How to Import Your Recipes from Any Website in Seconds

The Recipe Bookmarking Problem

You find a recipe you want to try. You bookmark it. Or save it to Pinterest. Or email it to yourself. Or screenshot it. Or copy-paste it into a notes app.

Six months later, you remember the recipe exists. You have no idea where you saved it.

You search your bookmarks. Not there. You search Pinterest. Not there. You check your screenshots folder. Somewhere in the 4,000 unsorted photos, maybe?

Eventually you give up and Google "that chicken recipe with lemon and garlic" and hope you find it again.

There's a better way.

How Recipe Import Works in Honest Recipes

Honest Recipes can import recipes from almost any website. Automatically. In seconds.

Here's how:

1. Find a recipe you want to save
2. Copy the URL
3. Paste it into Honest Recipes
4. Done

The recipe is saved—title, ingredients, instructions, everything. No copying and pasting. No reformatting. No losing half the ingredients because you didn't scroll far enough.

What Gets Imported

When you import a recipe, Honest Recipes extracts:

• Recipe title
• Ingredients (with quantities and measurements)
• Instructions (step-by-step)
• Prep time, cook time, total time (if the website includes it)
• Servings (if listed)
• The source URL (so you can always find the original)

Everything you need to cook the recipe. None of the life story about the blogger's grandmother's trip to Tuscany.

Which Websites Work?

Almost all of them.

Honest Recipes uses a standard called Recipe Schema (or JSON-LD) that most recipe websites use to format their recipes for search engines.

If a website uses Recipe Schema (and most do), the import works perfectly.

Websites that work:

• NYT Cooking (if you have access)
• Serious Eats
• Bon Appétit
• Budget Bytes
• Minimalist Baker
• Smitten Kitchen
• Half Baked Harvest
• Pinch of Yum
• Cookie and Kate
• The Kitchn
• Food Network
• Allrecipes
• Epicurious
• Basically every food blog on the internet

Websites that don't work:

• Sites that put recipes behind paywalls (unless you're logged in)
• Instagram or TikTok (they don't use Recipe Schema)
• PDFs or images (those require manual entry)

If a website has a recipe in text format on a webpage, there's a good chance it'll import.

What Happens If a Recipe Doesn't Import?

If the website doesn't use Recipe Schema, you'll get an error message.

In that case, you have two options:

1. Manually add the recipe — copy-paste the ingredients and instructions into Honest Recipes
2. Skip it — if the recipe wasn't formatted well enough for automatic import, it probably wasn't that great anyway

Most of the time, though, it just works.

How to Import Recipes (Step-by-Step)

Option 1: Import from the Recipe Page

1. Go to the recipe website
2. Copy the URL from your browser's address bar
3. Open Honest Recipes
4. Click "Add Recipe" → "Import from URL"
5. Paste the URL
6. Click "Import"

Done. The recipe is now in your collection.

Option 2: Use the Browser Extension (Coming Soon)

We're building a browser extension that lets you save recipes with one click while you're browsing.

You'll be able to click a button, and the recipe gets saved instantly. No copying and pasting URLs.

(Not available yet. But soon.)

What to Do After You Import a Recipe

Once the recipe is in Honest Recipes, you can:

1. Add Notes

Did you double the garlic? Did you substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream? Did it need more salt?

Add notes so you remember next time.

2. Rate It

Was it good? Was it fine? Was it a waste of time?

Give it a rating so you know whether to make it again.

3. Tag It

Add tags like "weeknight dinner," "vegetarian," "uses chicken thighs," or "takes forever."

When you want to find all your quick weeknight meals, search by tag.

4. Edit It

If the recipe needs tweaking, edit the ingredients or instructions.

This is your copy. You can change it however you want.

5. Share It

If you made something great, share it with friends or family.

They can import it into their own collection and add their own notes.

Why Importing Recipes Matters

Reason #1: You'll Actually Use Them

When recipes are scattered across bookmarks, Pinterest, and screenshots, you forget they exist.

When they're all in one place, searchable and organized, you'll actually cook them.

Reason #2: You Can Add Context

A recipe on a website is just a recipe. A recipe in Honest Recipes is a recipe plus your notes, your modifications, and your rating.

Over time, you build a personalized cookbook that's better than the original.

Reason #3: You're Not Dependent on the Website

Websites go down. Blogs get deleted. Paywalls go up.

When you import a recipe, you have a copy. If the original disappears, you still have it.

Reason #4: No More Ads and Pop-Ups

Recipe websites are ad-supported. That means pop-ups, auto-playing videos, and "subscribe to my newsletter" banners that block the ingredients.

When you save a recipe to Honest Recipes, you get just the recipe. No distractions.

How This Compares to Other Recipe Apps

Most recipe apps have import features. But they don't always work well.

Here's how Honest Recipes is different:

We Don't Reformat Recipes to Fit a Template

Some apps force every recipe into the same rigid format. If the recipe has a note in the middle of the instructions, it gets lost.

Honest Recipes preserves the recipe as it was written.

We Don't Add Our Own Ads

Some apps import recipes and then insert their own ads into them.

Honest Recipes doesn't do that. It's your recipe. We don't mess with it.

We Let You Edit Everything

Some apps lock down imported recipes so you can't change them.

Honest Recipes lets you edit anything. It's your copy.

We Show You the Source

Some apps import recipes and hide the original URL.

Honest Recipes always shows you where the recipe came from. If you want to check the original, it's one click away.

Tips for Importing Recipes

Tip #1: Import Now, Decide Later

If you see a recipe that looks interesting, import it. You can always delete it later if you don't make it.

Importing takes 10 seconds. Searching for a lost bookmark takes 10 minutes.

Tip #2: Tag Recipes as You Import Them

Add a tag like "to try" or "weeknight" or "vegetarian" as soon as you import.

It takes five extra seconds, but it makes searching way easier.

Tip #3: Don't Import Everything

Just because you can import a recipe doesn't mean you should.

Import recipes you actually plan to make, not every recipe you scroll past.

Tip #4: Review Imported Recipes Before You Cook

Sometimes the import grabs extra text or formatting issues. Skim the recipe before you cook to make sure it looks right.

If something's off, you can edit it.

What If a Recipe Is Paywalled?

Some websites (like NYT Cooking) put recipes behind paywalls.

If you have a subscription and you're logged in, the import will work—you're importing a recipe you have access to.

If you're not subscribed, the import won't work. That's intentional. We're not bypassing paywalls.

Build Your Personal Cookbook

Every time you import a recipe, you're building a collection of meals you actually want to make.

Not someone else's idea of what you should cook. Not a random assortment of bookmarks. A personalized cookbook.

Over time, you'll have a collection of recipes you've tried, rated, modified, and made your own.

That's the goal.

Start Importing

Go to Honest Recipes. Find a recipe you want to try. Import it.

See how easy it is.

Then import nine more.

By the end of the week, you'll have a collection that's actually useful.