Healthy Recipe Apps Yummly Recipes & Shopping List vs Allrecipes Dinner Spinner vs Food Network In the Kitchen ... and 9 more
Edited by Jay, Alma
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can seem like an arduous task, especially to those just starting out. Most people end up falling off track and quitting before they see any obvious results in their health. One way to ensure adherence to healthier eating is by utilizing mobile apps. Users can now choose from a seemingly endless supply of quality, healthy recipes right from the convenience of their smartphones.
Some of the apps below are for general recipes, but all of them contain healthy selections. You may have to filter your search results to find cleaner meals for a few of the bigger, more universal recipe apps.
Method 1: Yummly Recipes & Shopping List
Featured on The Today Show, Yummly Recipes allows users to easily find recipes that align with their lifestyle and nutritional requirements.
Yummly users can add an entire recipe to their shopping list with a single tap. The app then organizes their list so the trip to the grocery store is quick and efficient.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- Searches recipes on over 1000 top rated food sites and blogs.
- Advanced recipe search filters; cuisine, nutrition requirements, cook time, technique, and more.
- Easily collect and save your favorite recipes for quick future access.
- Get recipe recommendations based on personal taste and nutritional preferences.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- 4
Method 2: Allrecipes Dinner Spinner
Allrecipes Dinner Spinner by the highly popular recipe site allrecipes.com is an intuitive mobile app that has a community of over thirty million home cooks.
Users receive recipes via their personal feed that becomes more accurate with each recipe saved.
- 1LifestyleType.
- 2Features.
- Search by; keyword, ingredients, dietary needs, cook time and more.
- Find recipes that use ingredients that are on sale at your local grocery stores.
- Easily share your recipes with the All Recipe community or via your Facebook feed.
- 1000+ comprehensive step-by-step cooking videos.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version.
- 4
Method 3: Food Network In the Kitchen
Food Network's In the Kitchen mobile app keeps users connected with their favorite Food Network chefs and thousands of their recipes.
Cook with some of the biggest names in food; Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and more.
- 1LifestyleType.
- Easily add and save recipes to your recipe box for future access.
- Filter recipes by chef or ingredients.
- Watch step-by-step videos on selected recipes.
- New recipes added monthly.
- Free version.
Method 4: Cookbook Recipes
Cookbook Recipes by Riafy Technologies helps users discover food and recipes from all over the world, right on their mobile device.
Create meal ideas and plans based on categories such as; egg, chicken, cake, dessert, macaroni, pancake, and salad.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- Access to a variety of popular health and weight management recipes, such as Paleo and Whole 30.
- Search for recipes with voice commands.
- Collect, save and edit your favorite recipes.
- Set reminders to pick up certain ingredients before a planned event or meal.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version.
- In-app purchases ranging from $0.99 - $9.99 per item.
- 4
Method 5: Fooducate Weight Loss Coach
The Fooducate mobile app combines both calorie counting with healthy eating tips and food education.
Understanding what is in certain foods and why you should eat or avoid them is a huge factor in eating healthy as a lifestyle. Once users get why particular recipes or foods are healthy, they can then continue to create their very own variations and modifications.
- 1Health & FitnessType.
- 2Features.
- 250,000+ products rated (A,B,C or D).
- Get healthy food recommendations based on your current diet and routine.
- Easily keep track of your recipes and foods.
- Track both quality and quantity of calories.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version.
- In-app purchases ranging from $1.99 - $74.99 per item.
- 4
Method 6: Healthy Recipes & Calculator
With over 500,000 healthy recipes online, Sparkpeople's Healthy Recipes & Calculator app is a one-stop-shop for clean eating.
All recipes have been tried and tested by home cooks and are reviewed, with options for modifications.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- View total calories, carbs, fats, and protein, along with ten other important nutrients for each recipe.
- Share your favorite recipes with friends and family or via various social media platforms.
- Filter recipes by diet restrictions or requirements.
- Save all your favorite recipes and sync up all your devices with a free SparkPeople account.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- 4
Method 7: Mealime - Healthy Meal Plans
Mealime - Healthy Meal Plans is the perfect mobile app for busy individuals who don't have extra time to create meal plans but still desire to eat clean and healthy.
