How Much To Charge For Recipe Photos For Food Blogs

Running a food blog is a full-time hustle, and even the people who do it part-time work hard for the money. One of the ways they earn money is by developing recipes for brands.

If you've ever noticed that a blog post is labeled "sponsored," it's typically because the blogger partnered up with a brand (i.e. Kraft, Whole Foods Market, etc.) to develop a recipe in exchange for money. Bloggers may make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000 for such jobs.

How they set their rate varies from blogger to blogger, but it typically depends on the scope of the project (i.e. is it one-and-done or a series?) and the blog's traffic statistics. While the numbers sound promising, it's not necessarily easy money when you consider the work that goes into it. We spoke with four food bloggers to get the scoop on how much they earn to develop recipes, as well as the costs stemming from it.

Amanda Biddle, The Striped Spatula

Amount typically earned for sponsored recipe development: $1,250 to over $10,000
Sponsored recipes per year: 6-12

Amanda Biddle created her blog, The Striped Spatula , in 2013 as a hobby and landed her first recipe for a brand in 2015. The hobby blogger-turned-entrepreneur now runs her blog full-time and charges from $1,250 to over five figures for recipe development. Rather than working with many brands throughout the year, she works with a few for long-term projects. Brands she's worked with include Stonewall Kitchen, California Giant Berry Farms and Nielson-Massey.

" I do prefer longer-term contracts and ambassadorships to single posts, because they give my audience a better opportunity to get to know the brand over time," Biddle said.

Biddle is a one-woman powerhouse. She does her own food styling, photography and videography, which means she saves money by not outsourcing those services. But she tests her recipes a minimum of three times before publishing them, so the cost of groceries can add up. The first couple of tests are about making adjustments to the recipe and the third one is when she refines it. "If the recipe still isn't where I want it to be, I'll keep testing until my tasters (friends and family) and I love it. I never publish a recipe that we don't love or that I don't feel 100% confident about," Biddle said. She's even tested some recipes eight times!

The work that goes into developing recipes is worth it for Biddle, though. Not only does she earn money for the recipe, but there's ad revenue to consider, too. "When a recipe is published in a blog post, the ad revenue I make on the post in the long run can exceed the initial rate I was paid for the work," she said.

Demetra Overton, Sweet Savant

Amount typically earned for sponsored recipe development: $500 to $2,500

Sponsored recipes per year: 25-30

Demetra Overton didn't know that she could get paid to develop recipes when she started her blog, Sweet Savant, in 2012. Her first brand partnership was for Walmart and was unpaid, so blogger colleagues encouraged her to network and seek sponsored content. Now she earns anywhere from $500 to $2,500 to develop recipes for brands on her blog.

"I've been fortunate to have brands like Home Depot, Walmart and Vidalia Onion Growers ask me to work with them. I also pitch to my favorite brands to work with them," Overton said.

Now, developing recipes is how she earns the bulk of her blog's income (which doesn't run ads).

One of the biggest changes in recent years for Overton has been an increase in video content creation. The charming blogger has built up her YouTube audience with 17,000 subscribers .

"Recipe video requests are way up. People love to see the step-by-step process of how a recipe comes together," Overton said.

As an added bonus, she doesn't need fancy equipment to film her videos. "Most of the video I shoot is done on my phone, a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 10. A phone with great photo and video capabilities is a fantastic investment."

Liz Della Croce, The Lemon Bowl

Amount typically earned for sponsored recipe development: $5,000

Sponsored recipes per year: 24-30

It was three years after launching her blog that Liz Della Croce, founder of The Lemon Bowl, got her first sponsored post. She launched the health-focused recipe blog in 2010 and became a full-time blogger in 2013. Now she develops sponsored recipes a couple times a month, typically earning at least $5,000 per recipe, and works with brands like Sabra, Meijer (a supermarket chain) and Dole. She also develops recipes for social media-only campaigns.

Like most food bloggers, she spends time brainstorming recipes for brands that commission them from her ― but it isn't too hard for her, because she likes to work with brands she's already familiar with in the first place.

"By the time I'm getting paid and make something, I'm not starting from scratch because I cook with it all the time," she said. "Like, a client of mine is Sunset Produce. So they grow cucumbers and peppers that I eat every day."

She typically tests her recipes a maximum of three times. Her biggest costs are the photographer she hires to shoot for the post and the social media assistant she works with to promote the posts across different platforms.

Sues Anderson, We Are Not Martha

Amount typically earned for sponsored recipe development: $750 to $2,500

Sponsored recipes per year: 15-20

Sues Anderson has been running her blog, We Are Not Martha, since 2008. It started as a fun project with a friend and has grown into a full-time solo venture for Anderson.

"I started [creating recipes] pretty early on, but in the beginning I mainly worked for free product. As my traffic grew and my photography improved, I began charging brands for recipe development," Anderson said.

