How costs & nutrition work.
These figures help you compare recipes and plan meals. Your grocery bill and nutrition totals will vary with the brands, portions, and ingredients you use.
Ingredient costs
We divide a package's observed price by its usable quantity, then multiply by the amount used in the recipe. If a recipe uses one quarter of a bag of rice, its cost includes one quarter of the bag's price. Buying a full bag still costs the full package price.
US prices are in US dollars and Canadian prices are in Canadian dollars. We use separate regional grocery references, including budget and store-brand products; the Canadian figure is not a currency conversion. Each recipe shows its price reference date, and source details appear with the ingredient breakdown.
Pantry ingredients such as oil, salt, and spices count toward the total. Required ingredients determine the headline cost. Optional toppings and suggested sides are separate. Utilities, including recipe tap water, cookware, delivery fees, and sales taxes are excluded. When a liquid's package lists volume rather than weight, source notes identify any density estimate used to calculate its cost.
Nutrition estimates
We calculate nutrition from edible ingredient weights and source records, including USDA FoodData Central and verified product labels where appropriate. Dry, cooked, and drained ingredient weights are different; the source record must match the ingredient state.
The recipe total is divided by the stated number of servings. Optional ingredients and suggested sides are excluded. Rounding, draining, different brands, and portion sizes can change the result. Where a label gives a range such as “less than 1g,” the display may use a documented midpoint estimate; high-protein eligibility uses the lower bound for protein.
Protein and serving controls
A high-protein recipe contains at least 25g protein per defined serving from its required ingredients. This is an editorial collection rule, calculated before rounding. The nutrition panel describes one original serving.
Adjusting servings changes ingredient quantities and the total cost proportionally. It keeps the portion size, estimated cost per serving, and estimated nutrition per serving the same. Cooking times and temperatures stay fixed; check the recipe's batch-size notes when scaling.
Recipe images
Recipe images are generated illustrations of the finished dishes. They show the intended ingredients and presentation; your finished meal may look different.
Make the estimates work for you.
Use package labels and local store prices when you need more precise numbers. The figures here describe the default recipe, not every possible substitution.