Pricing guide · Dishes & meals
How to price meal prep: cost per meal and what to charge
Meal prep businesses sell volume, so a few cents per meal matters. Protein and containers are the biggest costs.
Example batch cost
$14.40
Cost per meal
$2.88
Price at 30% food cost
$9.60
Meal prep cost calculator
Chicken, rice & broccoli meal prep
Enter your price to see food cost % and profit.
The app keeps your ingredient prices. When butter goes up, every dish that uses it updates — no re-typing.
Worked example: Chicken, rice & broccoli meal prep
This batch makes 5 meals. Here is where the money goes, most expensive first:
| Ingredient | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 750 g (+10% waste) | $7.50 |
| Broccoli | 500 g (+25% waste) | $2.93 |
| Meal prep containers | 5 piece | $2.50 |
| Rice | 375 g | $0.94 |
| Olive oil | 30 ml | $0.30 |
| Seasoning | 15 g | $0.22 |
| Total for 5 meals | $14.40 | |
That is $2.88 per meal. At a 30% food cost the price should be at least $9.60. Across the usual 28–35% range for dishes & meals, that is $8.23 (at 35%) to $10.29 (at 28%) per meal — before your time and overheads.
What drives the cost of meal prep
- •Protein portion size
- •Vegetable trim waste (broccoli stalks, peel)
- •Containers, labels and delivery
Tips for pricing meal prep
- ✓Add waste to vegetables for stalks and trim
- ✓Offer weekly bundles of 5, 10 and 15 meals at tiered prices
- ✓Include delivery and containers in the price — they are part of every meal
Sell single meals and weekly bundles (5, 10, 15) at tiered prices.
Don’t forget your time and overheads
Food cost % only covers ingredients. Your menu price also has to pay for kitchen labour, rent, energy, card and delivery-app fees — which is why most restaurants keep food cost around 28–35%.
Keep your meal prep prices up to date
Save this recipe in the free CostMyDish app. Your ingredient prices live in one Library — when chicken breast goes up, every recipe that uses it recalculates, and you see which items need a new price.
Get the free appCommon questions about pricing meal prep
How much does it cost to make one meal?+
In our example (Chicken, rice & broccoli meal prep, makes 5 meals), the ingredients cost $14.40 in total, or $2.88 per meal. Enter your own prices in the calculator for your exact cost.
What food cost % should I use for meal prep?+
For dishes & meals most businesses aim for 28–35%. At 30%, the example works out to at least $9.60 per meal before labour and overheads.
How much does a meal prep meal cost to make?+
With the example prices, a chicken, rice and broccoli meal costs just under $3 including the container.
How should I price meal prep bundles?+
Cost one meal, then set bundle prices that give a small discount while keeping food cost near your target.
Ready to cost your next dish?
Download CostMyDish free on iPhone or Android. Type what you’re making, add ingredients with what you paid, and see your cost and a selling price in about 2 minutes.
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