Do your printed recipes and recipe cards need some serious organization? Here is how to make a Recipe Binder in 4 easy steps using my FREE printable Recipe Binder PDF. *This post contains affiliate links.*
If you are anything like me and you’re always printing out new recipes…
…and you quite possibly have a mess of printed papers tucked away in a drawer somewhere if you don’t have some sort of recipe organization.
Do you have a recipe “junk drawer” like me?
Back in the day, people passed down their family’s favorite recipes to each other.
And these were most likely handwritten recipes. Some would write them on recipe cards and place the recipes into a recipe box, and some would just write the recipes down on paper and pass it on.
But not anymore.
Now, in the 21st century, we just print the new recipe off of the internet, and eventually, if you don’t organize those printed recipes somehow, you’ll end up with the images above.
But when you have some sort of recipe organization, aka, a Recipe Binder Organization System, your mess of recipes will turn into this!
You can do the same for all of your one million printed recipes and recipe cards you have!
What is a Recipe Binder?
It’s simple really.
A recipe binder is essentially a binder (usually a 3-ringed binder) that you use to organize and keep your recipes in.
Why You Need a Recipe Binder Organization System
There is a lot of prep work that goes into cooking. Even if it’s not a complicated recipe, there’s still the need to measure out ingredients, organize and assemble all the tools, and get the pots and pans on the stove or in the oven.
If you are on the search for one of your favorite recipes amongst the one million printed recipe papers you have in a pile, this can be time consuming and frustrating.
But with a recipe binder organization system, your recipe can be chosen and located quickly with no frustration whatsoever.
Having an organized recipe binder will make your life easier and will save you time when you want to cook.
And, that’s the goal here!
How to Organize and Simplify A Recipe Binder
Before getting started, it is important to note that there are many ways to organize recipes.
What works well for one person may not work as well for another. The key is to find a system that is intuitive and easy to use, while still making sense.
Organizing Recipes By Category, Alphabetical Order, and More!
Recipe organization can be a challenging task, especially when faced with many different options and ways to do it.
To help you get started, my first recommendation is to organize your recipes by “category” with main sections, and then sub-sections!
Organizing your recipes by “category” will greatly help you locate your recipes when it comes time to make a specific meal.
Some examples of Main Section categories that are in my FREE recipe binder printables are:
- Main dish
- Soup
- Salad
- Desserts
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Breakfast
- Slow-Cooker
- Instant-Pot
- Appetizer
- Snack
- …. and more
Some examples of Sub-Section categories that are in my FREE recipe binder printables are:
- Chicken
- Pork
- Beef
- Seafood
- Cake
- Pie
- Muffin
- Rolls
- Bread
- Rice Dish
- …and more
And if you want to take your recipe organization to another level, within each category, you can organize your recipes in alphabetical order (or a loose version of alphabetizing, meaning, have all the recipes that begin with the letter “A” in one section. But not necessarily having them in exact alphabetical order).
Meal Planning Section
I also add a “Meal planning” section in the recipe binder printables, so you can organize your weekly meal ideas for weekly menu planning.
How to Make a DIY Recipe Binder in 4 Easy Steps
Step 1: Gather Recipes from the internet, Family, and Friends
Having a variety of recipes to choose from is necessary for a happy and healthy family.
Even if it is a favorite recipe, if you make the same recipe every week, your meals can begin to get old.
Liven things up a bit and print off some fun recipe cards to try!
Some sites I love to print recipes from are:
The first step in creating this recipe binder is to gather recipes from the internet, family, and friends.
These recipes will serve as a starting point for finding other options, as well as providing inspiration for what can be made at home.
If you already have enough recipes to use to make your recipe binder, then hop down to #2.
Step 2: Print out one of my Recipe Binder Printables
This FREE printable HERE provides a recipe binder kit system for anyone to be able to easily organize their recipes.
**Note- The free recipe binder printables are not the same design as shown in the images in this post.
If you would like to purchase the recipe binder printables that are shown in the images in this post, click HERE. Use coupon code “YUMMY”!**
Again, I am giving away a simple printable recipe binder kit for FREE for you to use, however, if you want to choose one of my other recipe binder printable PDF options, you can do so by clicking the images below!
There are 3 different recipe binder printables to choose from, and they are all designed differently and have the cutest binder cover.
Use coupon code “YUMMY” to get any of my recipe binder printables for $3.97!
Recipe Binder Printables provides a system for anyone to be able to easily organize their recipes within their own binders.
These printables are intended for use in a traditional 3-ring binder (like these) and include dividers or page protectors.
Sort 3. Sort recipes by Categories and Alphabetize Recipes (if you’re feeling extra organized)
This section is about how to organize your recipes in a way that is easy to find and read.
This is a fairly straightforward task that involves sorting recipes into categories and alphabetizing them (if you choose to alphabetize).
Recipes can be sorted by categories. Since people often search for recipes by category, it makes sense to categorize them in this way.
If you are feeling extra organized, then you might want to alphabetize each category.
Step 4: Add Recipes into a Sheet Protector (or hole punch recipes)
Adding your recipe collection into a page pr is the best way to organize recipes in your recipe book, and it will also keep them from getting damaged.
When you’re cooking, your hands typically get messy, and sometimes you need to reach for your recipe printable to check the steps again. When the recipe is placed into a sleeve protector, it protects the printed recipe paper from getting damaged or stained.
If you want to get a bit more organized, you can also add divider tabs to the sheet protectors. By adding a tab divider to your category pages, you can easily flip to the category you need to locate.
P.S- This will make a great gift for someone!
A recipe binder is also a great gift to give to friends and family, especially for new homeowners.
Print out some of your favorite family recipes and make a family recipe binder to give to them. Only add a few to get them started and let the person add their own!
And that’s it!
