Import a recipe from a link

Paste a recipe's web address and Platefolio pulls out the ingredients and steps for you to check before saving.

Import a recipe

1. Copy the address of the recipe page from your browser.
2. In Platefolio, choose + New recipe, then From link. (With no recipes yet, Paste a link on the home page does the same.)
3. Paste the address into Recipe URL and choose Import recipe.
4. Check the recipe. Platefolio shows what it found in the same form you’d use to type a recipe in, so you can fix a title, split an ingredient or reorder steps.
5. Choose Save recipe.

Nothing is saved until you choose Save recipe. If you leave the page instead, the import is simply dropped.

What works best

Most recipe sites include a hidden, machine-readable copy of the recipe for search engines, and that’s what Platefolio reads first. Pages from recipe sites and food blogs with a recipe card (the box with ingredients, steps and a print button) usually import cleanly, photo included.

Pages without one, like a recipe written into the middle of a blog post or a forum reply, are harder. Platefolio still tries to find the ingredients and steps in the text, but check those more carefully.

When it doesn’t work

Some sites block automatic requests, some pages need you to sign in, and some don’t contain a recipe Platefolio can find. When an import fails, the message says why, and you have two other ways in:

• Paste the text. Select the recipe on the page, copy it, and use From text instead. This works on any page you can read.
• Use a screenshot. Take a screenshot of the recipe and use From photo.

Still stuck? Tell us what happened and we'll help.