From recipes to one grocery list
Choose what you're cooking this week and get a single shopping list: amounts carried over, repeated ingredients added up, and everything sorted the way a store is laid out.
Shopping
8 items · 3 recipesMeat & fish
- chicken thighs500 g
- sirloin steak400 g
Pantry
- roasted cashews100 g
- honey3 tbsp
- cornstarch1 tbsp
Condiments
- soy sauce60 ml
- red wine vinegar2 tbsp
- tomato paste3 tbsp
How to make a grocery list from recipes by hand
The method is the same on paper or in an app. Doing it by hand takes about ten minutes for a week of dinners.
- 1
Pick the recipes first
Decide what you will actually cook this week before writing anything. A list built from three real dinners beats one built from ten maybes.
- 2
Write every ingredient with its amount
Copy each ingredient line, including the quantity and unit. “Onion” isn't enough when one recipe needs one and another needs three.
- 3
Add up the repeats
Combine lines that are the same ingredient in the same unit: 2 cloves of garlic plus 4 cloves is 6. Keep different forms apart, because lemon juice and lemon zest are not the same purchase.
- 4
Cross off what you already have
Check the fridge and pantry against the list. Salt, oil and spices are usually already there.
- 5
Sort it by aisle
Group the list the way your store is laid out, so you walk the shop once instead of doubling back for the parsley.
Or let ReelMeal write it
ReelMeal does steps two to five for you. Add a recipe to your shopping list and every ingredient lands with its amount. Add a second recipe and the overlaps merge: same ingredient, same unit, one line. Then the list is grouped into aisles:
- Produce
- Meat & Protein
- Dairy & Eggs
- Bakery
- Pantry
- Spices
- Frozen
- Beverages
- Condiments
Check items off as they go in the cart; checked items stay out of future merges, so adding another recipe mid-shop won't undo what you've bought.
The recipes themselves can come from anywhere. Most people start with the cooking videos they have been saving: share a TikTok, Reel or YouTube video and ReelMeal turns it into a recipe first. See how video to recipe works.
Questions
Is there an app that makes a grocery list from recipes?
Yes. In ReelMeal you add recipes to your shopping list and it writes the list for you: amounts carried over, repeated ingredients added together, everything sorted by aisle. Recipes can come from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, websites or photos.
How does ReelMeal combine ingredients from different recipes?
Lines with the same ingredient and the same unit are added up, so two recipes that each need 200 g of rice become one line for 400 g. Different ingredients stay separate, and items you have already checked off are left alone.
Can I add my own items to the list?
Yes. Add anything by hand, like coffee or dish soap, and it goes on the same list as the recipe ingredients.
Can I turn a cooking video straight into a grocery list?
Yes. Share the video to ReelMeal, and once the recipe is ready, add it to your list. That is two taps from a TikTok to a shopping list.
Does the list sync between iPhone and iPad?
Yes, through your own iCloud account.
