Passover seder for 12 guests
A sit-down Passover seder for 12: 6 dishes, about 828 g of food a guest (22 lb in all), 26 lines on the shopping list and around 40 drinks. 40% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 22 lb
- Drinks
- 40
- Shopping lines
- 26
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · We set food for 6:30 PM — change it if your timing is different.
Menu for 12
Starters
- Matzo ball soup2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Mains
- Tray-roast chicken & lemon2.5 batches · 13 servingson the day
Sides
- Cold green salad, sharp dressing1 batch · 8 servingson the day
- Charoset1 batch · 8 servingson the day
Bread
- Grissini, rosemary & sea salt1.5 batches · 15 servingsday before
Dessert
- Lemon posset2 batches · 16 servingsday before
About 828 g of food a guest. 40% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Chicken thighs9 lb
- Apple4 ea
- Carrot1.5 lb
- Citrus for garnish2 ea
- Garlic13 clove
- Lemon13 ea
- Rosemary1 bunch
- Salad leaves15 oz
- Cream5.5 cup
- Egg7 ea
10 of 26 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
RECOVERY WINDOW — Clear
Recovery window is the busiest part of this starting kitchen.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 40
- Ice
- 21 lb
- Food, estimated
- $314
About $26 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The seder timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · Brisket, matzo balls and charoset are a common Ashkenazi shape. Sephardic tables differ, and this planner does not certify kosher for Passover.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
Seder for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a Passover seder for 12?
About 22 lb of finished food, or 828 g a guest across 6 dishes, with tray-roast chicken & lemon as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a Passover seder for 12 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
A sit-down meal works for 12 if you have a chair for everyone. Count your seats first — the planner never assumes them — and switch to a buffet if you are short.
How many drinks for a Passover seder for 12?
About 40 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 21 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and brisket, matzo balls and charoset are a common Ashkenazi shape. Sephardic tables differ, and this planner does not certify kosher for Passover.
What does a Passover seder for 12 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $314, about $26 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my seder for 12
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.