Enter your batch cooking ingredients to calculate total grocery cost, cost per serving, and exactly how much you save compared to eating out every week.
Quick-start templates
Save time and money with BiteKit — log meals in seconds and see your nutrition breakdown.
The average American spends $3,000–$5,000 per year eating out. A typical restaurant meal costs $15–20 per person; a homemade batch-cooked equivalent typically costs $3–8. At just 5 replaced meals per week, that is $50–$85 in weekly savings — $2,600–$4,400 per year from a single habit change.
Beyond raw dollar savings, meal prep delivers nutritional precision — you know exactly what went into your food, enabling accurate calorie and macro tracking that is nearly impossible when relying on restaurant meals with unknown portion sizes and preparation methods.
| Food | Approx. cost | Protein | Cost/10g protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dried lentils | $1.80/lb | 18g/100g dry | ~$0.10 |
| Eggs | $3.50/dozen | 6g each | ~$0.10 |
| Canned tuna | $1.50/can | 25g/can | ~$0.06 |
| Greek yogurt | $1.00/cup | 17g/cup | ~$0.06 |
| Chicken thighs | $2.50/lb | 26g/100g | ~$0.09 |
| Black beans (can) | $1.00/can | 7.5g/½ cup | ~$0.13 |
| Chicken breast | $5.00/lb | 31g/100g | ~$0.16 |
| Ground turkey | $6.00/lb | 25g/100g | ~$0.24 |
For maximum calorie-per-dollar, build meals around oats, rice, dried beans, eggs, and chicken thighs. These are calorie-dense and extremely cheap per 100 kcal. A simple oat + egg + bean combination can deliver 500 calories for under $1.50.
Prioritize canned tuna, eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken thighs, and lentils. These typically deliver protein at $0.04–0.10 per gram — 3-5x cheaper than buying pre-made high-protein meals or protein bars ($0.20–0.50 per gram).
Many meal preppers use a structured approach: cook one protein (4-6 servings), one starch (4-6 servings), and two vegetables in a single 1-2 hour session on Sunday. This creates 5 complete lunches or dinners for roughly $20-30 total — $4-6 per meal.
For each ingredient, the calculator determines the cost per gram (package cost ÷ package size), then multiplies by the amount you actually use in your batch. This gives the exact cost contribution of each ingredient — not the cost of the whole package.
Total batch cost is divided by servings to get cost per serving. If you enter macros, cost per 100 calories and cost per 10g protein are calculated as additional value metrics. Savings are calculated against the US average restaurant meal cost of $17.50 (midpoint of $15–$20).
Typical meal prep costs $3-8 per serving vs. $15-20 at a restaurant. At 5 meals per week replaced, that is $50-85 in weekly savings or $2,600-$4,400 per year from a single habit change.
Under $0.10/g protein is competitive. Chicken breast, canned tuna, eggs, and Greek yogurt deliver protein in the $0.03-0.08/g range. Lentils and beans can be under $0.02/g.
Eggs, canned tuna, dried lentils, chicken thighs, dried beans, Greek yogurt, oats, and brown rice. These provide the best cost per calorie and cost per gram of protein of any whole foods.
Divide the package cost by the package size to get cost per gram. Multiply by grams used in your batch. Sum all ingredients. Divide by number of servings. This calculator does it automatically.
Yes. Meal-prepped food in sealed containers lasts 4-7 days refrigerated and up to 3 months frozen. Purposeful batch cooking eliminates the spontaneous purchases that often go unused.
Most meal preppers find 5-10 servings per batch optimal. This covers a full workweek of lunches in one cooking session, maximizing the time efficiency of batch cooking.