How Much Low Country Boil Per Person? (Party Planning Guide for 4 to 50)
The hardest part of hosting a low country boil isn’t the cooking. It’s figuring out how much to buy. Buy too little and the shrimp disappear in ten minutes; buy too much and you’re eating sausage for a week. Here’s a simple per-person formula, a ready-made shopping chart for 4 to 50 people, and how big a pot you’ll need.
The Quick Answer: Low Country Boil Per Person
For a low country boil served as the main meal, plan on this per person:
- Shrimp: ½ pound, shell-on (roughly 8 to 12 large shrimp)
- Smoked sausage: ¼ pound
- Corn on the cob: 1 ear, broken in half
- Small red potatoes: 3 (about ⅓ pound)
- Onion (optional): about ¼ of a medium onion
That’s the middle-of-the-road amount most Lowcountry hosts use. Adjust up or down using the tips below.
Shopping Chart: How Much for 4 to 50 People
| People | Shrimp (shell-on) | Sausage | Corn | Small red potatoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 lb | 1 lb | 4 ears | 12 (about 1 lb) |
| 6 | 3 lb | 1½ lb | 6 ears | 18 (about 2 lb) |
| 8 | 4 lb | 2 lb | 8 ears | 24 (about 3 lb) |
| 10 | 5 lb | 2½ lb | 10 ears | 30 (about 3 lb) |
| 12 | 6 lb | 3 lb | 12 ears | 36 (about 4 lb) |
| 15 | 7½ lb | 3¾ lb | 15 ears | 45 (about 5 lb) |
| 20 | 10 lb | 5 lb | 20 ears | 60 (about 7 lb) |
| 25 | 12½ lb | 6¼ lb | 25 ears | 75 (about 8 lb) |
| 30 | 15 lb | 7½ lb | 30 ears | 90 (about 10 lb) |
| 50 | 25 lb | 12½ lb | 50 ears | 150 (about 17 lb) |
Tip: Round the shrimp up to the nearest pound or two when you buy it. Leftover boiled shrimp make a great shrimp salad the next day; running out is the one mistake guests remember.
When to Buy More (or Less)
Buy more shrimp if…
- The boil is the only food being served, with no sides or appetizers. Go up to ¾ pound per person.
- Your crowd is mostly big eaters, like a group of fishermen or a teenage sports team.
- It’s a shrimp-lover’s crowd and the sausage and potatoes are an afterthought.
Buy less shrimp if…
- You’re serving plenty of sides like coleslaw, salad, bread or hush puppies. About ⅓ pound per person is usually enough.
- You’re adding crab: knock the shrimp down a bit and add about ½ pound of crab legs, or 1 to 2 blue crabs, per person.
- Lots of kids are coming. Count each child as about half an adult.
What Size Pot Do You Need?
Everything has to fit in the pot with enough water to cover it and room to boil without spilling over. A good rule is to fill the pot no more than about two-thirds full of food and water combined. As a rough guide:
| People | Pot size |
|---|---|
| 4 to 6 | 20 to 30 quarts |
| 8 to 12 | 30 to 40 quarts |
| 15 to 20 | 60 quarts |
| 25 to 30 | 80 to 100 quarts |
| 40 or more | Two pots, or a 100+ quart pot |
A pot with a strainer basket insert makes life much easier: you lift the basket straight out instead of trying to pour gallons of boiling water. For anything over about 10 people, you’ll also want an outdoor propane burner, since a kitchen stove can’t heat that much water quickly. See our guide to pots and burners for what to look for.
How Much Seasoning?
Seasoning is personal, and brands vary in strength, so start with the amount on the package for your volume of water and adjust from there (our seasoning guide compares the popular options). Many cooks add a little extra because the potatoes and corn soak up a lot of flavor. Tossing in a couple of halved lemons, a head of garlic and a quartered onion adds flavor without much cost.
Don’t Forget the Extras
These are the items people forget until guests are already at the table:
- Cocktail sauce: about 1 cup for every 4 to 5 people
- Melted butter: for the corn and potatoes, about ½ stick per 4 people
- Lemons: 1 for every 3 or 4 people, cut into wedges
- Hot sauce and extra seasoning to sprinkle on top
- Newspaper or brown butcher paper to cover the table
- Paper towels (lots), plus bowls or buckets for shells
- Ice and coolers to keep the raw shrimp cold until it goes in the pot
Sample Shopping List for 20 People
Here’s what a typical 20-person boil looks like, served with a couple of sides:
- 10 pounds shell-on shrimp (12 if the boil is the only food)
- 5 pounds smoked sausage
- 20 ears corn
- 60 small red potatoes (about 7 pounds)
- 5 onions, 6 lemons, 2 heads garlic
- Seafood seasoning (enough for a 60-quart pot)
- 4 to 5 cups cocktail sauce, 2 to 3 sticks butter
- A 60-quart pot with a strainer basket and a propane burner
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pounds of shrimp per person for a low country boil?
About ½ pound of shell-on shrimp per person is the standard for a main meal. Go up to ¾ pound if there’s nothing else to eat, or down to ⅓ pound if you have lots of sides.
How much sausage per person?
About ¼ pound per person. It’s mostly there for flavor, so you don’t need more than that.
Can I make a low country boil for 50 people?
Yes, but plan on two large pots or one 100+ quart pot, and cook in batches if needed. For 50 people you’d need roughly 25 pounds of shrimp, 12 to 13 pounds of sausage, 50 ears of corn and about 150 small potatoes.
Should I buy shrimp with the shells on?
Yes. Shell-on shrimp stay more tender in the boil and soak up more seasoning, and peeling them at the table is part of the fun. The amounts in this guide assume shell-on shrimp.
