01
Add your recipe
Enter ingredient amounts and tell us how many servings, pieces, jars, cookies, or other portions the batch makes.
Free recipe nutrition calculator
for cottage food businesses.
Turn your recipe into a practical nutrition estimate using USDA FoodData Central. See estimated nutrition for your full batch and each serving or piece.
No account required. Nothing is saved.
How it works
A practical estimate in three steps.
02
Match real USDA food data
Choose the USDA FoodData Central record that most closely matches each included ingredient.
03
See the estimate
Review estimated nutrition for the full recipe and each serving or piece, including any nutrients the source data could not calculate.
Built for small food businesses
A nutrition calculator built for cottage food businesses.
Most nutrition calculators are designed around meal tracking or dieting. Cottage food operators are usually asking a different question: what is in the product I actually make and sell?
This free tool lets you enter a complete recipe, match its ingredients to USDA FoodData Central, define how many pieces or servings the batch produces, and estimate nutrition for both the full batch and an individual serving.
It is designed for practical recipe work. Once you understand what is in a product, CottageOps features can help you connect product costs, sales, markets, and customer behavior to the rest of the business.
Inside the estimate
What does the recipe nutrition calculator estimate?
The calculator estimates calories, total fat, saturated fat when available, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber when available, total sugars, protein, and sodium.
You can switch between values for the full recipe batch and values for each serving or piece. Per-serving nutrition is calculated by dividing the recipe's estimated totals by the number of finished servings or pieces you enter.
Missing does not mean zero
USDA food records are not always complete. A record may include calories, fat, and protein but omit another nutrient such as fiber or saturated fat.
When the source data cannot provide a reliable value, the calculator shows a dash and an incomplete-value warning. That missing value should not be read as zero, and other available values can still provide a useful partial recipe nutrition estimate.
A practical estimate
How accurate is a recipe nutrition estimate?
The result depends on the USDA ingredient records you select, the ingredient amounts you enter, and the number of servings or pieces in the finished batch. Choosing the closest available record and measuring consistently will produce a more useful estimate.
The exact brand you use may differ from its USDA match. Preparation, cooking, processing, moisture loss or gain, and natural variation between batches can also change the nutrition of a finished product.
This calculator provides a practical estimate based on USDA FoodData Central and the recipe information you enter. It is not laboratory analysis, regulatory certification, or a guarantee of the exact nutrition of a finished product.
Trusted source
Where does the nutrition data come from?
CottageOps uses USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food composition database. When you enter an ingredient, you choose the USDA food record that most closely matches what you use.
The calculation uses the available nutrient values for that food and the quantity in your recipe. USDA data supports the estimate, but it does not guarantee an exact match for every brand or finished product.
Built by a cottage food operator for cottage food operators.
Common questions
Cottage food nutrition calculator FAQ
How do I calculate nutrition per cookie, piece, or serving?
Enter the complete recipe, then enter how many finished pieces or servings the batch makes. CottageOps estimates the full batch first and divides the available nutrition values by that number.
Can I use this nutrition calculator for baked goods?
Yes. It can estimate baked goods and many other foods when suitable ingredient matches are available in USDA FoodData Central. Finished-product nutrition can vary because of brands, preparation, and cooking.
Where does the nutrition information come from?
Nutrition data comes from USDA FoodData Central. You select the USDA food record that most closely matches each ingredient in your recipe.
Why are some nutrition values missing?
Not every USDA food record contains every nutrient. A missing value means the source data could not provide a reliable value; it should not be interpreted as zero.
Does this create an FDA Nutrition Facts label?
No. This tool provides a recipe nutrition estimate. It does not provide laboratory analysis, regulatory certification, or automatically create a compliant Nutrition Facts label.
Do I need a CottageOps account?
No. The public calculator is free and does not require an account. Your recipe is not saved when the page or tab refreshes. CottageOps offers broader business tools for cottage food operators.
Your recipe is only part of the business
You know what’s in your recipe.
Now understand how the product performs.
CottageOps helps cottage food operators understand product costs, margins, sales, market performance, and repeat customers using the business data they already have.