Free recipe cost template (Excel / Numbers)

A small, free recipe costing spreadsheet. Enter up to 10 ingredients with the pack price, the pack size and the amount your recipe uses, the number of portions, any other costs per batch (packaging, labor, overhead) and your target margin. It shows the batch cost, the cost per portion and the price for your margin, and checks your own selling price against it.

Download the free template (.xlsx)

One sheet, no macros, no sign-up. Excel format (.xlsx). We checked its formulas in Apple Numbers 14.2 and LibreOffice Calc against hand-worked test cases, including the example in the file. It has not been tested in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Enter the pack size and the amount used in the same unit (both g, both ml or both each): this lite version does not convert units.

What's in it

• Recipe inputs: recipe name, saleable portions per batch, other costs per batch (packaging, labor, overhead), target margin and your selling price (optional).
• 10 ingredient lines: pack price ÷ pack size × amount used, with a status that names any input to fix.
• Results: ingredient cost and total cost per batch, cost per portion, price per portion for your target margin, and profit, margin and markup at your selling price.

How it works

Line cost = pack price ÷ pack size × amount used. Cost per portion = (ingredient lines + other costs per batch) ÷ portions. Price for target margin = cost per portion ÷ (1 − target margin). Margin = (price − cost) ÷ price; markup = (price − cost) ÷ cost. These are the same definitions as the full Recipe Cost Workbook.

Worked example in the file

The example is fictional, not a real recipe: 500 g from a $4.00 2 kg bag of flour is $1.00, 250 ml from a $3.00 litre of milk is $0.75 and 3 eggs from a $2.40 dozen are $0.60, so the ingredients cost $2.35. With $5.50 of other costs the batch costs $7.85, or $0.785 for each of 10 portions. A 60% margin needs $1.9625 per portion; selling at $2.50 leaves $1.715 profit, a 68.6% margin and a 218.5% markup.

What the full version adds

The full Recipe Cost Workbook ($12) uses the same formulas and adds:

• An ingredient library for 100 ingredients: enter each pack price once and use it in every recipe.
• Unit conversion (g and kg, ml and l, each and dozen) and a usable fraction for trim and waste.
• 30 ingredient lines per recipe, with packaging per portion, labor per batch and overhead per batch as separate inputs.
• Duplicate the recipe sheet for as many recipes as you need, all sharing one price list. A worked example and a 2-page PDF guide are included.

Get the full Recipe Cost Workbook

Want to try the numbers first? Use the free recipe cost calculator. See also all calculators.