Now she charges anywhere from $750 to $2,500 for recipe development. "Time is a big cost," she said. "From developing the recipe to grocery shopping and testing the recipe to conducting photoshoots, editing photos and additional writing tasks, a lot of what a brand is paying for is my time. And if I'm publishing the recipe to my blog, they're also paying for the audience that I've taken years to grow and nurture."

Despite being a professional blogger, Anderson contends with something that many of her ilk deal with: being asked by brands to create recipes for free. "I always let brands know that because recipes take a lot of time to develop and this is my business, I can't do it free of charge or for a chance to get paid," Anderson said.

. "This book has inspired me to try making more ambitious dishes like gnocchi, something I never thought I'd make from scratch!"

Buy \"The Professional Chef\" from Barnes & Noble.","credit":"The Professional Chef","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d655250000c741d2f287.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"The Professional Chef","width":2584,"height":3306,"ops":""},"title":"The Professional Chef","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d6521f0000f431df0703.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":2482,"height":3071,"credit":"Food52"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b00149f7398e02","caption":"Sara Forte, cookbook author and founder of the Sprouted Kitchen blog, said "Food 52 Genius Recipes\" is the perfect inspiration for budding chefs who want some freedom in the kitchen. "It is instructional without being overly wordy," she told HuffPost. "The headnotes are often just as valuable as the recipes themselves."

Buy \"Food 52 Genius Recipes\" from Barnes & Noble.","credit":"Food52","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d6521f0000f431df0703.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Food52","width":2482,"height":3071,"ops":""},"title":"Food52 Genius Recipes","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d6531f00004836df0705.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":1896,"height":2560,"credit":"Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b00149f7398e03","caption":"Forte also says Joshua McFadden's "Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables,\" a James Beard Award-winning book, is one of few collections she truly can't live without. "I read this cookbook cover to cover," Forte told HuffPost. "I have so many books, many that I spend some time with then hand off to friends, but I will always keep this book. It is smart and casual, and I love it."

Buy \"Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables\" from Amazon.","credit":"Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d6531f00004836df0705.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables","width":1896,"height":2560,"ops":""},"title":"Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d652250000c741d2f283.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":2258,"height":2926,"credit":"Everyday Pasta"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0913e6f891fb2","caption":"Food blogger Kristin Porter of Iowa Girl Eats received Giada De Laurentiis' "Everyday Pasta: A Cookbook\" as a wedding gift; more than 10 years later, it's still pushing her to expand her horizons in the kitchen. "This cookbook inspired me to go beyond dishes I was comfortable with and start experimenting with one of my very favorite foods — pasta," she told HuffPost. "I still remember cooking her farfalle with broccoli recipe, which calls for five anchovy filets, for the first time. I was so nervous, but it was incredible. Now I make it for my kids!"

Buy \"Everyday Pasta: A Cookbook\" from Amazon.","credit":"Everyday Pasta","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d652250000c741d2f283.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Everyday Pasta","width":2258,"height":2926,"ops":""},"title":"Everyday Pasta","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d652250000b43cd2f284.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":450,"height":475,"credit":"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0913e6f891fb4","caption":"\"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook\" is the first cookbook blogger Philia Kelnhofer of Sweet Phi — now a cookbook author herself — remembers reading and using. "One of my best friends gave me this cookbook she picked up at a garage sale for 10 cents," she told HuffPost. "It followed me through college, graduate school, newlywed life, and now beyond, into life with kids and entertaining."

Buy \"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook\" from Amazon.","credit":"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d652250000b43cd2f284.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook","width":450,"height":475,"ops":""},"title":"The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d6531f0000f431df0706.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":2214,"height":3064,"credit":"Ottolenghi Simple"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0d50f32ac8a9f","caption":"Allison Day, cookbook author and the blogger behind Yummy Beet, picked up "Ottolenghi Simple\" during a talk with author Yotam Ottolenghi while she was living in London. "It's a keepsake from my time spent in London, and it holds the memory of meeting one of the most inspiring cookbook authors out there," she told HuffPost.

Buy \"Ottolenghi Simple\" from Amazon.","credit":"Ottolenghi Simple","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d6531f0000f431df0706.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Ottolenghi Simple","width":2214,"height":3064,"ops":""},"title":"Ottolenghi Simple","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d6521f0000e831df0704.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":2400,"height":2850,"credit":"Better Homes and Gardens"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b00149f7398e01","caption":"For Beth Moncel of Budget Bytes, it's hard to top the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.\" Moncel learned to cook with this book in the '80s and '90s, and continues using it as her go-to guide today. "I loved that it included so much general information about food and ingredients, with tons of photos and diagrams on everything from different cuts of meat to the sugar stages of candy-making," she told HuffPost.

