How Many Pounds of Roast Pork per Person for A Big Group

How Much Roast Pork per Person for A Large Group With A Calculator 2024

Cooking Roast Pork for a large group can be a challenge, especially allowing for meat shrinkage after cooking and how much do you need to buy and then serve.

This is a great guide that will let you prepare and feed roast pork for a big group of any size.

Plus we have a handy table of the exact amounts you need to feed groups between 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 people.

Plus we cover things like sides, roast pork food pairings, and almost everything needed to ensure you have enough food for all your guests.

You’ll also learn about different types of roasts including boneless or bone-in, whole or half, and if it’s best served hot or cold.

And finally, there are some tips on how the type of events and how quantities can vary.

We also have a dedicated article on how much pulled pork per person.

You may also like How Much Roast Lamb Per Person for a large group

We also have an Online Calculator for How Much Prime Rib per Person

How to Calculate How Much Roast Pork Per Person To Feed A Crowd

You calculate how much roast pork per person by taking into account

  • the type of meal
  • the duration of the party or event
  • plus knowing how much does roast pork shrink when cooking

Sometimes people don’t realize how much meat they actually eat, especially succulent roast pork.  They often will choose more than their fair share, so having that little extra is important.

When you serve roast pork it is typically the only meat so in our calculations of how much roast pork do we feed each person we are assuming it is the only meat served.

how much roast pork for 10 adults
How Much Roast Pork for 10 Adults – and Do Not Forget About Portion Control the Crackling or It Will Be Gone!

Know Your Guests?

Know your guests when you are serving the roast pork because everybody likes crackling and if you aren’t careful you will quickly run out of that of the road. Also, guests may vary in their appetite levels. You might want to rethink serving large portions at your family gathering if they tend to be heavy eaters. If it’s food for a sporting event, then everyone will be starving by the end of the game. Remember that kids eat smaller portions than grownups. So take that into consideration.

Know How Much Raw Pork Shrinks To Buy The Right Amount

When cooking any meat the difference between raw and cooked weights is called the yield. This is a calculation of the percentage that goes missing due to

  • shrinkage – moisture lost during cooking
  • trimming fat
  • any bone in the meat – e.g Roast Pork Shoulder can have bone in

The yield is what’s leftover to serve.

What is the yield of roast pork? 

For boneless pork roast use an average of 32% weight loss due to cooking. For bone-in cuts it can be as high as 40% or more.

The above figures are what I use – but if you want to get super accurate and explore more data then the U.S Department of Agriculture has more detail again on Cooking Yields for Roast Pork.

How Many Pounds of Roast Pork per Person for A Large Group – A Handy Table for 10-100 People

How much roast pork per person do I need to serve to feed a big group or a crowd.  See our handy chart below where we have done the work for you and calculated the exact amount of roast pork that you need to serve and also we give you the approximate amount of raw roast pork you need to buy so that you have enough meat for everybody.

What is the serving size for pork roast?

For Christmas Dinner or a large group serve 6oz of pork roast per person. 

How Much Roast Pork Do you need to feed 10 people

For 10 People you will need 4 lbs of cooked Roast Pork – this allows for a few people to have seconds.

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 10 People

You need to buy 6 lbs of raw pork


How Much Roast Pork Per Person Do you need for 20 people

For 20 People you will need 8 lbs of cooked Roast Pork

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 20 People

You need to buy 12 lbs of raw pork


How Much Roast Pork Per Person Do you need for 30 guests

For 30 People you will need 12 lbs of cooked Roast Pork

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 30 People

You need to buy 18 lbs of raw pork for 30 people


How Much Roast Pork Do you need for 50 guests

For 50 People you will need 20 lbs of cooked Roast Pork

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 50 People

You need to buy 30 lbs of raw pork for 50 people

How many kg of pork do I need for 12 people?
How many kg of pork do I need for 12 people? You need 2.2 kg or 4.5 pounds

How Many Pounds of Roast Pork Do you need for 70 People

For 70 People you will need 28 lbs of cooked Roast Pork

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 70 People

You need to buy 42 lbs of raw pork for 70 people


How Many Pounds of  Roast Pork Do you need for 100 People

For 100 People you will need 40 lbs of cooked Roast Pork

How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork Do You Need for 100 People

You need to buy 60 lbs of raw pork for 100 people

How much does 4 pounds of pork feed?
How much does 4 pounds of pork feed? It will feed 10 people

Here are some scaling factors for different big events that give you some adjustment factors for pork roast.

Sit Down Dinner Parties  – use the table above – but increase by 20% if you want everyone to have seconds. If you are serving another meat dish as well then you can decrease the amount by 40%.

These same pork calculations also are valid for Holiday Dinners – Large Family Dinners

When you are serving buffet-style you will need to increase the sizes by 30% – People always take more if they serve themselves pork roast.

How To Keep Roast Pork Warm When Cooking For Crowds – See our article on How To Keep Food Warm for a large Group.

Roast Pork Calculator Online

Enter the number of guests coming and our calculator will give you the amount of Roast Pork To Serve, plus a Calculated number of pounds of Raw Pork to buy.

By selecting guest detail, you can enter the make up of your guests – Men, Women, Teenagers etc to give you a more detailed result.

You have three more choices with the calculator also – enter how many other meat main courses you are serving and if you are having side dishes, and then the calculator will work out exactly how much Roast Pork you need.

Lastly – if you want to have enough for second roast pork servings like at Thanksgiving the calculator will take that into account also.

Just enter your email and send yourself the result.

How To Store Roast Pork Leftovers

There are many ways that you can preserve your leftovers.

Roast pork is delicious, but when you have leftover roast pork, how do you keep it fresh and stop it drying out? There are many ways to preserve your leftovers. Here are some facts for storing roast pork.

Leftover roast pork can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days easily – of course, it must be kept in an air-tight container. It also freezes well.

How much pork should I buy per person?
How much pork should I buy per person? You should buy 9.6 oz per person

 Leftover roast pork can be frozen for up to three months. Let it cool down before freezing to prevent freezer burn and water crystals from forming.

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And Some Pork Recipes

How many Sides Do you need for Roast Pork

The most common is 3 side dishes for a Pork Roast. Usually, you will have some Roast Potatoes (see our handy table of exactly how many roast potatoes you need per person). The next most popular are green beans for a crowd. Plus one or two other sides.

Also, see our article on sides you can prepare in advance of the big event.

And of course, do not forget the stuffing,  How Much Stuffing do you need for 20 people.

Gravy – is another necessary accompaniment for pork roast – how much gravy is required for 20 guests at a Christmas dinner.

How Not to Be Afraid of Under-Serving Guests Pork Roast?

Be sure that you are serving enough food for everyone

  • Increase the amount of cheaper sides like potatoes
  • Make extra gravy
  • Have some extra plates and utensils on hand
  • Offer dessert. 

Final Tips for serving Pork Roast for 50 Guests at a party.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about parties is food. Food is always a good way to start a party. It’s easy to make and it can be made ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about cooking for hours.

Another great idea is to serve finger foods like mini-pizzas, mini-sandwiches, and mini-desserts. These are perfect because they are small and portable.

A third tip is to keep the menu simple. Don’t try to do too much. Just stick to appetizers, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and drinks.

Don’t worry about being perfect.