Documentation

Before you start

• You need an iPhone with iOS 18 or later. There’s no iPad, Apple Watch or Mac version.
• There’s no account and no sign-in. You start in your Library as soon as you open the app.
• The app works offline. Only importing a recipe from a website and the one-time unlock need a connection.

Install and first run

Install Recipe to List from the App Store and open it. A short 6-step tour shows how your recipes stay on your iPhone, how to save one from the web, how to pick this week’s recipes, build one list, shop with it, and export. You can Skip it, and replay it with Show Tour Again in Settings or in Help.

The app has four tabs: Library, List, Staples and Settings. The question mark at the top of Library, List and Settings opens Help.

Save a recipe from a website

1. In Safari, open the recipe page and copy its link (tap Share, then Copy).
2. In the app, tap Add Recipe (the + in the Library), then Paste link.
3. Tap Paste to put the link in the field, then Import.
4. The app reads the page’s recipe data and shows a preview: the title, servings, ingredients and steps. Edit any line, remove lines or add new ones.
5. Tap Save.

The app fetches that one page directly from the recipe site, on your iPhone, and reads its standard recipe data (schema.org). Only secure (https) links can be imported; a link that starts with http:// is tried as https://. The recipe keeps a link to its source, shown under the title.

If the page has no recipe data the app can read, it says no recipe was found. Copy the recipe’s text on the page and use Paste text instead (below).

Other ways to add a recipe

Add Recipe also offers:

• Paste text: paste a whole recipe into Paste a whole recipe and tap Parse pasted text. The first line becomes the title, and lines under headings such as “Ingredients” and “Method” or “Directions” become ingredients and steps. A line like “Serves 4” sets the servings. Check the result, then tap Save.
• Type manually: enter the title, servings, ingredients (one per line), steps, source URL and notes yourself.
• Import file: choose a .json export from Recipe to List, or a .txt recipe, from the Files app. See Import from a file.

When the title or source link matches a recipe you’ve already saved, the app says so before you save. You can Save anyway or cancel. A saved duplicate is marked Possible duplicate in the Library.

Your Library

• Recipes are listed newest first. A recipe you saved in the last 24 hours has a NEW badge.
• Search looks through recipe titles and ingredient names.
• Each recipe shows its source site, how many ingredients it has and how many it serves.

A recipe

Tap a recipe to open it.

• Servings: use − and + to rescale every ingredient. Ingredients the app couldn’t read a quantity from are shown as written.
• Add to this week puts it in this week’s selection (below). Remove from this week takes it out.
• Edit changes the title, servings, ingredients, steps, source and notes.
• More (•••) → Share as text shares the recipe at the servings shown.
• More (•••) → Delete moves it to Recently Deleted, where you can restore it for 30 days.

Build one list from this week’s recipes

1. In the Library, tap Select and tap the recipes you’ll cook. Or tap Add to this week on a recipe.
2. A tray at the bottom shows what you picked. Tap Build List.
3. Under This week, change each recipe’s servings with − and +, or remove a recipe with ×.
4. The ingredients from every recipe are scaled and merged: the same ingredient in compatible units is added up into one line, such as “14 cloves garlic” from 3 recipes. Amounts that can’t be added together, such as grams and cups of the same thing, stay as separate lines so nothing is lost. Each line says how many recipes it comes from, and lines are grouped by aisle.
5. Untick anything you already have. A staple that’s already on the list is marked On list.
6. Choose the List (your current list, or a New list) and, if you like, a Store for the items.
7. Tap Add N items.

The items go to your list, and this week’s selection is cleared.

Use the list in the store

The List tab shows your current list, grouped by aisle (Produce, Bakery, Dairy & Eggs, and so on).

