Recipe Costing Template and Recipe Card
One sheet for costing a dish and keeping its recipe card: enter each ingredient’s quantity, price and yield, and the sheet totals the recipe cost, cost per portion, food cost % and the menu price at your target. The card fields below hold the method, plating and allergens.
The CSV opens in Excel, or in Google Sheets with File, Import. Formulas calculate as soon as you enter numbers.
What is on the template
- Ingredient and quantity: the amount the recipe uses, entered in the same unit as its price (6 oz of a $/lb item = 0.375).
- Price and purchase unit: from your latest invoice.
- Yield %: the usable share of what you buy; leave blank for 100.
- Cost: fills in from quantity × price ÷ yield.
- Totals: ingredient cost, Q factor, recipe cost, cost per portion, food cost % and price at target.
- Recipe card: method, plating and portion size, allergens, holding and shelf life.
How to use it
- List every ingredient. Including oil, garnish, sauce and sides.
- Enter quantities in the purchase unit. Convert first if the recipe is in ounces and you buy by the pound, or use the recipe cost calculator, which converts for you.
- Add yield for anything trimmed. Use the food yield calculator or a butcher’s test for the %.
- Fill in portions, price and target. The sheet does the rest; update prices when invoices change.
Example
| Ingredient | Qty (purchase unit) | Unit | Price | Yield % | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground beef 80/20 | 0.375 | lb | $4.80 | 100 | $1.80 |
| Brioche bun | 1 | each | $0.55 | 100 | $0.55 |
| Romaine leaf | 0.031 | lb | $2.40 | 75 | $0.10 |
Printable blank form
Recipe Costing Template and Recipe Card
Print this page to get the blank form below; the rest of the page is left off.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Price | Yield % | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FAQ
What is a standardized recipe card?
A card that fixes how a dish is made: exact ingredient weights, method, portion size, plating, allergens and holding. It keeps the dish and its cost the same on every shift.
How do I use the recipe costing template?
Download the CSV, open it in Excel or Google Sheets, and enter each ingredient’s quantity (in its purchase unit), price and yield. The cost per portion, food cost % and price at your target calculate automatically.
What is the difference between this template and the recipe cost calculator?
The calculator converts units for you and runs in the browser; the template is a file you keep, share and print with the recipe card.
Why include yield in recipe costing?
You pay for product as delivered but serve it trimmed and cooked. Dividing by the yield % gives the true cost of what lands on the plate.
Related guide
How to Price a Menu: Food Cost Formula, Strategy & Menu Engineering
Related free tool
Recipe Cost Calculator
Cost a recipe ingredient by ingredient, with yield and unit conversion, and get the cost per portion and the menu price that hits your target.
Open calculator