Free Printable Recipe Binder Kit!

Organize your favorite recipes into a DIY recipe book with these fun and free printable recipe binder kit templates! Perfect for gifting to friends or family or just as a way to organize your favorite family recipes.

With the holidays just around the corner, I wanted to share the printable templates I used to create some DIY recipe books for the college siblings. But a little backstory before we start is that a few years ago, my sister and I typed up hundreds of recipes for my mom and compiled it into a recipe binder.

But being the overachieving designer I am, I went all-out on the design and basically handcrafted custom-sized tabs, dividers, and recipe pages. And as fun as that was, I could never find a way to share the templates with all of you because I designed it in InDesign, which I know many of you don't have and don't have the time/will to learn.

So this year as I designed a new recipe binder kit, I also designed files for Avery's free software so that you can make one of your own! And today I'm going to show you how to create a custom, DIY recipe binder kit using a white binder, the My Recipe Starter Kit clear dividers, and my (free) printable templates. Which means that you don't need any of my fancy design software to achieve these professional lookin' designs, as you can 100% customize them through Avery's free online software, Avery Design & Print. WAHOO!

What I love about recipe binders (vs. custom bound books) is that you can easily add or remove recipes down the road. Which is a must-have in my house because I'm constantly filling it with new recipes.

Binders also make it easy to change categories later on, so if you end up needing to create an entire new category for Cookies, you can do that. And with these templates, you are able to completely customize the whole thing. Between the colors and text, you can create your very own giftable recipe book in a few hours and under $25. Which I consider a steal considering some of those bound books online can cost $50+.

The most time-consuming part of creating your own recipe book is typing the recipes, but what I recommend doing is first saving them in a Word document so that you can simply copy & paste them into your design in Avery Design & Print Online (plus, you'll always have that Word file available if you need them later down the line!). So let's get started!

What you’ll need for your DIY Recipe Binder Kit:

• 1-3″ extra wide white binder with a clear pocket (Avery also has cute pre-printed binders in several styles: Vintage, Chalkboard, and Epicurean)
• My Recipe Starter Kit (includes heavyweight sheet protectors for (10) full page recipes, (5) 2-up recipe card pages, and (8) tabbed pocket divider sheet protectors.)
• Scissors
• White Cardstock & Text-Weight Paper
• Design Eat Repeat Free Avery Recipe Binder Templates (includes designs for: Cover Page, Table of Contents, 1" Binder Spine, Section Dividers, Binder Tabs, 3x4" Recipe Cards, Half-Page Recipe Cards, Full-Page Recipe Pages, and (bonus!) lined 3x5" Recipe Cards)

How to Make your DIY Recipe Binder Kit:

Step 1: Download Templates

To get started, download the zipped folder (click here) of free printable recipe binder kit templates. After downloading and unzipping the file, you will see 9 templates each labeled with their appropriate name. Follow the instructions below to customize each template through Avery Design & Print Online.

Step 2: Customize Recipe Binder Cover

To get started, upload the recipe binder cover template to Avery by:

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (You will have to log in or create a new (totally free!) account.)
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you just downloaded and upload the file titled, "Cover.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and *colors. When finished, print on 8.5 x 11" white cardstock paper and slip into the front of the binder.

Tip: To customize colors, simply go to the Image tab > Change Color (see below). Select your new desired color and then go to the design and click on the existing color you want to change.

Step 3: Customize Recipe Binder Table of Contents

Next up, the table of contents! This design includes boxes for up to 8 categories. The overall color of the design can be changed (see above on how to change colors), although the default table of contents template is lime green.

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the cover design page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled, "TableOfContents.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and *colors. When finished, print on 8.5 x 11" white cardstock paper and slip into one of the full-page sheet protectors from the My Recipe Starter Kit. Place this page at the front of the binder.

Step 4: Customize Recipe Binder Dividers

Next up are the category divider pages. These are the pages that go in between each category to help organize the pages. Simply create one page with each category you listed on the table contents, print, and slip into one of the 8-tabbed pocket divider sheet protectors.

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled, "Category.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and *colors. When finished, print on 8.5 x 11" white cardstock paper and slip into one of the tabbed full-page sheet protectors from the My Recipe Starter Kit (ie. if you listed Appetizers first in the table of contents, you will slip the category page into the sheet protector with the first side tab).

