Paella Food Cost Calculator: Master Your Recipe Costing
Stop losing margin on your signature dish. Calculate the real cost of every paella, from bomba rice to seafood, and set your selling price with actual European market data.
Food cost
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Price before VAT
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Gross margin per dish
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Typical target range: 25-35% depending on the business.
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Ingredient catalogue
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Ingredient sheet
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Food-cost to the cent
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Export to professional PDF
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From a lot, see its origin and which dishes used it, in one click.
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Allergen labels
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HACCP report
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Paella food cost typically ranges between 25% and 35% of the selling price, depending on whether it's seafood, mixed, or vegetable-based. Keeping this percentage under control is critical because a cost overrun on ingredients like prawns or saffron can eat up your margin on the best-selling dish in your restaurant.
The ingredients that most inflate the cost of a paella are premium proteins: red prawns or fresh langoustines can account for up to 40% of the total plate cost, while saffron threads, though used in tiny amounts, carry an extremely high price per gram. Bomba rice and homemade fish stock also have an impact, but their cost is easier to manage with proper portion control.
How to calculate paella food cost step by step
Build your paella recipe card
Choose your paella type (seafood, mixed, Valencian) and list every ingredient with exact quantities per portion or per full pan. Include even the extra virgin olive oil and salt. In Miselup, you can save this base recipe and reuse it across all your costings.
Assign real purchase prices to each ingredient
Enter the current market price: for example, bomba rice at €3.20/kg, fresh prawns at €18.50/kg, mussels at €4.80/kg, saffron threads at €6.90/g. Always use the price excluding VAT and update it based on your supplier's invoice so your costing never goes stale.
Calculate total cost and food cost percentage
Add up the cost of all ingredients per portion. If a seafood paella portion costs you €4.60 in raw materials and you sell it at €16.50, your food cost is 27.8%. Adjust quantities or negotiate with suppliers if the percentage exceeds 35% and squeezes your gross margin.
Indicative ingredient costs for paella
Bomba rice (100 g dry per portion)
€0.32 – 7% of total plate cost
Fresh prawns or langoustines (120 g per portion)
€2.22 – 40% of total plate cost
Fresh mussels (100 g in shell per portion)
€0.48 – 9% of total plate cost
Saffron threads (0.1 g per portion)
€0.69 – 13% of total plate cost
Extra virgin olive oil (20 ml per portion)
€0.18 – 3% of total plate cost
Frequently asked questions
Paella Food Cost Calculator: Master Your Recipe Costing
What is the ideal food cost for a paella?
Which ingredient makes a paella most expensive?
How can I reduce my paella cost without sacrificing quality?
What selling price should I set if my paella portion costs €4.60?
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