Looking to make apps a bigger part of your cooking process? These are some of the best cooking apps that I use on a regular basis, from finding recipes to make to getting figuring out measurement conversions.
Using apps in the kitchen
I was raised by a trained chef, but I was an adult before I really started to feel comfortable in the kitchen. Yes, that’s right — even though I was raised by the woman who brought you her South African Milk Tart recipe, even I had a lot to learn about cooking and baking when I moved out on my own.
The kitchen totally changed for me when I discovered online recipes. Cooking got even better when I could look up recipes right from my phone or tablet and carry it around the kitchen with me.
Though I still love recipe cards for my go-to recipes, apps are now undisputedly a huge part of my cooking process, from brainstorming meals to perfecting a technique to saving recipes for later.
Note from the author
2026 update: I first published a list of my favorite cooking apps over a decade ago. While some of the original apps I listed are still some of my favorites, it was time to update the list to include some of my new favorites!
The 16 best cooking apps right now
There are new cooking apps coming out all the time, but they’re not all created equal.
I’ve tried a whole bunch of them and only the best have risen to the top of the list of apps that I use on a regular basis.
I’ve organized this post by my favorite cooking apps that help me find recipes or solve problems as I’m in the kitchen, grocery apps for simplifying the shopping process, and other kitchen resources — these aren’t apps, but are still super helpful to have.
My favorite recipe apps
There are tons of apps for sourcing recipes, learning new techniques, converting measurements, and more. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
NYT Cooking
Subscription model: Monthly ($6/month) or annual ($50/year) with limited content available without a subscription. No additional subscription fee for NYT “All Access” subscribers.
Download: Apple | Android
I’ve been using the New York Times Cooking app for years and never tire of it, thanks to the thousands of recipes, editor-curated collections, and helpful videos. The app also includes a digital recipe box for saving recipes, planning grocery lists, and organizing new dishes you want to try.
America’s Test Kitchen
Subscription model: ATK Essential Membership includes app access, as well as all recipes, ratings, and videos from ATK, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country. Normal rate $79.95/year, with 14-day free trials and reduced annual rates available for new members.
Download: Apple | Android
America’s Test Kitchen is a great resource for learning techniques in addition to discovering step-by-step recipes. The app allows you to build recipe collections, make note of tweaks you made to recipes, create grocery lists, and even explore classes from ATK instructors.
Kitchen Stories
Subscription model: Free with a premium subscription available for additional exclusive features
Download: Apple | Android
Not sure where to begin in the kitchen? Kitchen Stories has lots of (free!) video tutorials and step-by-step instructions on every kind of recipe from popsicles and pasta to grilling and gluten-free baking. Browse by difficulty level, prep time, and even ingredients. The app even offers a “cooking mode” that walks you through step-by-step photos and instructions.
Favorite baking apps
King Arthur Baking App
Subscription model: Free
Download: Apple | Android
KAB recipes are great, and the free app allows you to explore thousands of them at your fingertips, including real baker reviews so you can see why a recipe is loved or what usual tweaks people make. Did you know that they even offer a Baker’s Hotline that will connect you to a baking expert in real time any time of day? Create a (free) account to save your favorite recipes, make folders, and more.
Rise: Baking & Bread Recipes
Subscription model: Free with an unlimited option available via a one-time purchase
Download: Apple
I started using Rise when I began experimenting more with bread baking. It’s got easy-to-follow recipes and articles for beginner bread bakers as well as more advanced tools for bread experts. My favorite is the schedule overview — you can even set a timer to notify you when it’s time to move on to the next step in a recipe. Bonus points for being able to schedule reminders to feed your sourdough starter.
Levain
Subscription model: Free
Download: Apple
I specifically love Levain for my sourdough baking adventures. It also allows you to manage your starter(s) and get notified when they need to be fed. You can even monitor your bakes outside of the app with home screen and lock screen widgets.
