Cooking at home is both healthier and more cost-effective. I’ve compiled a list of the best recipe apps for your iPhone or iPad to help you prepare delicious meals tailored to your preferences, cravings, and ingredients available. Cook up a storm today!
1. JustTheRecipe Easy cooking: Your personal digital cookbook
If food is your love, JustTheRecipe is for you. This all-in-one app is an ideal companion for anyone who wants to enjoy scrumptious food without getting lost in the pool of information included in recipe blogs. JustTheRecipe app cuts down all the fluff and gives you an easy access to the two most essential elements of a cooking recipe – ingredients and instructions. Hop on to cooking straightaway!
The platform allows you to create a digital cookbook to save and group your favorite recipes into collections. This can include your recipes, too. In addition, there is complete freedom to customize ingredients or the making process per your taste. Moreover, you can include fancy images and special notes to make your digital cookbook even more enjoyable.
In the premium version, the app allows you to take printouts of your recipes. Moreover, you can adjust the servings of these recipes based on the number of guests. This way, you can easily avoid cooking more or less than the required quantity. The in-built AI-powered unit converter further simplifies your cooking.
Pros
- Direct access to ingredients and instructions
- Personalized cookbook
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Extra benefits on premium
Cons
- No cons found
Price: In-app purchases start at $1.49)
2. Tasty – Recipes, Cooking Videos: Experiment with savory cuisines
As the name suggests, Tasty is your one-stop app for all things delicious! It’s got over 4000 recipes at your fingertips presented in a nifty step-by-step instruction mode. This means they’re super easy to replicate. Trust me, given my clumsiness and lack of culinary skill, if I can do it, anyone can!
I love the ‘My Recipes’ page, which functions like your mobile cookbook. It’s ideal for those who love the nostalgic charm of hardbound cookbooks passed down through the generations.
The search tool is incredibly powerful and lets you filter by ingredients, cuisine, and social occasion. So, you’re never lost for what to cook up!
The detailed personalization makes Tasty one of the best free recipe app for the iPhone. You can find hundreds of recipes that match your dietary needs, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and more.
Further, one of my favorite features is “What’s in Your Kitchen.” This lets you find recipes based on what ingredients you have. Just select three ingredients you have, and the app will recommend recipes based on that.
Pros
- Great for beginners
- Extensive collection of recipes
- Caters to varied dietary needs
- Find recipes for ingredients you have
Cons
- Some recipes are not accurately categorized. For instance, you might see an egg recipe in the vegetarian section.
Price: Free (In-App Purchase – Monthly $3)
3. Yummly Recipes & Meal Planning
If you need some handholding in the kitchen, Yummly can be your best friend. It offers personalized guidance every step of the way, from recipe recommendations to helpful video tutorials, timers, and handier tools that ease the cooking process.
Yummly searches cooking blogs and sites for the best recipes and presents you with a personalized feed based on your preferences.
Further, you can save your favorite recipes and create collections to keep things organized. You can even schedule a recipe, and the app will remind you when it’s time to start cooking.
The app also makes grocery shopping a breeze by adding ingredients to your shopping list and categorizing it according to recipes or aisles. Or, make the most of what’s in your fridge and discover recipes to make with what you have on hand.
At the same time, you can track the nutrition and servings of what you eat, thanks to integration with Apple’s Health app. You can also add the Yummly widget to your Home screen to get the perfect recipe option for any moment of the day.
Pros
- Personalized recommendations
- Beautiful, intuitive design
- A wide variety of recipes based on dietary preferences, ingredients, etc.
Cons
- Too many ads in the free version
Price: Free ($4.99 for monthly Premium)
4. Kitchen Stories: Best free recipe app
I love how beautifully designed and visually stunning this app is! Not surprisingly, it’s won an Apple Design Award and will surely inspire you to get creative in the kitchen.
Enjoy HD instructional videos and engaging articles about cooking, baking, and everything in between.
The recipes are a great balance of tasty and healthy. Plus, you can also share your recipes to be part of a global foodie community.
Further, you can set up your profile and save your favorite recipes in personalized cookbooks. I especially appreciate the “cooking mode” that guides you through each recipe so that the result is exactly as expected.
Once you’re done, don’t forget to upload photos of your creations and swap your kitchen stories with others in the comments section!
Pros
- Great for beginners
- Detailed tutorials
- Supports English, German, Simplified Chinese
- Good user interface
Cons
- Inconsistencies are similar to the Tasty app. For instance, you might find a fish recipe in the vegetarian filter.
