Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Burgers chart: 10 to 200 people
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Burgers | Pounds to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 11 | 3 lb |
| 20 people | 22 | 6 lb |
| 25 people | 28 | 7 lb |
| 30 people | 33 | 9 lb |
| 40 people | 44 | 11 lb |
| 50 people | 55 | 14 lb |
| 75 people | 83 | 21 lb |
| 100 people | 110 | 28 lb |
| 150 people | 165 | 42 lb |
| 200 people | 220 | 55 lb |
How many burgers does 5 lb of ground beef make?
Makes about 20 burgers: enough for 20 people with sides, or 13 as the main event.
Everything else for 20 people
How we got this number
- 120 guests × 1 = 20 burgers
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 22 burgers
- 3÷ 4 per lb = 5.5 → 6 lb
patties are counted raw: four quarter-pounders to the pound.
Food safety: cook burgers to at least 160°F (USDA safe temperature chart), and don't leave it out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (USDA).
Sources for this rule: Minnesota Beef Council (beef checkoff recipe); Old Farmer's Almanac party chart; Ellen's Kitchen (quantity-cooking reference); Taste of Home (2025); The Takeout (2025); www.thetakeout.com.
How to grill burgers: the most-watched videos
Videos from YouTube, picked by us from the most-watched on the topic; view counts as of October 2026. We don't make these videos and aren't paid for them. Pressing play loads YouTube.
Burgers questions
How many burgers per person?
Plan on 1 burger per person with sides, or 1.5 as the main event.
How many burgers for 100 people?
Buy about 110 burgers: 28 lb of ground beef. That's 1 per guest, plus a 10% cushion. Range: 88–138 burgers depending on appetite.
How many burgers does 5 lb of ground beef make?
Makes about 20 burgers: enough for 20 people with sides, or 13 as the main event.
Should kids count as a full person?
Count each kid as half an adult. Add them in the Kids box and the shopping list updates.