Tired of making the same meals every holiday? Christmas is around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to shake up your holiday cooking routine! The best recipe apps for iPhone can make a real difference. With step-by-step videos, digital shopping lists, and mouth-watering photos, they’ll turn your holiday cooking into a fun experience.
Plus, the online communities bring you recipes from around the world, with tips for perfecting each dish. So, before the holiday feasts begin, explore our list of the best recipe apps for iPhone and bring new flavors to your festive table!
Best Recipe Apps for iPhone
1. Paprika
If you’re always finding recipes from random food blogs or even a YouTube cooking video, Paprika is about to make your life a lot easier. With its built-in browser, you can browse through all your favorite recipes and save them with just a click.
It organizes everything for you, separating ingredients from directions, so you never have to dig through paragraphs of text. And the best part? It automatically creates a shopping list, so you know exactly what you need without any fuss.
2. BigOven
With over 350,000 recipes, BigOven is a favorite among culinary enthusiasts. Not only can you easily find recipes, but you can also organize favorites, plan meals, and create grocery lists. The ‘Use Up Leftovers’ feature helps you cook with what’s on hand, perfect for stretching your budget and reducing waste.
BigOven connects you to a community where you can share your creations and get feedback from other home cooks. Its simple, intuitive interface makes cooking easy, even for kitchen newcomers, turning cooking from a chore into an enjoyable, creative adventure.
3. Whisk
Whisk offers a range of features for free. The app is beautifully designed and super user-friendly. Upon registration, it asks about your diet, allergies, and favorite cuisines, adding a personal touch you don’t always see.
You can share recipes, review ones you’ve tried, and build collections based on cuisine, cook time, or meals. Searching is a piece of cake with the Explore feature or Chrome extension. Adding ingredients to your grocery list is super easy with integrations like Instacart and Walmart. The only downside? External recipes redirect you to the original webpage, so you may lose access if they are removed or behind a paywall.
4. BBC Good Food
Founded in 1989, BBC Good Food, owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and based in London, is one of the best recipe apps for iPhone. Here, you’ll find a vast collection of recipes, all meticulously tested for reliability.
Whether you’re seeking expert cooking tips or intriguing food articles, BBC Good Food offers a diverse range of content tailored just for you. With its user-friendly interface, this platform has become a trusted resource, perfect for improving your kitchen skills.
5. Kitchen Stories
Kitchen Stories is one of the clearest and easiest-to-use cooking apps available. You get a strong video element alongside the usual text and photos, plus a huge recipe database you can browse by theme or filter by country. New recipes are added regularly, so check back each week to discover what’s fresh.
6. SideChef
With over 16,000 recipes, SideChef gives you everything you need for easy meal planning and cooking. As the name implies, it’s like having your very own side chef right in your pocket. Use SideChef to search for recipes, save your favorites, or even create your own.
You can also make grocery lists and do your shopping all in one place. Plus, it offers personalized recommendations based on your preferences. If you have Amazon Alexa (which you can also use to find your lost iPhone), you can let it guide you through each step hands-free. SideChef’s voice commands make it easy to choose recipes, set timers, and follow step-by-step instructions. You can even connect it to compatible LG appliances.
7. SuperCook
SuperCook helps you get creative with meals by finding recipes based on ingredients you already have. Just enter what’s in your kitchen, and SuperCook will pull up recipes that only use those ingredients.
If you’re short on items or have an unusual combo, it’ll suggest recipes with a few extras and lets you add missing items to a built-in shopping list. You can filter recipes by meal type, cuisine, diet, rating, or time. With over 20 cuisines and options for vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free, and gluten-free recipes, you can easily whip up delicious dishes and minimize food waste—all for free!
8. Chef.AI
Chef.AI enhances your home cooking experience with the power of artificial intelligence. This app takes the guesswork out of meal planning and recipe discovery by focusing on what’s already in your kitchen. With just a few taps, you’ll know exactly what to make, helping you save time and reduce food waste.
Whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned chef, Chef.AI makes it easy to explore different cuisines and nutrition options. Its advanced ingredient recognition feature identifies what you have on hand, offering personalized recipe ideas and detailed instructions. With Chef.AI, cooking becomes accessible, enjoyable, and uniquely tailored to you.
9. Cookpad
Cookpad is the ultimate 2-in-1 cooking app where you can improve your culinary skills and share your food journey with a vibrant community. One standout feature is the option to keep a recipe private or save others’ recipes for later.
Its simple, clean interface lets you discover unique recipes handed down through generations. You can also engage by commenting on recipes, offering tips for substitutes, or suggesting side dishes. Categories make it easy to explore new ideas, and the latest update allows offline access to saved recipes through Cookplan.
10. Mealime
If you’re looking for an app that guides you step-by-step, try Mealime. You’ll start by setting up your dietary preferences and then get a curated list of recipes to choose from. As you build your meal plan, Mealime combines your choices into a convenient grocery list.
While it doesn’t include pantry or calendar features, the pro subscription adds valuable extras: nutrition info, a meal history to easily revisit favorites, advanced filters, and a feature to add your own recipes. Plus, Mealime partners with grocery stores to help you choose ingredients and reduce food waste in your meals.
I’ve been using Paprika for years. I had previously used MacGourmet which was too complicated. Although I’ve tried several other cookbook programs, Paprika has been the most useful and easiest to use. It syncs flawlessly so I can go from MacBook Air to iPad to iPhone quickly and easily with everything always being up-to-date. Paprika was on sale during the holidays when I bought it and got both versions (macOS and iOS) for under $20 at the time.