Do you like food? I mean, who wouldn’t? But cooking it and coming up with your own delicious creations requires skill and talent. If you are a master in the kitchen and want to make money by selling recipes online, this post is for you!
What do I need to start selling recipes online?
If you’re ready to start selling your recipes and sharing your delicious creations, now is the perfect time to start.
Here’s what you need:
cooking knowledge
Understanding the basics of cooking terminology and cooking measurements is essential to writing clear and easy-to-understand recipes. It’s also important to test your recipes to see if they work. When you’re writing a recipe, your reputation is at stake.
good communication skills
Selling recipes with missing ingredients or confusing instructions can lead to disappointing results. Because baking is a more exact science (with less tolerance for mistakes), it’s especially important to be clear when sharing baked goods recipes.
High quality images and videos
Another important element for selling recipes and food tutorials is high-quality photography. Food photographers make sure your food looks fresh and delicious, both online and in print. Surprisingly, food photography takes real skill, so it’s important to take the best photos to showcase your recipes.
Remember, recipe buyers are looking for more than a detailed description that outlines the ingredients and process. Photos of the final product can help you seal the deal and sell your recipe. Consider taking a food photography class (and invest in photography equipment) or partnering with a food photographer or stylist to document your recipes.
How much is the recipe worth?
It is difficult to pinpoint an exact amount for a single recipe. There are many factors to consider, including development time, cost of food and supplies, exclusivity and licensing rights, and the inclusion of photos and videos.
According to cookbook author Christine Donnelly, recipe developers can typically earn $200 to $250 per recipe without photos or videos.
If you publish your recipes on your blog, you may be able to earn more money by monetizing your blog with advertisers or affiliate programs.
Publishing a recipe book could increase your income even further. Recipe contest winners receive hundreds of dollars in prizes for just one recipe effort.
How to make money by selling recipes online
Interested in getting paid to write recipes but don’t know where to start?
Here are 10 ways you can start making money selling recipes today.
1. Get gigs through Facebook groups
If you’re a cook, chef, or food blogger, and you’re also social media savvy, Facebook groups are a great way to connect with people around the world and sell your original recipes. Various groups on Facebook bring bloggers, virtual assistants, and content creators together in an online space where they can exchange ideas and buy blog content, especially recipes.
Here are some private Facebook groups created for people interested in selling their own content (recipes, photos, videos) that professional bloggers can buy.
If you’re a foodie who wants to sell your recipes or other blog content, simply submit a request online to join the group of your choice. Once you participate, be sure to follow each group’s guidelines for selling your recipes. With access to thousands of members, you’re sure to find someone interested in purchasing your recipes for use on their blog or website.
If you want to learn more about this option, be sure to check out our interview with Melody Lynn and how she became a full-time food photographer from home.
2. Find work on freelance writing platforms
Believe it or not, recipe writing jobs actually exist and are in high demand. various occasions Freelance recipe writing jobs range from developing and drafting menus for new restaurants to working as long-term writers at various cookbook companies.
Compensation for freelance food writing positions varies depending on the type of work and the experience required to accomplish the task at hand. Easy, quick projects usually pay an hourly rate, while higher-level jobs may pay a higher flat fee per post or project.
A while ago, I decided to post a recipe on “Working from Home Woman.” I’m by no means a professional photographer, so I paid a woman on Upwork to make a few recipes for me and take pictures of each one. Although the results were great (you can see the recipe here and here ), I paid her $150 to recreate the recipe and take photos.
3. Post your service on Fiverr
Freelance platforms like Fiverr are great for recipe creators to promote their recipe writing services. You can sell a specific type of recipe creation to a niche audience, or choose to focus on recipe development, recipe creation, or food photography and videography.
A helpful tip for getting your recipes noticed by buyers on platforms like Fiverr is to include high-quality photos with each recipe you create. If you’re trying to sell delicious food recipes, photos are a must. Humans are visual creatures, so using high-quality photos will help your recipe stand out from the rest. Be sure to optimize your profile on Fiverr using different keywords that individuals search for.
4. Sell your recipes on Etsy
Sites like Etsy give foodies the opportunity to build their own online store for next to nothing. Etsy shops in the Food & Beverage category sell a wide range of products, from desserts and dog treats to vegan shopping lists, condiments, sauces, and recipe e-books.
A popular food-related Etsy shop could start by selling cooking accessories like aprons and utensils, then expand to sell recipes as an add-on. For example, a store might sell personalized cake decorations, but for an extra $10 you can buy a red velvet cupcake kit that includes a paper recipe that can be mailed or printed. You can also. Homemade recipes sold individually (as opposed to entire recipe books) appeal to customers looking for something specific to cook or bake in the moment.
