How to Import a Recipe from Any Website
4 min read
Recipe websites are where good recipes go to be buried — under a two-thousand-word childhood memoir, a wall of ads, and a video that follows you as you scroll. When you actually cook, you want the ingredient list and the steps, cleanly, on one screen. The URL import in Cooking Together takes a link and gives you exactly that.
It works on most recipe websites, and the same import box also understands TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube links, so one habit covers everything: see a recipe anywhere, send the link to Cooking Together.
Paste a link
Go to My Recipes, tap +, and open the import section’s URL tab. Paste the address of the recipe page and let it process. The importer reads the page, finds the actual recipe inside it, and builds a structured draft: title, ingredient amounts, numbered steps, the photo, and a link back to the source so attribution stays attached.
Or share from your browser
Even faster: from your browser (or any app showing the recipe), tap Share and choose Cooking Together. A chooser asks whether to share it as a post or import it as a recipe — pick Import as Recipe and the same pipeline runs without you ever copying a link.
Pasted text works too
If the recipe is not at a URL at all — an email from a relative, a note someone typed, a blog that will not import cleanly — switch to the Text tab and paste the raw text. The app structures it into proper ingredients and steps, exactly as if it had come from a website.
Duplicates are caught for you
Import the same recipe twice — or a recipe that other people have already imported from the same page — and the app flags it before creating a copy, so your library stays clean. You stay in control: it asks, it never silently skips.
- One recipe per link: paste the page with the recipe on it, not the site’s homepage.
- After importing, set the servings so scaling works correctly later.
- Add a tag or save it to a collection so it resurfaces when you need it.
Frequently asked questions
Which sites are supported?
Most recipe websites work, because the importer reads both the page’s structured recipe data and the visible text. Social platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube — are handled through the same import box.
What if a site cannot be read?
Occasionally a site blocks automated reading. When that happens, copy the recipe text itself and use the Text tab — you lose nothing but the convenience.
Is there a limit?
Imports have a monthly allowance that resets each month, with a higher allowance on premium.
Get the app
Cooking Together is free on iPhone, iPad, and Android. Import your first recipe in under a minute.