Looking for a Free Recipe Collection Manager? Here are the Best 13 Free Open-source Ones

Nowadays, a growing number of people, including home cooks, professional chefs, hoteliers, and culinary teams, are adopting recipe managers to streamline their cooking processes.

A recipe manager is a digital tool that provides a centralized platform for storing, organizing, and accessing favorite recipes. Beyond just a repository for recipes, these sophisticated tools often offer added features such as meal planning, shopping list creation, and nutritional information calculators.

They also frequently have the capability to import recipes from various online sources, making it incredibly easy to broaden culinary repertoire. This article will guide you through a variety of recipe managers, emphasizing their unique features and benefits, to help you identify the one that most effectively meets your diverse needs, whether you are planning meals for your family, managing a hotel kitchen, or leading a culinary team.

Here is our collection

1. Mealie

Mealie is a user-friendly, self-hosted recipe manager and meal planner developed with a distinct focus on creating an enjoyable user experience for the entire family. It relies on a RestAPI backend, which is responsible for handling data and interactions, and a reactive frontend application built using the Vue.js framework, offering a dynamic and responsive user interface.

One of the main features of Mealie is its ease of recipe input. Users can effortlessly add recipes into their personal database. This can be done by simply providing the URL of a recipe, and Mealie will automatically import the relevant data, such as ingredients, cooking instructions, and images. This automatic import feature saves users time and effort, reducing the manual data entry required.

However, if the user wishes to add a personal or family recipe that is not available online, Mealie also provides a comprehensive UI editor. This editor is designed to be intuitive and straightforward, making the recipe input process as simple as possible.

Beyond its core functionality, Mealie also provides an API for interactions from 3rd party applications. Whether you are a developer looking to integrate Mealie with other applications or services, or you're a power user who wants to automate certain tasks, the provided API allows for extensive interaction with the Mealie system. This adds another layer of versatility to the application, enabling users to tailor their experience to their specific needs.

2. KitchenOwl

KitchenOwl is an intelligently designed, self-hosted grocery list and recipe management application. It offers an effortless way to add items to your shopping list before you embark on your shopping expedition. With KitchenOwl, you can also create an array of recipes and get tailored suggestions on what dishes you might want to cook based on your preferences and past activities. A key feature of KitchenOwl is its expense tracking capability, which helps users monitor their spending, providing a clear picture of how much they have spent on their groceries.

This comprehensive application is delivered through native Mobile, Web, and Desktop apps, all boasting an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly design. A standout feature of KitchenOwl is its ability to sync shopping lists in real-time among multiple users. This feature ensures everyone in the household is up-to-date with the shopping needs, providing a unified shopping experience.

Moreover, KitchenOwl offers partial offline support, so you can keep track of what to buy even when you are in a location with no signal or when your device is not connected to the internet. This feature ensures you never miss out on any item from your shopping list.

KitchenOwl also provides a platform to manage your recipes and directly add them to your shopping list, streamlining the process of meal planning and shopping. Furthermore, it allows you to create a meal plan ensuring you always know what you'll be cooking next.

The application also includes a feature to manage balances and track expenses of your household, providing a comprehensive overview of your financial situation when it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning.

Importantly, KitchenOwl is written using Dart and Flutter, renowned for their performance and robustness, ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience. These modern technologies allow the application to provide a high degree of responsiveness and a native performance on all platforms.

You can download KitchenOwl for iOS and Android [F-Droid, Google Play] stores.

3. Tandoor Recipes

Tandoor Recipes is a user-friendly recipe manager designed to help you manage your expanding collection of digital recipes. It's packed with a broad range of features that allow for a smooth and efficient cooking experience.

One of its core features is the ability to organize and manage your recipes systematically. This feature is particularly useful for those with an ever-growing collection of recipes. The app also includes a meal planning feature, allowing you to plan multiple meals for each day in an organized manner.

Tandoor Recipes also provides a shopping list feature, which enables you to compile a list of ingredients directly from your recipes or the meal plan. This feature ensures that you don't miss any ingredients while grocery shopping.