• Add an item: type it in Add an item and tap + or Done. You can include a quantity, such as “2 l milk”. The field stays open for the next one.
• Autocomplete: as you type, items you’ve added before appear. Tap one, or type an item you’ve added before without a quantity, and its last quantity, note, aisle and store come back. The app keeps your whole item history.
• Check off: tap an item. Checked items move into Checked (n) at the bottom. Tap it to open it, and tap Clear checked to remove them.
• Edit or delete: swipe an item left. Edit changes its name, quantity, unit, note, aisle and store; the aisle you choose is remembered for that item next time. Delete removes it from the list.
• Stores: the chips at the top filter the list by store (All, each store, No store). Manage opens your stores.
• More than one list: the Lists button switches lists, makes a New list, or moves the current one to Recently Deleted with Delete this list.

Send the list to Reminders, or share it

Tap Send on the List tab:

• Send to Reminders: the first time, iOS asks whether Recipe to List can use Reminders. Then choose the Reminders list that gets your items, or New list… to make one named after your shopping list. The app adds one reminder per unchecked item, with the quantity and note in the reminder’s notes.
• Share as text: shares the unchecked items as plain text, for Messages, Notes or any other app.

If you didn’t allow Reminders access, the list shows a note with Open Settings, which opens the app’s page in iOS Settings, and Share as text instead.

Staples

Staples are the things you buy every week.

• Tap + to add one, with an optional quantity, unit, note, aisle and store. Tap a staple to edit it, or swipe it to delete it.
• A staple that’s already on your current list is marked On list. Tap Add to put one on the list, or Add all not on list to add every staple that isn’t there yet.

Stores and aisle order

Open Settings → Stores, or Manage on the List tab.

• Add store, then swipe a store to Rename or Delete it. Deleting a store moves its items to No store.
• Tap Edit to reorder your stores.
• Tap a store to see its aisles. Drag them into the order you walk the store, and Add aisle for one it’s missing. When you filter the list to that store, its aisles show in that order.

Export, back up and restore

Open Settings → Export & Backup. It shows how many recipes, lists, staples and stores you have, and when the last snapshot was made.

• Export as JSON: your whole library (recipes, lists, staples, stores and item history) in an open format you can keep or import again. You choose where to save it.
• Export as HTML: a plain web page with every recipe (ingredients, steps and source link) and every list, to read or print anywhere.
• Import from file: see below.
• Snapshots: when you leave the app, it saves a snapshot of everything on your iPhone if the last one is more than a day old. The 7 newest are kept. Create snapshot now makes one at any time.
• Restore: tap Restore on a snapshot and confirm. Restoring replaces what’s in the app now with that snapshot’s recipes and lists, so export first if you want to keep a copy of the current state.

Exports, snapshots and restores are always free.

Import from a file

Import file (in Add Recipe) and Import from file (in Export & Backup) take:

• A .json export from Recipe to List: its recipes, lists, staples and stores are added to what you already have. Recipes you’ve already saved (the same recipe, or the same title) are skipped.
• A .txt file with one recipe: it’s read the same way as Paste text. If it has no title line, the file name becomes the title.

File import adds recipes up to the free limit; with the unlock there’s no limit.

Recently Deleted

Open Settings → Recently Deleted. Recipes and lists you delete stay here for 30 days, with how many days are left.

• Tap Restore to bring one back.
• Swipe one to Delete permanently.

After 30 days they’re removed for good. An item you delete from a list is removed right away; it still appears in autocomplete.

Free and the one-time unlock

• Free: up to 25 saved recipes, with unlimited lists, items, staples, stores, exports and snapshots. Settings → Status shows how many you’ve used. Recipes in Recently Deleted don’t count.
• Always free: viewing, editing, exporting and restoring your data. If you reach the limit, every recipe you’ve saved stays viewable, editable and exportable.
• Lifetime Unlock: one optional purchase that adds unlimited saved recipes. It’s not a subscription and there’s no trial: you pay once and keep it. The price is shown on the App Store and on the unlock screen before you buy. Open it from Settings → Unlock, or See Unlock when your library is full.
• Restore Purchases is on the unlock screen and in Settings. Use it on a new iPhone, or after reinstalling, signed in with the Apple Account you bought with.
• Refunds are handled by Apple. If a purchase is refunded, the unlock ends: your recipes are kept and stay viewable, editable and exportable, and saving more than 25 needs the unlock again.

