How do you make a recipe book for your clients?
In short: Pick one theme and one audience, then choose 20 to 30 recipes that suit them and that you've checked for servings, nutrition and allergens. Lay them out the same way every time, grouped by meal, with a short introduction on how to use the book. Send it as a PDF clients can print, or share it digitally so you can update it later.
1 min 3 s videoCaptions onUpdated 29 September 2026
Decide who the book is for
The books clients actually use answer one need. "Healthy recipes" is too broad to be useful. "Twenty dinners under 30 minutes for a family of four" tells the reader straight away whether it's for them.
- A goal. High-protein breakfasts for clients building muscle, or lower-energy lunches for a weight loss programme.
- A pattern of eating. Vegetarian, dairy free, or a gut-friendly set for clients you're already seeing for that.
- A situation. Batch-cook meals for shift workers, lunchbox ideas, recipes for one.
- Onboarding. A starter book every new client gets in their first week, built from the recipes in your usual plans.
If the book supports a medical condition, write it for your own clients under your care. A book sold to the public reads as general advice, whatever the title says.
Choose recipes clients will cook
Twenty to thirty recipes is a good size. Fewer feels thin, and past about 40 people stop browsing and cook the first five. Weight the mix towards the meals your clients struggle with, which is usually dinner.
| Section | Recipes | What to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfasts | 5 | Two or three that can be made the night before |
| Lunches | 6 | Most of them work cold or as leftovers |
| Dinners | 9 | A range of proteins, most under 40 minutes |
| Snacks | 4 | Simple, with a clear portion |
Then check every recipe the way you would before it went into a plan. Weighed ingredients, a clear number of servings, nutrition per serving calculated from those weights, and allergens you've read line by line. How to calculate calories and macros in a recipe covers the numbers. Ingredients should be easy to buy where your clients live, and the ingredient list should overlap from recipe to recipe so a weekly shop covers several of them.
Lay out each recipe the same way
Consistency is what makes a book easy to use. A client should find the servings, the time and the shopping list in the same place on every page.
- The recipe name and a photo of the finished dish.
- Servings and total time, including prep.
- Ingredients in grams or millilitres, with a household measure where it helps ("1 medium onion, about 150 g").
- Numbered steps, one action each.
- Nutrition per serving, if this client group should see it.
- A short note: what freezes, what to swap for a vegetarian version, what to serve it with.
Decide on the nutrition line for the whole book. For a sports team, macros per serving are the point. For clients with a history of disordered eating, leave the numbers out and let portions do the work. The nutrition label guide covers what to show when you do include it.
Open with a page on how to use the book, and put notes and substitutions next to the recipes they apply to rather than at the back.
PDF, web link or in the app
| Format | Good for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Printing, reading offline, a one-off handout | Fixed once sent. A correction means sending a new file | |
| Web link | Sharing by email or message without an attachment | Anyone with the link can open it, so password it if that matters |
| Shared in the client app | Books you keep adding to | Only your clients see it, so it doesn't work as a lead magnet |
Use your own recipe method text and photos, or ones you have the rights to. Copying a cookbook's or a website's instructions and pictures into a book you hand out or sell is the part that causes trouble.
If you plan to sell the book, selling recipe books online and selling coaching packages cover the business side.
How to do it in Foodzilla
In Foodzilla, a recipe book is a collection. You build it once, export it as a branded PDF or web link, and share it with clients so it shows in their app and client portal.
- 1Go to Recipes, open the Collections tab and press New Collection. Type a name or pick a suggested one, then press Create Collection.
- 2Press Add Recipes and choose recipes from My Recipes, Dietitian-Approved Recipes or your other collections. You can also tick several recipes on the My Recipes tab and press Add To Collection.
- 3Open the Details tab and write the Notes. Clients see them when you share or export the collection, so keep them client-friendly. Use Reorder on the Recipes tab to drag recipes into order, then press Save.
- 4Press Export (on a smaller screen, More, then Export to PDF or Web). Choose the Recipe Layout Style (Magazine needs the Professional plan or above), the Cover Photo, Font Styles and Accent Color, and whether to show calories and nutrition. Then press Download PDF or Create PDF Web Link. One PDF holds up to 100 recipes.
- 5To put the book in clients' hands digitally, choose More, then Share, and pick the clients. They get read-only access in the client portal and the mobile app. More, then Email sends it by email instead. Sharing and emailing collections need the Professional plan or above.
Good to know
- Password a book you sellTurn on Enable password encryption in the PDF settings so the file needs a password to open. It stops casual forwarding, though anyone with the password can still share it.
- Build from recipes you already useThe recipes in your regular meal plans are already checked and client-tested. Start the book there and add a few new ones, rather than starting from scratch.