You can also create cookbooks within the app, allowing you to gather specific recipes into thematic collections for easy access. Tandoor Recipes also has a sharing feature, which allows you to share and collaborate on recipes with your friends and family.

The app offers powerful and customizable search capabilities, allowing you to search for tags and assign them in batch to all files matching certain filters. You can also easily merge and rename ingredients, tags, and units.

Importing recipes is made easy with Tandoor Recipes, as it supports thousands of websites using ld+json or microdata. The app also allows the use of fractions or decimals, ensuring precise measurements in your recipes.

Tandoor Recipes also offers an easy setup with Docker and provides examples for Kubernetes, Unraid, and Synology. The interface is customizable with themes, and the app provides file sync capabilities with Dropbox and Nextcloud.

4. Recipe Manager

Recipe Manager is an upcoming app designed for managing recipes in a team. It works on various platforms and aims for efficient team collaboration. Features under development include real-time updates and an intuitive user interface across all platforms.

The project uses the Qt application framework for cross-platform functionality, with Golang for server-side development and Qt with C++/QML for the client-side, resulting in an efficient and visually appealing app.

However, it is important to note that the app did not receive updates for years.

5- Nextcloud Cookbook

Nextcloud Cookbook is a remarkable application that demonstrates the versatility and power of Nextcloud, a platform known for its secure file storage and sharing capabilities. By leveraging Nextcloud's framework, the Cookbook offers users a centralized and secure repository for all their recipes.

The Cookbook uses JSON files, following the schema.org recipe format, which enables the easy addition and management of recipes. Users can paste the URL of a recipe, and the application will parse and download the webpage to a specified folder in the app settings. This process significantly simplifies the task of building a digital recipe collection.

The compatibility of the Cookbook with modern browsers and the availability of specialized clients, including mobile apps for Android and iOS, highlight its accessibility and cross-platform flexibility. This feature, in line with Nextcloud's core philosophy, allows users to access their recipes anytime, anywhere, enhancing the overall user experience.

In addition to recipe management, the Cookbook also inherits Nextcloud's core benefits, including data ownership, security, and privacy. Users maintain complete control over their data, ensuring that their recipes remain private and secure.

In essence, the Nextcloud Cookbook embodies the strengths of Nextcloud by providing a secure, accessible, and user-friendly platform for recipe management. It's an excellent example of how Nextcloud extensions can be tailored to meet specific user needs, delivering unique value and enhancing the overall Nextcloud experience.

6. Recipe Manager

The Recipe Manager project, currently a work-in-progress (WIP), is being developed as a recipe database and ingredient management system. It's designed with novice cooks in mind. The system features a search engine to discover recipes based on specific ingredient criteria, aiding users in utilizing leftover ingredients.

Plans for future versions include scheduling recipes over a set period, providing ingredient summaries, and issuing reminders for upcoming recipes. The project is being built using ASP.NET Core and Client-Side Blazor technologies.

7. Gourmand

Gourmand Recipe Manager is a comprehensive application designed for managing, editing, and organizing recipes. It is developed in Python, a high-level and versatile programming language popular for its readability and efficiency. As a fork of the Gourmet Recipe Manager, Gourmand maintains the strong features of its predecessor while introducing fresh functionalities.

The app simplifies recipe management by providing a user-friendly interface and a systematic organization system. It also includes a recipe viewer for an effortless cooking experience.

One of the key features of Gourmand is its compatibility with Tournant for Android. This feature allows users to transfer their recipes to their Android devices, making it easier to access their recipes in different settings, such as in the kitchen or at the grocery store. Tournant can parse Gourmand's XML recipe files, ensuring a seamless transition of recipes between platforms.

Gourmand also provides comprehensive installation instructions and a contribution guide, making it accessible for both end-users and developers who wish to contribute to its development. This level of transparency in its development process, coupled with its powerful features and Python foundation, makes Gourmand an exceptional tool in the realm of digital recipe management.

8. AnyMeal

AnyMeal is a robust, free, and open source recipe management software. Developed using SQLite3 and Qt5, it is designed to manage an impressive cookbook of more than 250,000 MealMaster recipes.

