Recipes
Use this page to link a finished menu product to the ingredients it uses. Recipes power food costing, margin estimates, and automatic stock deduction when the product is sold.
Open the screen: Sidebar → Inventory Management → Recipes
Before you start
You need finished products and ingredient products set up in the item library with inventory tracking enabled. Ingredients must exist before you can add them to a recipe.
Recipe list
What it does
Shows saved recipes with code, name, type, and prep/cook times. Filter by search text and active status.
Step-by-step
- Open Inventory Management → Recipes.
- Wait if the table shows Loading….
- Optionally enter text in Search - the list updates shortly after you stop typing.
- Select Status - Active (default) or Inactive.
- Tap the refresh button (circular arrow) to reload manually.
- Use pagination at the bottom to change page or rows per page.
What the table shows
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Code | Recipe code (auto-generated from the recipe name) |
| Name | Recipe name (usually matches the linked product) |
| Type | Recipe type (for example prep) |
| Prep Time | Preparation time in minutes, or - |
| Cook Time | Cooking time in minutes, or - |
| Actions | View (eye) and Edit (pencil) |
Row actions
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| View Recipe | Opens read-only Recipe Details |
| Edit Recipe | Opens the full recipe form to change and save |
Inactive recipes
Switch Status to Inactive to find recipes you turned off without deleting them.
Common mistakes / FAQs
- I see “No recipes found”. No recipes match your search or status filter, or none exist yet. Tap Add to create one.
- I do not see Edit or Add. Ask your administrator for CREATE or UPDATE permission on Recipes.
Add a recipe
What it does
Creates a recipe that ties one finished product to ingredient lines, optional size/variant rules, and preparation notes.
Step-by-step
- Tap Add.
- In the Add Recipe dialog, under Select Product, search and select the finished product this recipe is for. The recipe name fills from the product automatically.
- Open the Base Ingredients tab.
- Tap Add Base Ingredient for each core ingredient.
- For each line, select Ingredient, enter Quantity, and add Notes if needed. Toggle Scale with order quantity off only for fixed amounts (for example seasoning or packaging).
- If the product has variants or attributes, open the Attributes & Variants tab and configure multipliers or optional ingredients (see below).
- Review Cost Summary - totals update from ingredient quantities and reference costs.
- Under Yield & Timing, set Yield, Prep Time, and Cook Time if needed.
- Optionally enter Preparation Steps under Instructions.
- Toggle Active Status on to use the recipe, or off to save it as inactive.
- Tap Save Recipe.
Select product
| Field | Required? | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Yes | Search and pick a finished product from the list. Half-and-Half wrapper products are not listed here. |
Base ingredients (required)
| Field | Required? | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient | Yes | Search and pick an ingredient product |
| Quantity | Yes | Amount per one full serving - unit label shows beside the field |
| Notes | No | Prep detail (for example finely chopped) |
| Scale with order quantity | No | Leave on for normal ingredients; turn off for fixed usage that does not change with order size |
Quantities are for one full serving
Enter amounts for one complete serving of the product. Do not double quantities to compensate for Half-and-Half - the system applies portion ratios automatically at sale time.
Attributes and variants (optional)
Use the second tab when the linked product has size options, toppings, or variants.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Product has variants (for example Piece vs Dozen) | Enter a Multiplier per variant - 1.0 = normal, 12.0 = twelve times base ingredients |
| Product has attributes (for example Size, Sauce) | On each attribute card, tap Configure as Ingredient (adds optional ingredient per option) or Configure as Multiplier (scales base ingredients by percentage) |
| Product has no variants or attributes | Tab shows a message - base ingredients alone are enough |
Multiplier example
Base recipe uses 100 g flour. A Dozen variant with 12.0× uses 1200 g flour per order.
Yield, timing, and instructions
| Field | Required? | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Yield (output units per recipe) | No | How many sellable units one recipe batch makes. Example: 12 if one dough batch yields 12 pizzas. Leave blank or 1 for one-unit recipes. |
| Prep Time (minutes) | No | Time to prepare ingredients |
| Cook Time (minutes) | No | Active cooking or processing time |
| Preparation Steps | No | Kitchen instructions (multi-line text) |
| Active Status | No | Toggle on for active recipes; off to disable without deleting |
Cost summary
The Cost Summary card shows:
- Total recipe cost - sum of ingredient quantity × reference cost
- Per-unit cost - total divided by yield
- Selling price - from the linked product
- Margin - estimated profit percentage
Reference cost comes from each ingredient’s standard cost in the item library.
Common mistakes / FAQs
- Save does nothing. A red toast lists fields to fix - usually missing Product or an incomplete ingredient line (ingredient, quantity, and unit).
- No ingredients in the picker. Create ingredient products in the item library with inventory tracking enabled.
- “Add at least one ingredient”. Complete at least one base ingredient row before saving.
- Cost Summary shows zero. Select ingredients - reference cost pre-fills when you pick each ingredient.
Edit a recipe
What it does
Opens an existing recipe so you can change ingredients, multipliers, timing, instructions, or active status.
Step-by-step
- In the table, tap Edit Recipe (pencil icon).
- Wait if the form is loading data.
- Change any section - product, ingredients, attributes, yield, instructions, or Active Status.
- Tap Update Recipe.
- Tap Cancel to close without saving.
Recipe code is set at creation
The Code in the list is generated from the recipe name when saved. Edit the linked product or name field behaviour through the form as shown on screen.
View recipe details
What it does
Shows a read-only summary - no risk of accidental changes.
Step-by-step
- Tap View Recipe (eye icon) on a row.
- Read Recipe Details:
- Recipe Code and Recipe Name
- Prep Time and Cook Time (if set)
- Instructions (if set)
- Recipe Variants with multipliers (if configured)
- Ingredients table - code, name, type (Base or Optional), quantity, unit, scalable flag, notes
- Close the dialog when finished.
Permissions and plan access
| What you need | Why |
|---|---|
| Recipes module permission | See the Recipes menu and list |
| CREATE on Recipes | Tap Add |
| UPDATE on Recipes | Tap Edit Recipe |
| Inventory management plan feature | Recipes are part of core inventory on your subscription |
View Recipe is available from the list for users who can open the page. Add and edit need the permissions above.
How recipes affect stock
When a linked product is sold and your business uses recipe-based deduction:
- The system reads the recipe ingredients for that product.
- Quantities adjust for yield, variants, and attribute multipliers.
- Ingredient stock decreases on the Stock screen.
If stock drops unexpectedly, open View on the recipe and confirm base quantities, yield, and multipliers.