Passover seder for 20 guests
A buffet-style Passover seder for 20: 6 dishes, about 758 g of food a guest (33.5 lb in all), 29 lines on the shopping list and around 76 drinks. 30% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 33.5 lb
- Drinks
- 76
- Shopping lines
- 29
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.
- · With more than sixteen guests we suggested a buffet — switch back if you have the table.
Menu for 20
To start
- Sabzi khordan2.5 batches · 25 servingson the day
Mains
- Tray-roast chicken & lemon5 batches · 25 servingson the day
Sides
- Cold green salad, sharp dressing2 batches · 16 servingson the day
- Charoset2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Bread
- No-knead pan flatbread4 batches · 24 servingson the day
Dessert
- Rhubarb fool3 batches · 24 servingsday before
About 758 g of food a guest. 30% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Chicken thighs18 lb
- Apple7 ea
- Citrus for garnish4 ea
- Garlic25 clove
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Lemon14 ea
- Radish50 ea
- Rhubarb6 lb
- Salad leaves2 lb
- Scallion13 ea
10 of 29 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
SERVING STATIONS — What runs out first
Serving stations 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
- 76
- Ice
- 35 lb
- Food, estimated
- $486
About $24 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 20?
About 33.5 lb of finished food, or 758 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 20 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
This plan serves it as a buffet, because past sixteen guests most homes run out of table. If you do have a seat for everyone, a sit-down meal is possible — tell the planner your real seat count.
How many drinks for a Passover seder for 20?
About 76 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 35 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 20 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $486, about $24 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 20
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.