The software provides various functionalities, allowing users to import, export, search, display, edit, and print recipes, making it a comprehensive tool for all your recipe management needs. Its extensive database capacity demonstrates its power and efficiency in handling a large volume of recipes.

Available for both GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows, AnyMeal boasts cross-platform usability, making it accessible for a wider range of users. Its broad compatibility adds to its appeal among users with different operating systems.

For users interested in expanding their recipe collection, MealMaster recipes can be downloaded from the AnyMeal site. Moreover, installing AnyMeal is a straightforward process. If you are using a Debian-based distribution, you can download the *.tar.xz file of the latest release and install the software under GNU/Linux with a simple command: tar xJf anymeal-*.tar.xz.

In conclusion, AnyMeal is a powerful and versatile tool for managing your recipes, offering a wealth of features and broad compatibility. Whether you're a home cook or a professional chef, AnyMeal can cater to your recipe management needs with ease and efficiency.

9. RecipeSage

Introducing RecipeSage - an all-in-one self-hosted Collaborative Recipe Keeper, Meal Planner, and Shopping List Organizer. This robust application is designed to simplify the process of managing recipes, planning meals, and organizing shopping lists - all with a strong emphasis on collaboration.

RecipeSage allows users to import recipes from any URL with a single click. Its powerful search functionality is capable of searching every field within your recipes, including misspellings and similar words, making it easy to find what you need in no time. The app also features a comprehensive labelling and categorization system, so you can tag your recipes and filter them by tags.

One of the standout features of RecipeSage is its interactive meal planning tool. This allows you to schedule your meals quickly and easily with a simple drag and drop feature. The app's shopping list feature is intelligently designed to automatically categorize and group items. You can directly add recipes to a shopping list, and similar items will be combined for convenience.

But what truly makes RecipeSage stand out is its collaborative capabilities. The app allows you to share your recipe collection and collaborate on meal plans and shopping lists with your family or friends. This makes it an excellent tool for teams, whether they're families planning meals together or professional kitchens coordinating their efforts.

Additionally, RecipeSage supports importing recipes from platforms like Pepperplate, Living Cookbook, and Paprika. It also provides the option to export your recipes in multiple formats, ensuring data portability.

And finally, for the night owls out there, RecipeSage offers a dark mode, so you can continue your culinary exploration without straining your eyes.

In summary, RecipeSage provides a comprehensive, user-friendly, and collaborative platform for managing recipes. It's an invaluable tool for teams, making meal planning, recipe management, and shopping list organization an absolute breeze.

10. Recipe Manager

Meet Recipe Manager, your new culinary companion! This innovative web application is a treasure trove for food lovers, transforming the way you find, store, and organize your favorite meals. With its ability to offer delectable chocolate recipes right off the bat, Recipe Manager is prepared to tantalize your taste buds. But it doesn't stop there; its detailed search form is ready to assist you in finding the perfect recipe for any occasion.

Whether you're prepping for a family dinner or a quick lunch, Recipe Manager has got you covered. Its custom recipe builder allows you to securely store your recipes online, eliminating your worry about misplaced recipe journals. Plus, its responsive design makes it a breeze to use, whether you're planning your meals on your computer or checking recipes on your phone in the kitchen. Welcome to a smoother, more enjoyable cooking journey with Recipe Manager!

11- 🥐 Recipe Manager

Recipe Manager is a basic yet powerful recipe management tool, built with Vue 3, Vite, and Tailwind, along with Vue Router and Vuex. The app is designed to be lightweight and flexible, with the potential for future extensions.

One of the app's unique features is its "database-free" design. Recipes are stored as JSON files in src/data/recipes, which simplifies the deployment process. However, please note that all recipe files that do not contain the name .example in the file name are currently ignored by the project's .gitignore.

The Recipe Manager provides both dark and light theme options to suit your visual preference.