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Favorite beverage apps
BarSpoon
Subscription model: Free with a “Premium Cocktails” upgrade to access additional recipes
Download: Apple
This cocktail recipe app has more than 3,500 recipes to help you find the perfect drink. You can explore by category or select the specific ingredients you have on hand to create recommendations for the perfect recipe for you.
Vivino
Subscription model: Free with a premium subscription available for additional exclusive features
Download: Apple | Android
Vivino is the go-to app for finding, choosing, and even buying the right wine for you. Search their library of wine pairings based on ingredient or dish, take a photo of any wine label to discover ratings, tasting notes, reviews, and food pairings, keep a journal of wines you’ve tried and loved, and more.
Kitchen tool apps
Egg Timer
Subscription model: Free
Download: Apple | Android
Even an expert egg cooker needs a timer to help them remember to check on their eggs. This one is great because it tells you how long to let your eggs boil based on the type of egg, the egg size, whether it’s chilled or not and how you want it to be cooked.
Unit Converter Apps
Subscription model: Free with ads or plus (ad-free) versions for one-time purchase fee
Download: Apple (Unit Converter – Best Unit App) | Android (Unit Converter)
Picked up a cookbook from another country or making a recipe without ingredient conversions included? A unit converter app makes it quick and easy to check metric versus US measurements as you cook. As a bonus, these apps include other conversions as well, such as currency, making them perfect for travel, too.
Great grocery apps
Creating and keeping track of the grocery shopping is not my favorite chore, especially since my husband and I often split the shopping. I’ve used a few different apps for simplifying the grocery shopping experience over the years, and these are my favorites.
Grocery
Subscription model: Free with a premium subscription available for additional features
Download: Apple
Another smart grocery list app I have used and liked. This one syncs with your Apple Reminders app to make sharing your list extra simple and automatically organizes the list by grocery store section. It’s also a good app to use for keeping inventory of what’s already in your pantry.
AnyList
Subscription model: Free with a premium subscription available for additional features
Download: Apple | Android
This is my favorite app for recipe planning and grocery list building at my fingertips. You can create and share organized grocery lists with family members, collect and organize your recipes, create a meal planning calendar, and more.
The premium upgrade also allows you to sync with Mac and PC apps on your desktop, create folders and even add photos of grocery items. (Anyone who has sent their spouse to the store for a specific item and had them come home with the wrong thing will appreciate that!)
Instacart
Subscription model: Account required but no membership required to order. Delivery fees vary depending on store and order amount.Instacart+ membership available for $0 delivery fees on eligible orders.
Download: Apple | Android | Web
We all know about Instacart by now, but it’s still my go-to for grocery delivery when I just don’t have time or my husband has our car. My friends with kids also rave about it for those times when you don’t have the ability to get everyone out of the house. While certain stores, such as Walmart, offer their own delivery options, Instacart includes stores that don’t have in-house delivery programs.
HelloFresh
Subscription model: Prices vary depending on meals, number of servings, etc.
Download: Apple | Android | Web
Sometimes we just don’t have time to meal plan, shop and cook. We’ve ordered meal kits from HelloFresh a few times when life gets incredibly busy, but the app is also great for finding recipes you can use outside of purchasing their meal kits.
Don’t feel like cooking?
I don’t blame you. Sometimes I don’t feel like cooking either. These are my two favorite apps for ordering takeout whenever possible because they have lower fees for small businesses as compared to DoorDash, GrubHub, etc.
Toast TakeOut
Subscription model: Free; prices set by individual restaurants. Delivery fees may apply.
Download: Apple | Android
Order takeout and delivery from your favorite local restaurants. You can order ahead and either pick up in store or get it delivered from restaurants offering delivery service.
More helpful resources
Obviously there are tons of great cooking resources all across the internet outside of apps.
Here on Feast + West, you can save your favorite recipes to easily refer back to time and again. I also have posts on cooking with a variety of spirits. Check out:
Rachel says
So smart –> I love the Amount app – thanks for recommending it!
Anna says
I love the handpick app!
Susannah says
Me too! I love how I can plan my meals better. Thanks so much for your comment, Anna!