Recipe templates

A recipe card puts one dish on one page, so you can cook from it, print it or share it. Collect a few and you have the start of a family cookbook.

Include the name of the dish, servings and total time, ingredients with amounts, numbered steps, oven temperature, and where the recipe came from. List ingredients in the order you use them, so you can cook without looking back and forth.

The usual sizes are 3 x 5 and 4 x 6 inches, which fit standard recipe boxes. A full page is easier to read while you cook and leaves room for a photo.

Choose File, then Print, and keep the scale at 100 percent so the layout stays the same size. Use card stock if your printer takes it, because plain paper will not last long in a kitchen.

Give each recipe its own page, group them by course, and use heading styles so Docs can build the table of contents for you. Then share the file so relatives can add their own dishes.

Write one action per step, give exact amounts and say how to tell when something is done, such as golden at the edges. Mention the pan size, because it changes the cooking time.

Start with Dessert Recipe Card: A sweet one-page card for cakes, cookies and bakes. If that is not the right fit, compare it with Family Cookbook.

The templates here are 1 to 4 pages long. Cut any section you do not need; each template explains what its sections are for.

Yes. These recipe templates work in Google Docs and Microsoft Word. All 8 templates are free, with no account or email needed.