Free Recipe Cards
Feb 04, 2019
We've put together a complete guide to organizing your recipes the old-fashioned way--with paper
RECIPE CARDS: Free Printable Recipe Card Templates
- Introduction
- 100 Free Recipe Cards You Can Print (& also Type In)
- 300 Free Recipe Cards You Can Print
- Six Things You Should Know about Recipe Cards
- Recipe Cards (Buy Online)
- Recipe Boxes (Overview)
- Recipe Boxes (Buy Online)
- Recipe Binders (Buy Online)
Introduction
We're giving away our top 100 recipe cards that we sell on our website for free for you to print. You can even type in them and save them for later (use Adobe Acrobat Reader to save).
Why? We're grateful for our long-term customers who have always supported our small business, and we also hope you might decide to buy one of our recipe card divider sets, recipe card protector sets, recipe boxes or recipe binders as a means of saying thanks. If not, that's ok too. We're just passionate about recipe cards, and we want everyone to be too! You can always go to Shutterstock for corporate recipe card designs you have to sign up for, but we decided to go with styles you'll like at no cost and no obligation.
But you said there were 400 designs? Oh yeah, if after looking over these designs you still want more, just keep scrolling down. We've curated 300 designs from all over the internet.
What's the catch? There isn't one, really, except that the below designs are for personal use only, and cannot be used for commercial purposes. So just don't print and sell them and we'll all be happy. :)
Erin & Ted
Founders
Cookbook People
100 Free Recipe Cards You Can Print (& also Type In)
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300 Free Recipe Cards You Can Print
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The below cards are printable, but you won't be able to type in them. We've curated these 300+ designs come from all over the internet.
Personalized Recipe Binders - Buy Online Here at Cookbook People
Six Things You Should Know About Recipe Cards
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There is no simpler way to track a favorite recipe than the recipe card. A deceptively simple rectangle of paper, the modern recipe card is the ultimate low-tech tool for saving and sharing recipes for current and future generations. Thanks to the internet, there are also now a variety of free options for creating beautiful recipe cards that will do your recipes justice.
1. Recipe Card Sizes: There are generally 3 sizes of recipe cards to consider. The 3x5” card is the standard card for most of the last 100 years. (Our own 3x5 recipe cards can be found here.) The old recipe card boxes they fit into were designed for America’s small kitchens. As kitchens expanded, so did the capacity of recipe boxes and binders to allow for the now standard 4x6” recipe card. (Our 4x6 recipe cards are here.) The vast majority of all current recipe cards are this size. In the past decade a few brands have expanded to 5x7” recipe cards. (Ours are here.) You may want to avoid these, however, because while they may fit your own binder they may not fit a friend’s binder you wish to share with.
2. Recipe Card Layout: Most recipe cards are designed with around a dozen horizontal lines going across them. Try to choose cards that also have lines on the back to provide you with more space. A good rule of thumb is to use the left side of the card to create an ingredients list column. The right side should be used to make a second column that lists ingredients. In this way you simplify the preparation process.
3. Designs: Recipe cards come in all varieties of colors and designs. Traditionally, they have had fairly tacky simple line art, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Many modern recipe card designs have become their own art form, with ornate paintings, drawings and even photographs. Whichever you choose, try to find ones that allow for plenty of space for writing, with a simple interior that won’t make your writing hard to read after years of use. The artistry of the card should be most pronounced around the borders.
4. Tradition: Before the numerous online recipe sharing sites sprang up, the recipe card was the traditional method of sharing favorite recipes with friends. These cards are seeing a popular resurgence, as the hand-written instruction carries a warmth and personalization that simply can’t be duplicated with a “submit” button.
5. Protecting: If you are like many family cooks, you have a collection of hand-written cards handed down from previous generations. To ensure they survive to see the next generation, look into recipe card protectors. These plastic slips are very inexpensive, and for a few pennies you can save a priceless written heirloom.
6. Organizing Recipe Cards: There are two main ways to organize your recipes: recipe boxes and recipe binders.
