Marinade Quantity Calculator

Work out marinade quantity instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Marinade Quantity Calculator

Marinade volume is set as a percentage of the food weight, then split between oil and acid by the chosen ratio, with salt dosed separately at about 1% of the food weight. Marinades work at the surface, so more volume does not mean more flavour; the salt percentage does the real work by seasoning through the whole piece.

Formulas

Marinade volume

ml = food weight in grams x marinade percentage

Oil and acid split

acid = total / (ratio + 1); oil = total - acid

Worked example

With the default values below, Marinade Quantity Calculator returns Marinade to make of 150. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Meat or vegetables to marinateminimum 0.05 kg: 1.5 kg
Marinade as a share of the weightaccepts 1–50 %: 10 %
Oil to acid ratiominimum 0.1: 3

Results

Marinade to make: 150 ml
Oil: 113 ml
Acid (vinegar, citrus or wine): 38 ml
Salt at 1% of the meat weight: 15.0 g

Step by step

1Values used
2Marinade volume
3Oil and acid split
4Marinade to make= 150 ml
5Oil= 113 ml
6Acid (vinegar, citrus or wine)= 38 ml
7Salt at 1% of the meat weight= 15.0 g

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Marinade Quantity figure worked out?

ml = food weight in grams x marinade percentage. Marinade volume is set as a percentage of the food weight, then split between oil and acid by the chosen ratio, with salt dosed separately at about 1% of the food weight.

Why does this matter?

Marinades work at the surface, so more volume does not mean more flavour; the salt percentage does the real work by seasoning through the whole piece.

What do I need to enter?

Enter meat or vegetables to marinate, marinade as a share of the weight, oil to acid ratio. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.