Another way to sell recipes on Etsy is to create digitally downloadable PDF meal plans and recipe books filled with recipes. Customers who want to get in shape but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars may be more inclined to purchase the Healthy Meal Plan ebook, which includes 28 recipes, for $9.99 on Etsy. Individual stores and small plans offer customers unique options as an alternative to going to more expensive commercial health and nutrition stores.
5. Recipe and food content creator
If you love documenting your recipe creations, become a content creator or social media influencer in the food industry. Monetizing your food content has never been easier with social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter (X), Pinterest, and TikTok. Of course, it takes time to grow an audience, but with consistent, high-quality, unique content, you can earn money from creator funds, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, advertising, unique subscriptions, recipes, meal plans and cookbooks, and more. .
This is an easy way to start a food business from home without spending any money and easily share your new recipes with the world. All you really need is a smartphone, a laptop, an internet connection, and some creativity.
Poppy O’Toole, a professional chef, was laid off in 2020 and started making TikTok videos to fill her time. Within seven months, she had 100,000 followers and millions of views, which led to paid advertising deals, hosting corporate cook-alongs, and other opportunities. In 2021, she published her first cookbook and currently has over 4.4 million followers on TikTok.
6. Revenue sharing
Profit sharing is a great way to make money selling recipes. Companies like HubPages allow freelance recipe writers to post their recipes on the site. The more people view your content, the more money you make from HubPages (freelancers earn 60% of ad revenue). Posts with great photos tend to get paid more.
Other places you can earn money from revenue sharing are:
7. Recipe contest
Since you already love trying new dishes and writing recipes, why not try your luck by entering recipe contests? Recipe contests are difficult to earn a steady income, but It’s a good way to diversify. Recipe content is held throughout the year, giving you the chance to win big prizes all at once.
Categories range from drinks to salsa, and the prizes are often monetary or expensive. Some recipe winners may have their creations published on a website or compiled into a cookbook. Winning a recipe contest also helps boost your credibility as a food and recipe writer.
To stay up to date on current and upcoming recipe contests, check out the sites below. Winners can win anything from free products to up to $1,000 (or more in some cases).
8. Start a gourmet blog
If you love writing recipes and writing, why not combine your passion and start your own recipe blog? Creating a personal blog allows you to share all the interesting blog posts you write and unique recipes you create. You can take full credit for it. As your site and social platforms grow, the opportunities to earn more through full-time foodie blogging are endless.
Working with brands, direct advertising, and affiliate marketing are great ways to make money with your blog. With direct advertising, a particular brand or advertiser pays a large amount of money to secure space on your blog. On the other hand, affiliate marketing is also a great option if you don’t have a direct advertiser yet. Affiliate marketing involves promoting specific products or services on your blog. You will receive a commission every time you make a sale from your blog. This is a win-win situation for both parties involved.
9. Write and publish a cookbook
Do you have a lot of original recipes that you would like to compile into a cookbook? You can do this with or without a publisher.
Self-publishing gives you complete creative freedom, you keep all the profits (minus sales commissions), and you choose where you sell your book. The downside to this arrangement is that you have to do all the work yourself (writing, editing, photography, promotion) and you have to pay all the upfront costs. However, if you choose to sell ebooks rather than the traditional hardcopy format, the costs will be minimal. Check out this post to learn more about creating and selling e-books online.
If you work with a traditional publisher, you’ll have to pitch your idea to a company, which can mean less creative freedom, no longer owning the rights to your book, and significantly less income. The benefit of this arrangement is that you have a support team to guide you through the writing, editing, and marketing process. Also, if you want to create your cookbook in hardcopy format, this method saves you upfront costs. The publisher will do it. If you’re interested in finding a publisher to publish your cookbook, check out this list of publishers from Writing Tips Oasis.
10. Remote food writer job
If you have the right skills, experience and know-how, you can apply for a full-time or freelance work-from-home recipe development, food editor or food writing role. Required qualifications vary depending on the hiring company. You may also need a college degree in nutrition or food science, a culinary degree, or experience in the culinary field. Food styling experience may be required and additional training is usually required. To find these jobs, check out your favorite cooking sites, foodie blogs, magazines, and restaurant job postings.
Here are some other places I’ve seen food writers, developers, and editors work remotely:
Make money by selling recipes online
There are many ways to make money by selling recipes online or working as a freelance recipe writer. If you have a passion for food, writing, or photography, selling recipes is a great flexible work-from-home option.
To get the most out of these ideas, diversify your income sources by working on several of these options at the same time. You can also improve your reputation as a great recipe writer by submitting your original recipes and tips to online cooking sites and magazines like Tasty.
Looking for more food-based business ideas to start from home? Check out our list of business ideas for foodies.
First publication date: August 13, 2018. Content updated in October 2024.
