Overview

The Recipe Nutrition Estimator helps you calculate the total and per-serving calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat in your homemade meals. Whether you're meal prepping, following a specific diet like keto or high-protein, or simply curious about your food intake, this free tool simplifies nutrition tracking by converting ingredients into macros automatically.

Just enter your ingredients, quantity, and unit, and our smart database pulls accurate nutritional values per 100g/ml. Get instant feedback with a macro breakdown chart and shareable results—perfect for healthy cooking, fitness goals, and meal planning!

Formula & Methodology

The tool uses the following calculation method for each ingredient:

scaled_quantity = (input_quantity * unit_multiplier) / 100

total_calories += nutrition_data.calories * scaled_quantity
total_protein  += nutrition_data.protein * scaled_quantity
total_carbs    += nutrition_data.carbs * scaled_quantity
total_fat      += nutrition_data.fat * scaled_quantity

Unit multipliers: g = 1, ml = 1, tbsp = 15g, tsp = 5g, cup = 240g (approximate)
Nutrition database: based on the Swiss Food Composition Database (public domain)
Per serving: Total nutrition divided by number of servings if specified

Example Calculation

Example recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad

Chicken breast: 200g
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Romaine Lettuce: 100g
tomatoes: 100g

Result:

Total Calories: ~373 kcal
Protein: ~51.3g
Carbs: ~4.6g
Fat: ~16.1g
Per Serving (2 servings): 186 kcal, 25.7g protein, 2.3g carbs, 8.1g fat per serving

Use Cases

🍽️ Meal planning: Know exactly what you're eating before cooking
💪 Fitness macros: Track protein, carbs, and fat intake by recipe
📋 Dieting & weight loss: Maintain calorie goals and portions
👨‍🍳 Recipe publishing: Add nutritional labels to food blogs and cookbooks
🥗 Healthy eating: Discover which ingredients add hidden calories or fat

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

🔍 How accurate is the nutrition estimation?

The tool uses reliable nutritional values per 100g from the official Swiss Food Composition Database. Results are estimates and can vary slightly based on ingredient source and preparation.

🧾 What does “per serving” mean?

“Per serving” divides the total nutrition by the number of servings you specify. If you cook for 4 people and enter “4,” each portion's macro breakdown is shown individually.

🍽 Can I use cups or tablespoons instead of grams?

Yes! You can select units like g, ml, tbsp, tsp, or cup. The tool converts them into grams using standard approximations to calculate nutrition.

📊 Why is there a pie chart?

The pie chart visually shows how your recipe's calories are distributed among protein, carbs, and fat—great for quick macro analysis.

🛠 Can I add custom ingredients or modify values?

Currently, ingredients must match those in the database. You can type partial names and select from suggestions. Support for custom ingredients will be added in future updates.

🥦 Are vegetables and fresh items included?

Yes. Most common vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy products, and pantry staples are included with their macro values per 100g or 100ml.

📥 Can I save or print my results?

Yes! You can use the “Copy Results” button to save your breakdown or click “Print/Export” to create a PDF or hard copy of your results.

📱 Does this work on mobile?

Absolutely. The tool is fully mobile-responsive and optimized for tablets and smartphones.

⚖️ How do you handle density differences between ml and grams?

For simplicity, ml and g are treated equally unless the ingredient specifies otherwise (e.g., oil = 1 tbsp ≈ 15g). For maximum precision, use grams where possible.

🧮 How are the calories calculated from macros?

Protein and carbs are calculated at 4 kcal per gram, and fat at 9 kcal per gram. The pie chart uses these values to generate the calorie distribution.

📄 License & Attribution

This tool uses nutrition data from the official Swiss Food Composition Database, provided by the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO).

Data is © Federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation and is used under permitted usage for non-commercial and educational purposes.

Full data source: https://naehrwertdaten.ch/en/

Results