Its feature list includes:

• Clicking on ingredients/steps to mark them as done, improving tracking of mise en place/cooking steps
• Storing recipes in a JSON format, eliminating the need for an external database
• Basic internationalization
• Basic recipe metadata, including rating, category, cooking time, yield, and nutrition
• Print stylesheets for easy printing of recipes
• Route transitions for seamless navigation
• Scaling of recipe ingredients to adjust portions

In conclusion, the Recipe Manager offers a streamlined and efficient approach to managing your recipes, with a range of features to enhance your cooking experience.

12. Gourmet Recipe Manager

Gourmet Recipe Manager is a comprehensive recipe-organizer available on multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, and Unix systems such as Mac OS X. This free software allows users to collect, search, organize, and browse their recipes efficiently.

Offering the ability to generate shopping lists and calculate nutritional information, Gourmet enhances the cooking process by providing a one-stop solution for all your recipe management needs. It supports importing from Mealmaster, MasterCook, and KRecipe files and can export to formats such as PDFs and webpages.

Recipes are individually displayed in separate windows, similar to pulling a recipe card out of a box, and are presented in an attractive, clutter-free interface. With a unique feature that allows for instant multiplication or division of a recipe, Gourmet automatically adjusts all ingredient amounts and units for readability. An ingredient list is displayed in a separate pane for easy reference as you scroll through the steps of a recipe.

The software also includes a nutritional information section for each recipe. A simple wizard guides users through the ingredients in their recipe, allowing them to pick equivalences from the USDA nutritional database or enter nutritional information manually. Gourmet remembers your settings for future recipes, and the nutritional information can be adjusted without affecting the integrity of your recipes.

Gourmet's search function is designed to be quick and flexible. It allows users to look at all their recipes as a list and quickly search through them by ingredient, title, category, cuisine, rating, or instructions. Users can easily combine multiple search terms and sort recipes by clicking on the desired column.

One of the standout features is Gourmet's Shopping List Manager. It permits automatic generation of shopping lists from your recipes and even adjusts the quantities based on the number of people you're cooking for. It cleverly adds up different units used in different recipes, provided the units are convertible. If an item on your shopping list is already in your pantry, you can simply drag it into the 'pantry' section so it won't be included in your shopping list.

In conclusion, Gourmet Recipe Manager is an all-in-one, user-friendly platform that takes your recipe management to the next level while simplifying your cooking process.

Import Features of Gourmet:

• Mealmaster Files
• MasterCook text files
• MasterCook XML files
• Gourmet XML files
• KRecipe XML Files
• MyCookbook files
• Archives (such as Zip Files, Gzip Files, or Tarballs)
• Websites, such as epicurious and recipezaar
• Unformatted plain text files or websites

Export Features of Gourmet:

• PDF Files
• Recipe Web Pages
• Rich Text Format
• Plain Text
• Mealmaster Files
• Gourmet XML Files
• MyCookbook files

The import and export features of Gourmet are essential because they provide flexibility and ease of use. The ability to import from various formats allows users to easily add to their recipe collection from a wide range of sources. This feature also simplifies the transition for users migrating from other platforms. The ability to export in different formats gives users the convenience to share recipes in a way that suits the recipient best, whether it's a printable PDF or a website. It also ensures data portability and safeguards the user's data by allowing backups in different formats.

13. Grocy

Grocy is a powerful self-hosted, web-based ERP system for your home. It aims to help you manage and keep track of all your household chores, tasks, purchases, and consumables. It eliminates the need for traditional pen-and-paper lists and offers a wide range of features to ensure an organized home.

Grocy's primary features include:

• An inventory system that keeps track of what you have at home, when it expires, and how much you need.
• A shopping list function that helps you plan what to buy in your next shopping trip.
• A chores system to manage recurring tasks around your home.
• A meal planning feature that assists in planning meals and managing recipes.
• An equipment tracking system to keep track of necessary maintenance tasks.
• A battery tracking system to ensure you always know the charge status of your devices.

In terms of recipe management, Grocy provides a robust system that helps you manage your recipes. It allows you to store recipes, track the required ingredients, and directly add these ingredients to your shopping list. The system also enables you to see what meals you can make with the products currently in your inventory. This way, Grocy not only helps you organize your recipes but also integrates them into your overall home management.