Buy \"Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book\" from Amazon.","credit":"Better Homes and Gardens","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d6521f0000e831df0704.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Better Homes and Gardens","width":2400,"height":2850,"ops":""},"title":"Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d654250000c641d2f285.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":4800,"height":6000,"credit":"Son Of A Southern Chef: Cook With Soul"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0d50f32ac8aa0","caption":"Quin Liburd of the blog Butter Be Ready attributes her culinary adventures to "Son of a Southern Chef\" by Lazarus Lynch. "This particular book is special to me because it is written by a Black, Caribbean, queer author which are all three of my own identities," Liburd told HuffPost. "It is incredibly meaningful to me to see a piece of myself within this author and book. It is also refreshing to see a cookbook that highlights Caribbean cooking with a Southern flair."

Buy \"Son of a Southern Chef: Cook With Soul\" from Amazon.","credit":"Son Of A Southern Chef: Cook With Soul","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d654250000c641d2f285.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Son Of A Southern Chef: Cook With Soul","width":4800,"height":6000,"ops":""},"title":"Son Of A Southern Chef: Cook With Soul","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d655250000c741d2f286.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":1819,"height":2560,"credit":"The Taste Of Country Cooking"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0913e6f891fb5","caption":""It's not common to feel like you've found a fond, seemingly familiar voice visiting with you as you flip through a cookbook," Amber Wilson, founder of the blog For the Love of the South, told HuffPost. She recommends "The Taste of Country Cooking\" by Edna Lewis as a source of culinary inspiration. "I find myself reaching for this gem at the beginning of each season for deep inspiration, not only on what to cook but an uplift and reminder to celebrate life, love, and food with an open hand and an open heart," she said.

Buy \"The Taste of Country Cooking\"from Amazon.","credit":"The Taste Of Country Cooking","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d655250000c741d2f286.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"The Taste Of Country Cooking","width":1819,"height":2560,"ops":""},"title":"The Taste of Country Cooking","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d65421000058e434f017.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":388,"height":499,"credit":"The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b00149f7398e04","caption":"Tania Sheff, the food blogger behind Cooktoria, says "The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook\" from the 1980s is a must-have for every kitchen. "It has simple pictures so that I feel assured I am doing things right," she told HuffPost. "Every single recipe I have tried has been delicious."

Buy \"The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook\" from Amazon.","credit":"The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d65421000058e434f017.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook","width":388,"height":499,"ops":""},"title":"The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d65221000058df34f015.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":2381,"height":3188,"credit":"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d658e4b0913e6f891fb1","caption":"Julie Tran Deily, founder of The Little Kitchen blog, swears by chef Ina Garten's cookbooks. "The one I go back to a lot is 'Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics,'" she told HuffPost. "I just love her easy cooking style and you can feel the love. I watched Ina Garten's cooking show on Food Network long before I became a food blogger and have a dream of cooking with her one day!"

Buy \"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics\" from Amazon.","credit":"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d65221000058df34f015.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics","width":2381,"height":3188,"ops":""},"title":"Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null},{"embedData":{"type":"hector","url":"https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5de7d651250000c641d2f282.jpeg","queryParams":{},"width":375,"height":500,"credit":"Chez Panisse Vegetables"},"type":"image","common":{"id":"5de7d659e4b0d50f32ac8a9e","caption":"Food blogger Alexandra Stafford of Alexandra's Kitchen received "Chez Panisse Vegetables" from her mother for college graduation — and she's been using it ever since. "It's no doubt the cookbook I have used more than any other," she told HuffPost. "Years after first opening 'Chez Panisse Vegetables,' I continue to find gems. It's not a book for everyone — there are no photos, and in some recipes, quantities are omitted and instructions are vague. But for me it's perfect, a gift that has never stopped giving."

Buy \"Chez Panisse Vegetables\" from Amazon.","credit":"Chez Panisse Vegetables","creditUrl":"","source":"","thumbnail":{"url":{"fileName":"5de7d651250000c641d2f282.jpeg","type":"hectorUrl"},"caption":"cookbooks","credit":"Chez Panisse Vegetables","width":375,"height":500,"ops":""},"title":"Chez Panisse Vegetables","type":"image","meta":null,"summary":null,"badge":null,"textWrap":"noWrap"},"provider":null}],"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://www.huffpost.com","locale":"en_US"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById('taboola-endslate-thumbnails');\r\n c.id += '-' + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"

"},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5ea975e1c5b6106b8ed04e85","entryTagsList":"recipes,food-and-cooking,womens-work,blogs,food-drink,@sponsor_womenwork","sectionSlug":"taste","deptSlug":"lifestyle","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.taste","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":{"videoPlaylist":"5e447588620c810001d2f447","videoTag":"huffpost_womenwork"},"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5ea975e1c5b6106b8ed04e85","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-us"},"relatedMedia":true}}" data-rapid="marko-sec" id="entry-extra">

Cookbooks Food Bloggers Swear By