Price: Free ($4.99 per month for Premium)
5. BigOven Recipes & Meal Planner: Best cooking community
When it comes to cooking inspiration, BigOven has got you covered with big ideas! No more digging through old cookbooks or frantically searching online to find something to cook. Just collect your favorite recipes in this app from all your favorite sites and organize them in folders to quickly find later on.
The highlight is the vibrant community of home cooks who share your passion and keep you motivated to stay in the kitchen. You can find your favorite community members and their recipes on your home screen. Plus, read reviews left by others and get notified of comments or questions on recipes you’ve posted.
Further, you can enjoy even more benefits when you upgrade to the ad-free BigOven Pro membership. For instance, you can upload unlimited recipes and find more that cater to your diet and lifestyle with ingredient-by-ingredient nutritional insights and advanced search filters.
Additionally, create custom folders to store recipes for any occasion. And plan and share a week’s worth of meals across multiple BigOven accounts.
Pros
- Keeps all your recipes in one place
- A vibrant community of cooking enthusiasts
- Feature-rich
Cons
- Compatibility issues with certain websites
Price: Free (Pro starts at $1.99)
6. Fit Men Cook for healthy recipes
I think we are well past the gender stereotype of only women doing the cooking. So here’s a recipe app that primarily caters to men who want to stay fit. While working out is essential, the root of your health is in the kitchen. Get dozens of meal ideas in varied categories such as post-workout snacks, low-carb lunches, etc.
This app will change your mind if you think that healthy food is tasteless or boring. It guides you with easy-to-make nutritious meals that will help you stick to a healthy diet without spending a lot of compromising on variety.
Along with step-by-step instructions, it helps with meal planning, grocery shopping, and macro counting for bodybuilding or weight loss. All in all, a remarkable tool that will inspire you to take charge of your health.
Pros
- Encourages healthy eating
- Recipes for different diet plans and fitness needs
- Specially catered to men
- Great for cooking newbies and pros alike
Cons
- A bit pricey
Price: $3.99 (Additional in-app purchases start at $0.99)
7. Paprika Recipe manager 3
If you love collecting recipes the way I do, you need this app in your life! It’s perfect for organizing every aspect of your meals, from grocery lists and meal plans to recipes from your favorite websites. It beautifully syncs across devices so that you can access it anytime, anywhere.
What’s more? You can import from other apps such as MacGourmet, YummySoup!, MasterCook & Living Cookbook. Lastly, keeping things organized and sharing recipes is a breeze. It’s straightforward to use and makes it convenient to catalog all your food needs in one app.
Given the all-around utility, I’m sure you’ll use Paprika for years to come, which makes it well worth the one-time price!
Pros
- Comprehensive app
- Highly customizable
- Well designed and functional
Cons
- Manual entry for personal recipes
Price: $4.99
8. SuperCook Recipe by Ingredient
How many times have you found a tempting recipe only to realize you’re missing some key ingredients? Say goodbye to that sinking feeling and try this smart recipe app that suggests meals based on what you already have.
To get started, navigate to the pantry page of the app and choose all the ingredients you have from a list of over 2000. Categories include fruits, vegetables, meats, oils, sauces, spices, and more. Then, SuperCook will work its magic by curating the perfect recipes that match your ingredients.
When you run out of something, remove it from your pantry to automatically adjust your recipe recommendations.
This app boasts millions of recipes from thousands of websites in 20 languages. It’s inspired my creativity in the kitchen and is a must-have for anyone who wants to cook more.
Pros
- Super easy to use
- Recipes in 20 languages
- Helpful for people with dietary restrictions
Cons
- Lack of unique or innovative recipes
Price: Free
9. Forks Plant-Based Recipes
A plant-based lifestyle can be incredibly beneficial from both a health and sustainability standpoint. And this app is the ideal companion on the journey of eating whole food. It’s not easy to find the best apps for vegans, so I was glad to discover this one.
It’s from the makers of the critically-acclaimed film Forks Over Knives. You can access over 600 delicious vegan meals, with new recipes added weekly!
Moreover, the step-by-step instructions make it easy to prepare. You can view the ingredients needed in each step by simply tapping along. Make handy shopping lists for grocery items you need. Synchronize these across multiple devices with iCloud. Lastly, get tips on the plant-based lifestyle that will keep you eating healthy.
Pros
- Clean design that’s easy to navigate
- No ads
- Delicious healthy recipes
Cons
- The recipe catalog needs expansion
Price: $4.99
So, what are you waiting for? Get up and get cooking! Let me know in the comments below which of these best recipe apps on iPhone and iPad deserve a chef’s kiss!
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