Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Mac and cheese chart: 10 to 200 people
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Cups | Quarts |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 6 | 1.5 |
| 20 people | 11 | 2.8 |
| 25 people | 14 | 3.5 |
| 30 people | 17 | 4.3 |
| 40 people | 22 | 5.5 |
| 50 people | 28 | 7 |
| 75 people | 42 | 10.5 |
| 100 people | 55 | 13.8 |
| 150 people | 83 | 20.8 |
| 200 people | 110 | 27.5 |
How many people do 12 cups of mac and cheese serve?
Feeds about 24 people.
Everything else for 20 people
How we got this number
- 120 guests × 1/2 cup = 10 cups
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 11 cups
- 3rounded up → 11 cups
cups of finished mac and cheese, not dry pasta.
Sources for this rule: USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs; WebstaurantStore; ezCater; Taste of Home Potluck Mac and Cheese (pitched for feeding a crowd); USDA school mac and cheese recipe; Old Farmer's Almanac party chart.
How to make baked mac and cheese: 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.
Mac and cheese questions
How much mac and cheese per person?
Plan on 1/2 cup of mac and cheese per person.
How much mac and cheese for 100 people?
Make or buy 55 cups of mac and cheese (about 13.8 quarts). That's 1/2 cup per guest, plus a 10% cushion. Range: 44–69 cups depending on appetite.
How many people do 12 cups of mac and cheese serve?
Feeds about 24 people.
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.