Step 5: Customize Recipe Binder Divider Tabs

Next up are the small tabs that will slip into each of the 8-tabbed sheet protectors. Use the text editor to customize the text to match the categories and change the color to your liking. The great thing about these sheet protectors is that they already include the plastic tabs, sized perfectly with the template, so you don't have to worry about getting the size right.

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled, "Tabs.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and *colors. When finished, print on 8.5 x 11" white cardstock paper and slip into the coordinating  sheet protector that you just added the Category pages to.

Tip: I recommend adding a small bit of clear, double-sided adhesive to the back of each tab before slipping in to help them stay inside.

Step 6: Customize Recipe Cards

Next up are the customizable recipe cards. Use the text editor to customize the text for each recipe. You can change the font size to fit longer recipes or even flip to the back side to utilize that space. Included in the download file are two sizes for editable recipe cards: half-page recipe cards (to print on cardstock) & 4x6" recipe cards (that you can print on perforated Avery postcards).

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the files titled, "4x6RecipeCard.avery" for 4x6" cards or "HalfSheetRecipeCard.avery" for half-page recipe cards (to fit perfectly in the 2-cup page protectors included in the My Recipes Starter Kit).
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and colors. When finished:
   - Print the 4x6" cards on perforated Avery postcards and adhere to a 8.5x11" colored or patterned paper before slipping it into a full-page sheet protector.
   - Print the half-page recipe cards on white cardstock and slip into the 2-up Secure Top Card Protectors that are included in the My Recipes Starter Kit.

Step 7: Customize Recipe Pages (for longer, full-page recipes)

If you would rather create full page recipes, use this 8.5 x 11 template instead of the recipe cards. Upload the recipe binder dividers template to Avery and use the text editor to customize the text for each recipe.

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled, "FullPageRecipe.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the text and colors. When finished, print on white text-weight paper and slip in the full-page sheet protectors that are included in the My Recipe Starter Kit.

Step 8:  Print Binder Spine

To give the binder an even more personalized touch, slip this designed spine into the side of the binder sleeve. You can change the colors to your likings to match the rest of the book.

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled either, "OneInchSpine.avery" or "TwoInchSpine.avery" depending on the thickness of your binder.
4. Use the text editor to customize the colors. When finished, print on white cardstock paper and slip in the side of the binder.

Tip: It is important to use heavy cardstock for the spine, otherwise you will have a hard time slipping it into the side. I recommend layering the spine with 2-3 sheets of additional cardstock to help you slide it in. Once it's slid in, you can slide out the excess cardstock.

The great thing about Avery's software is that although it allows you to digitally customize the text, you always have the option to leave things blank and hand write instead. So if digital isn't your thing, you can simply use the instructions above to open the files in Avery and then just hit "Print" (rather than customizing).

Once finished, tie it up in a fun bow and attach a gift tag (free printable tags here!).

Bonus: Personalized 3x5" Recipe Cards

Another fun idea for bakers & cooks is gifting a stack of customized recipe cards by personalizing them to the recipient's name. To do this, upload the recipe cards to Avery, customize, print, and tie up in a cute little bow! To do this:

1. Go to Avery Design & Print Online and at the top of the screen hit the button for "Open a Saved Project." (or if you're still on the previous design's page, you can simply go to "Open" > "Load Project From Computer")
2. At the top of the page, click "Upload Project" then click "Browse to open a file".
3. Navigate to the template folder you downloaded and upload the file titled, "Bonus3x5RecipeCards.avery".
4. Use the text editor to customize the colors and add your recipients name in the "From the Kitchen of" field. When finished, print on Avery 3x5 Index Cards (they're pre-cut!) and tie together with a bow.

And there you have it! A complete, customizable recipe DIY recipe book binder! Avery also has more design options, so if you want to switch up the design, you can check out their library of recipe binder templates.

I hope you all found this tutorial helpful and can't wait to see the types of DIY recipe books you make! If you end up using these templates, please send me a pic by tagging @designeatrepeat on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! And as always, if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments!

This post was created in partnership with Avery. All content, templates, and opinions are that of my own. Thank you to my sponsors who help keep this blog & free printables running! For more holiday printables & projects, head on over to the holiday archive!