Playbook · YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok and LinkedIn
How to make food recipe clips for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
Short answer
Walk through one recipe so the viewer can cook it tonight. Deliver 9:16 on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn. Burn captions in on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok; the others take plain text.
Start from: overhead phone shot, hands + ingredients close-ups and voiceover.
The steps
- Pick the recipe: One recipe per clip. Decide the difficulty.
- Shoot overhead + hands: Two angles minimum. (Workflow)
- Edit to a tight 60s: Skip the 'now let's get started' beat. (Workflow)
- Caption quantities + steps: Use lower-third. (Burn-in)
What to produce: 60s recipe (9:16, 60 s); Ingredients + steps carousel (1:1).
Platform by platform
| Platform | Aspect | Length | Captions | Reframe from 16:9 | Safe zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| TikTok | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| 1:1 | up to 60 s | Plain text | No | Not required |
Food recipe clips on YouTube Shorts
- Hook
- First 3 seconds decide Shorts retention - open on the strongest beat.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions; Shorts allow heavier caption styling.
- Deliver
- 60s recipe (9:16); Ingredients + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for YouTube Shorts
- Reframe for YouTube Shorts: 16:9 to 9:16 reframe; subject tracking. (Reframe)
- Apply platform safe-zone overlay: Use the YouTube Shorts safe-zone overlay so subjects stay visible. (Safe-zone)
YouTube Shorts export preset · YouTube Shorts safe-zone overlay
Food recipe clips on Instagram Reels
- Hook
- Lead with motion; Reels favours strong visual hooks.
- Captions
- Burned-in lower-thirds; Reels tolerates heavy captions.
- Deliver
- 60s recipe (9:16); Ingredients + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for Instagram Reels
- Reframe for Instagram Reels: 16:9 to 9:16 reframe; subject tracking. (Reframe)
- Apply platform safe-zone overlay: Use the Instagram Reels safe-zone overlay so subjects stay visible. (Safe-zone)
Instagram Reels export preset · Instagram Reels safe-zone overlay
Food recipe clips on TikTok
- Hook
- Lead with the surprising beat; TikTok rewards pattern interrupts.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions; place inside the platform safe-zone.
- Deliver
- 60s recipe (9:16); Ingredients + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for TikTok
Food recipe clips on LinkedIn
- Hook
- Lead with the contrarian or non-obvious point; LinkedIn rewards dialogue.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions are essential; LinkedIn feeds are predominantly muted.
- Deliver
- Ingredients + steps carousel (1:1)
Pitfalls to avoid
- Music that drowns out the sizzle
- Starting with 90s intro
- Skipping ingredient quantities
Turn one source into the clips
Koldflux turns one long video into ready-to-post vertical clips with captions.
Questions people ask
What aspect ratio should food recipe clips use?
9:16 on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn.
How long should food recipe clips be?
YouTube Shorts: up to 60 s, Instagram Reels: up to 60 s, TikTok: up to 60 s and LinkedIn: up to 60 s.
Do food recipe clips need burned-in captions?
YouTube Shorts: burned-in recommended, Instagram Reels: burned-in recommended, TikTok: burned-in recommended and LinkedIn: plain text is enough.
Related playbooks and guides
Sources
- HubSpot content types overview, verified September 18, 2026.
- YouTube Help - Creator playbooks, verified September 18, 2026.