How Much Rice and Beans Per Person for a Year?
A common target is about 300 lb of grains and 60 lb of legumes per adult per year. The real numbers, and how many buckets that is.
If you're building a food store, the first question is always "how much?" These are the standard planning figures, along with how they translate into buckets.
Per adult, per year
| Per year | Per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Grains (rice, wheat, oats, pasta) | ~300 lb | ~25 lb |
| Legumes (dried beans, lentils) | ~60 lb | ~5 lb |
These come from long-established home-storage guidance and assume grains and legumes make up a large share of the diet. Adjust down if they're a smaller part of how you actually eat.
In buckets
A 5-gallon bucket holds about 36 lb of rice or wheat and 35 lb of beans, so per adult per year that's roughly:
- 8 to 9 buckets of grain
- 2 buckets of beans
For a family of four, multiply: on the order of 35 buckets of grain and 8 of beans for a full year, which is why bulk buckets and mylar bags are bought in multipacks.
Store what you actually eat. These are ceilings for a grain-and-legume-heavy diet. If rice and beans are a side rather than the base of your meals, scale the numbers to match, and rotate what you store.
How to store it
Seal each bucket's worth in a mylar bag with a 2,000 to 2,500cc oxygen absorber, inside a food-grade bucket, cool and dark. Our rice and beans guide covers the process, and the cost guide shows the packaging runs only a few dollars per bucket.
Sources
- LDS Home Storage Center: per-adult annual grain and legume guidance for a longer-term supply.
The verdict
Plan on roughly 300 lb of grain and 60 lb of legumes per adult per year, about 8 to 9 buckets of grain and 2 of beans, and scale to your household and diet. Store it in mylar with absorbers, in food-grade buckets, and rotate.
A common target is about 300 lb of grains and 60 lb of legumes per adult per year, roughly 25 lb of grain and 5 lb of beans a month, or 8 to 9 buckets of grain and 2 of beans. Scale it to your household and diet, store it in mylar with absorbers inside buckets, and rotate what you keep.
Frequently asked questions
How much rice and beans does one person need for a year?
A widely used target is about 300 lb of grains and 60 lb of legumes per adult per year, roughly 25 lb of grain and 5 lb of beans per month. It is a planning figure, not a strict diet.
Is rice and beans alone enough to live on?
Together they cover a lot of calories and a fairly complete protein, but a rice-and-beans-only diet lacks fats, vitamins and variety. Treat them as the calorie base and add oils and other foods for balance.
How much does a year of rice and beans cost to store?
The staples are among the cheapest calories available, and the packaging (mylar, absorbers, reused buckets) adds only a little per bucket. Buying in bulk keeps a year's base surprisingly affordable.
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