Hungry for well-designed, easy-to-read recipe cards for all your favorite dishes? In this post, we’ll explore all the elements that go into recipe card design.
Plus, we’ll give you the tips you need to create your own high-quality designs—even if you don’t fancy yourself an artist.
5 Text Components of a Recipe Card
There are many different types of recipes, but they all share some common text elements. Here are four things your recipe card must include if you want the chef to be successful.
Title
The title should be at the top of the card in large font. While it may be tempting to come up with a clever name for your recipe, it’s much more important to be clear. This will help the person using the card quickly determine if it’s the right one.
Category
Next, you want to include the category that the recipe falls into. There are a few ways you can categorize your recipes:
- Meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Flavors (sweet, savory, etc.)
- Diet type (vegetarian, keto, Mediterranean, etc.)
Choose what makes the most sense to you, but we recommend being consistent with the way you categorize. Otherwise, you run the risk of not being able to find anything as you grow your collection.
Note: You can definitely label your cards with more than one category (Savory Vegetarian Breakfast, for example), but pick a main one to sort it under for organizational purposes.
Ingredients
Make note of all the ingredients someone will need to make the dish. Put the ingredients in order of volume. The one that you’ll use the most should be at the top, followed by those you need less of.
Yield
How many servings does the recipe make? Don’t leave the chef wondering if they’ll have enough food to serve! Provide the yield information to people to determine whether or not they need to adjust the amount of each ingredient to meet their needs.
Prep Time and Total Time
There are some days when you have hours to spend in the kitchen creating something special. But, usually that isn’t possible, and you just need to get a meal on the table.
So, include prep time and total time to let readers know how labor- and time-intensive a recipe is before they jump in.
Instructions
Finally, give step-by-step instructions. Provide the chef the exact instructions they need to follow to bring the recipe to life.
4 Components of a Recipe Card Design
Once you know what content you’re going to put on your recipe card, you can start thinking about design elements.
Here are four different aspects to consider:
Size
The right dimensions are key to ensuring that a recipe card fits in with the rest of your collection. Select from one of these common recipe card sizes in inches or pixels.
| Inches | Pixels |
| 4 x 6 | 900 x 1,500 |
| 3 x 5 | 1,200 x 1,800 |
Images
What images or graphics do you want to use on your recipe card? You may choose to include a photo of the finished product. Alternatively, you can add graphics or recipe card clip art that matches the theme of your recipe.
Borders
Add a little something extra to your recipe card by including a border. Make your border a complementary color to the rest of the design. Also consider using small images or icons to bring it all together.
Layout
Most recipe cards have a horizontal layout and feature separate sections for each block of text. Put thought into the layout you choose. Make sure it’s easy to read and has the ability to remain consistent across recipes.
Recipe Collection Tips + Types
To put your designs and recipes to good use, you need to be able to put your collection together in one place. Use these ideas to organize your recipes so they’re always easy to find.
Boxes
The image of the recipe box is one that most of us will have in mind when we think about collections. As you create your own cards, use a recipe box to organize and easily move your collection around with you as you cook.
Binders
Binders are easier to flip through when you have a lot of recipes to select from. If you choose to go with a recipe binder, you can also get sheet protectors to keep your cards clean from kitchen messes.
Digital Storage & Apps
Ditch the paper cards and choose digital storage to keep your kitchen clutter-free. You can store recipes on your favorite device, or select an app that will let you access and organize all your recipes across devices.
Making and Printing Your Recipe Card
Ready to make your recipe card design into something tangible? These tips will help you do just that.
Making a Recipe Card with Online Design Tools
You don’t need graphic design skills or education to put together a delicious design. Use Shutterstock Create’s recipe card templates to craft a card you’ll be happy to use again and again.
Printing Your Recipe Card
This step is the deciding factor that will determine how your recipe card printable holds up. Use high-quality, vibrant ink to make your card as clear as possible.
Make sure you also use thick card stock. That way your recipe will have a better chance at standing up against common kitchen messes.
It’s time to stick a fork in this post, and for you to get started. Don’t let your favorite family recipes or new culinary discoveries get lost. Use the tips, tricks, and design ideas in this article to craft your own recipe cards.
Looking for more kitchen inspiration? Check out our post on 10 Appetite-Inducing Recipe Card Design Ideas next.
Don’t stop there! Take a look at these additional recipe card design posts:
- Recipe Cards Throughout the Years
- 10 Appetite Inducing Recipe Card Design Ideas
- 3 Fast Ways to Make Your Own Recipe Cards
Cover image via chyworks, primiaou, and fire_fly.
