Recipe Costing Card

What is the recipe costing card form template?

Most kitchens price new dishes by gut feel, then discover months later that a popular plate barely makes money. A recipe costing card fixes that by writing down every ingredient, what it costs, how many portions the batch really yields and what the dish needs to sell for to hit the kitchen's target food cost.

This template walks a chef through the dish, the full ingredient list with line costs and a waste allowance, the yield and portion size, and finally the pricing: target food cost percentage, suggested selling price, the menu price chosen, the actual food cost at that price and the gross profit per portion.

The form doesn't do the arithmetic for you, so work it out on a calculator or in your spreadsheet and record the results. Each card is saved as a PDF in FileIt, giving you a dated record of each dish's cost to compare against when supplier prices change.

Who uses a recipe costing card form?

• A head chef costing every dish before a new seasonal menu launches
• A café owner checking whether a best-selling sandwich is priced high enough
• A caterer costing per-head menus for event quotes
• A group operator keeping the same costing format across several sites
• A kitchen manager re-costing dishes after a supplier price rise
• A culinary student practising food cost calculations

Questions on this recipe costing card form

27 questions over 4 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.

The recipe costing card form, page by page

1 The dish

Start with the dish name, its menu section (starter, main, side, dessert, bar snack, breakfast, special or a batch or prep recipe), the restaurant or outlet, who costed it, the date and a version label such as the menu season.

2 Ingredients

List every ingredient on its own line with the quantity used, the purchase price and pack size, and the line cost. Then record the number of ingredients, the total ingredient cost for the batch, a percentage allowance for trim, waste and spoilage, and where the prices came from, such as a supplier price list or a recent invoice.

3 Yield and portion

Enter the batch yield and its unit, the number of portions per batch and the portion size. Record the food cost per portion and any garnish, sauce or side cost that isn't already in the ingredient list.

4 Pricing

Set the target food cost percentage and the suggested selling price that follows from it, then the menu price actually chosen and whether it includes sales tax or VAT. Record the actual food cost percentage at that price and the gross profit per portion. Finish with method notes, a photo of the plated dish and a status: draft, approved for menu, needs re-costing or retired. Approved cards also ask who approved them.

Make the template yours

• Change the currency on the cost fields to the one your kitchen buys in
• Edit the menu sections to match your own menu
• Add a labour or packaging cost line if you cost takeaway dishes
• Set a default target food cost in the help text so every chef uses the same benchmark
• File cards into vault folders by menu or by outlet
• Add an allergen checklist if you want costing and allergen information on one card

Tips for a better recipe costing card form

• Cost from the price you actually pay, not the list price, and note the date of the price you used
• Weigh what's left after trimming and cooking at least once: yield is where most costings go wrong
• Include oil, seasoning and garnish, even if each one is small
• Remember to remove sales tax or VAT from the menu price before working out food cost percentage
• Re-cost your highest-volume dishes first whenever supplier prices move

Recipe costing card form: frequently asked questions

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Templates are a starting point. Check that the questions and any wording about consent, privacy or terms suit your situation and the rules where you are. Page last reviewed 2026-10-25.