In addition to never having to guess what to make, users can also personalize recipes to suit their tastes, cooking requirements, and dietary needs.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- Step-by-step guides on how to cook healthy meals in thirty minutes or less.
- Optimized grocery lists to get you in and out quicker.
- Fully customize each meal plan or recipe.
- All types of healthy recipes to choose from; flexitarian, pescetarian, low carb, vegetarian, gluten free, shellfish free, fish free, dairy free, peanut free and several more.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- In-app purchases ranging from $5.99 - $49.99 per item.
- 4
Method 8: Food Recipes
Food Recipes by Ade Hidayat & Partners is a straightforward mobile app that has 1400+ handpicked healthy recipes.
All recipes are broken into three sections; About This Recipe, Ingredients, and Directions, for easier reference.
- 1LifestyleType.
- 2Features.
- Choose from a variety of; healthy recipes, pasta, cake recipes, dinner ideas, chicken breast recipes, slow cooker recipes, healthy snacks and more.
- Two free Ebooks included; Cooking With 3 Ingredients or Less and Simple Weight Loss Recipes.
- Food quantities are in both metric and imperial units.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- 4
Method 9: Recipe Calendar - Meal Planner
Recipe Calendar takes things further by giving users an entire week's worth of predetermined recipes, based on their personal tastes.
It's as simple choosing and customizing a menu, then going shopping for the ingredients.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- Choose from a huge variety of weekly meal plans based on cooking complexity and style.
- Several meal plans to choose from for weight loss and weight management.
- Beginners can start with simple meal plans based on popular dishes, then advance as they become more familiar with the weekly food plans.
- Customize meal plans on the number of people or servings.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- In-app purchase at $4.99 per item.
- 4
Method 10: Healthy Recipes Free
A simple but effective mobile app that brings users a large variety of tasty and healthy recipes right to their mobile device.
Healthy Recipes Free keeps things basic by separating recipes into two parts; ingredients and instructions.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- Easy-to-follow detailed cooking instructions.
- Recipe box to save all favorites.
- Quickly add ingredients to your shopping list.
- Works with no internet connection.
- Option for an ad-free version of the app.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- 4
Method 11: FitMenCook - Healthy Recipes
FitMenCook - Healthy Recipes by Nibble Apps aims to remove all the common challenges associated with eating clean.
Statements like; "Eating healthy is too expensive" and "Healthy food is too bland" are common among people on the fence about a lifestyle change. FitMenCook breaks down these self-created obstacles so people can take that first step to changing their lifestyle.
- 1Food & DrinkType.
- 2Features.
- 290 healthy recipes organized by tags such as; lunch, high protein, ingredients, etc.
- Easily scale recipes up or down.
- Full nutritional information provided for each recipe for easy calorie and macronutrient tracking.
- Detailed instructions on bulking together meal preparations.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- 4
Method 12: Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal
Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal is geared towards tracking calories, and energy expenditures.
Understanding how many calories and what the macronutrient breakdowns are is a huge part of eating healthy. Knowing how much energy you expend on certain tasks (workouts, exercise, job, etc.) is important for replenishing your system and maintaining or improving your BMI or body mass index.
- 1Health & FitnessType.
- 2Features.
- Massive food database with over six million items.
- Easily import recipes.
- Calories are automatically counted along with important nutrients; fat, protein, carbs, sugar, fiber, cholesterol, vitamins, and more.
- Get regular food insights to help make better nutritional decisions.
- 3Cost/Fees.
- Free version
- In-app purchases ranging from $0.99 - $49.99 per item.
- 4
Eating healthy is no doubt a lifestyle choice that takes dedication and patience. Those that manage to stick with it, almost always report an incredible boost in the quality of their life. What we put into our bodies ultimately dictates how we live and feel, and eating clean is one sure way to keep from contracting life altering conditions and diseases.
If you've tried to eat healthier in the past but fell back into your old habits, try again. Test out a few mobile apps until you find one that fits your lifestyle and health goals. The excuse that eating healthy takes too much time and effort is no longer valid when you have such an awesome selection of free tools to work with.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.