked weights differ, so totals from raw ingredients are best.

The working

Totals divided by portions

Each total is divided by the number of portions. For the example chilli: 2,200 kcal ÷ 4 = 550 kcal a portion, with 35 g of protein, 20 g of fat, 7 g of saturates, 10 g of sugars and 1.5 g of salt.

If you weigh the cooked dish, we also give per 100 g values so you can compare with shop bought versions, and colour them with traffic lights.

Getting totals

Adding up ingredients

Use the per 100 g label figures times the grams you used, divided by 100
For loose veg, UK food tables (CoFID) list typical values
Remember oil: a tablespoon is about 120 kcal
Weigh the pan empty, then full, to get the cooked weight

Label colours

Your dish as a supermarket label

With the cooked weight, the page gives the Department of Health front of pack colours. Per 100 g, saturates over 5 g are red and 1.5 g or less green; fat over 17.5 g red; sugars over 22.5 g red; salt over 1.5 g red. A portion over 100 g is also red if it carries more than 30% of the reference intake: 21 g fat, 6 g saturates, 27 g sugars or 1.8 g salt. The example chilli is 1.6 g saturates per 100 g (amber), but a 450 g portion has 7 g, so it shows red.

Fibre and 5 A Day

What else a portion brings

Add the total fibre from the labels and we show it per portion against the NHS 30 g a day for adults. Add the grams of fruit, veg and pulses that went in and we count 5 A Day portions at 80 g each. If the chilli has 400 g of tomatoes, 160 g of onion and peppers and a 240 g tin of drained kidney beans, that is 800 g, or 2.5 portions each across four servings; the NHS counts beans and pulses as one portion a day at most, however much you eat. If a portion is over the 600 kcal meal guide (PHE), we show how many portions would bring each one under it.

Portions

Fair shares

The easiest way to get even portions is to weigh the whole dish and divide. A 1,800 g chilli split four ways is 450 g each. Freezing extra portions saves time and money, which our batch cooking calculator can help plan.

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Cooking lossesSome nutrients change with cooking; we assume they do not.
Uneven portionsIf one plate gets more meat, the numbers shift.
AllergensThis does not check allergens.

Questions

Common questions

How do I work out calories in a recipe?

Add up the calories of every ingredient, including oil, then divide by the number of portions.

Why use the cooked weight?

Cooking adds or loses water, so the cooked weight gives a fair per 100 g figure.

Are app recipe calculators more accurate?

They use the same method. Accuracy depends on the ingredient data and weighing.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If food feels hard

If eating, weight or food is on your mind a lot, you are not alone. Your GP can help, and Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).