Purchases are processed by Apple. Whether you’ve unlocked is checked with the App Store each time; the app doesn’t store it.

Settings

• Unlock: your Status (Free version · n of 25 recipes, or Lifetime Unlock · Active), Unlock, and Restore Purchases.
• Your data: Export & Backup, Stores and Recently Deleted.
• Help: Help & FAQ and Show Tour Again.
• About: the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use pages, Email Support, and the app Version.
• Delete All Data: after two confirmations, deletes every recipe, list, item, staple, store, your item history, all snapshots and the app’s settings. It can’t be undone, so export first if you want a copy. Reminders you already sent stay in the Reminders app, and exports you saved stay where you saved them.

What it doesn’t do

This version has no iCloud sync or shared household lists, no iPad, Apple Watch or Mac app, no Safari share-sheet import, no import from Instagram, TikTok or other videos, no photo or cookbook scanning, no meal planner, and no store accounts, online ordering or prices.

FAQ

Do I need to create an account? No. There’s no sign-up, survey or trial. You start in your Library.

Will I lose access to my recipes if I don’t pay? No. Your saved recipes and lists stay viewable, editable and exportable for free. The unlock only lifts the 25-recipe limit on saving more.

Is this a subscription? No. The unlock is a one-time purchase through the App Store, and the price is shown before you buy.

Why didn’t a recipe import? Some pages don’t include recipe data the app can read, and some sites refuse requests that don’t come from a browser. Copy the recipe text and use Add Recipe → Paste text (see Troubleshooting).

Can I import recipes from Instagram, TikTok or other videos? Not in this version. Imports work from web pages, pasted text and files.

Can I share a recipe straight from Safari’s share sheet? Not in this version. Copy the link in Safari, then use Add Recipe → Paste link.

Can it connect to my grocery store or show prices? No. The app doesn’t link store accounts, order online or track prices.

Do my recipes sync between devices, or with my family? Not in this version. They stay on the iPhone where you saved them. To move them, export as JSON and import the file on the other iPhone. They’re also included in your iPhone’s own backups, if you back it up.

How do I move my recipes to another app? Settings → Export & Backup exports your whole library as JSON and HTML. Lists can go to Reminders or be shared as text.

Why does it ask for Reminders access? Only when you tap Send to Reminders, so it can add your items to a list you choose. If you decline, Share as text still works.

Does it work offline? Yes. Your library and lists are stored on your iPhone. Only importing from a website needs a connection.

What data do you collect? None. There are no servers and no analytics. Imported pages are fetched directly from the recipe site, and your data stays on your iPhone. The privacy policy has the details.

Troubleshooting

• “No recipe found”. The page doesn’t include recipe data the app can read. Select and copy the recipe’s text on the page, then tap Add Recipe → Paste text, paste it and tap Parse pasted text.
• The page couldn’t be reached, or the import keeps failing. Check the link and your connection. Some sites refuse automated requests; copy the recipe’s text and use Paste text instead. Only https links can be imported.
• The import found the recipe but some lines are wrong. Edit them in the preview before you tap Save, or open the recipe later and tap Edit.
• Ingredients didn’t merge in Build List. Lines merge when they’re the same ingredient in compatible units. Grams and cups of the same thing, or “2 cans” and “400 g”, stay separate so no amount is lost.
• Send to Reminders doesn’t work. If you declined access, tap Open Settings on the List tab and allow Reminders for Recipe to List, or use Share as text instead. To send to a new Reminders list, pick New list….
• I can’t save another recipe. The free version holds 25 recipes. Delete recipes you don’t need (Recently Deleted doesn’t count), or unlock unlimited recipes. Editing and exporting the ones you have still work.
• I deleted a recipe or list by mistake. Open Settings → Recently Deleted and tap Restore. After 30 days, restore a snapshot from Settings → Export & Backup instead.
• Restore Purchases doesn’t unlock the app. Check your connection and that you’re signed in with the Apple Account you bought with, then try again.
• Something else. See Support.