Allrecipes: Easy Recipe Ideas Reviews

by Klock4

I wanted to review this in hopes of SOMEONE reading this with this company and take note.

I love this website, but when the desktop website automatically redirects to Allrecipes , to the point that unless you are on a computer(certain features are disabled through mobile desktop site if on a phone), it would be practical to make some of those features only available through the desktop, available through the mobile app.

I am in the process of saving recipes from various places in one spot, and the recipe box option that is available through the desktop site, is disabled if you use the desktop mobile site, because this website tries at every attempt to force you to use their app. That same app has a fraction of the options that the website does. This is a huge inconvenience.

by Jdjsjanahdbaba

I have used Allrecipes for a very long time and it had an issue where it would crash randomly but I dealt with that for 1 reason-the ability to add a note to a recipe and edit that note whenever I wanted to. I just updated Allrecipes and all my notes are gone along with the ability to even add a note to a recipe. There are recipes everywhere on the internet, I only used the this app App because of the notes feature. Most sites allow you to save a recipe but haven’t found another that lets you add notes. I can save internet recipes to my favorites in my browser but I can’t make personalized notes. I knew how long I had to cook each specific recipe to get the outcome I wanted because it was in my notes. I knew what changes I made to make the recipe to my personal tastes, texture, doneness, etc., and now it’s all gone. If you don’t bring notes back you’re losing another long time user. I would never have updated Allrecipes if I knew that was going to happen. I learned a valuable lesson from this, read reviews before downloading an app or updating an app. Frustrated user is an understatement. I’m mad as h*ll that years of recipe specific information is gone!

by Denver Craigs

Like so many other reviewers, I have become increasingly disappointed with Allrecipes. I never rate apps, but I feel compelled to do so here. Over the last few months/years, Allrecipes has been getting slower to load because of advertising content. I could overlook that. But today while I was working on a recipe, my recipe kept disappearing to make me watch a mandatory add on some TV show that has nothing to do with food. With so many other great recipe apps out there like Epicurious, Food Network, and others, I am starting the process today of moving all of my recipes over to those new apps. It’s just not worth it to use this app anymore. They have taken what used to be arguably the most popular recipe app out there, and are riding that popularity to generate advertising revenue. Unfortunately, that revenue and that greed is what will ultimately lead to the downfall and the eventual unpopularity Allrecipes.

by Kimmywings

I love all recipes for desktop, but the mobile app has several issues. The biggest is that it seems ridiculous that you cannot print from the mobile app. I have an iPhone and when I click the share button on a recipe which usually has options for printing, my only option is to save it at a file or note or open it in another app. Pinterest doesn’t usually give me the option either, but at least with that app I can copy and paste the url into my browser and print from there. Can’t do that at all Recipes, it doesn’t even let you select and copy the recipe name to search for it in google. So therefor I never use Allrecipes . It keeps the screen on when you have a recipe up, so I’m assuming they want you to look at the recipe (and ads) while you cook. Do people do this with their $1000 phones? I’m chaotic and messy in the kitchen, I ain’t got no room for cellular devices. Maybe I’ll redownload it again next year and see if they’ve fixed this issue, but for now there’s better mobile food apps.

by Seashell824

I used to love Allrecipes. However, they changed things I loved about Allrecipes . I used to be able to add my own comments and tips to each recipe I saved as a Favorite for use in the future. However, that is no longer an ability. Awful!

They also changed the News Feed. I used to love News Feed for discovering recipes I may not have searched. However recently for example I pulled up News Feed looking for ideas. EVERY SINGLE recipe in Newsfeed was either a chicken or apple recipe. It’s not that I don’t like apples or chicken but there are more foods than those 2 foods.

I am going to delete Allrecipes. So disappointed. Disappointed because I had been using it for years and saved so many favorites. Now I need to go through those favorites and “print’ the ones I want to use in the future.

by PAS81349

I do NOT review things, however, decided to after becoming super frustrated with the most recent update. In this update they got rid of the categories for saved recipes, along with the “I Made It” area. I used those to organize my recipes. This was my exclusive go to place for cooking, and now I can’t find ANYTHING unless I remember it’s specific name (which I never can). Even more frustrating is the fact that I sent “feedback” about it on Allrecipes back on September 22. It send they would respond shortly. Never got a response at all! I don’t want to have to find new recipes elsewhere but I’m beginning to feel that may need to be the case. I have shared Allrecipes and recipes from it for over 20 years. So sad to have to start over from scratch again and build a new library of recipes from which my family will eat.

by Lovingblack

I have been using this app for at least two decades, long before it became an app. It’s still my go-to spot for recipes. I have a ton of recipes saved into collections and lots of notes. The latest update removed all of this, which now means I have to go scrolling through two decades worth of favorites in order to find a beloved recipe. I have to read all the reviews again to try to remember what modifications I’ve made. Since my husband and I both use Allrecipes , the loss of notes makes it even harder because it’s how we make sure that we’re both making the recipe in the same way.

Without the ability to save into collections and store notes, this app loses a big part of the functionality that has made it a favorite. I may as well use other websites where I can easily export the recipes into my Evernote cookbook.

by KRad430

Please note that my app automatically updates so this is not due to lack of update. I love AR but the mobile app is flat out for the birds. I like the idea of saving what i want to make and what i have made; following others and knowing who follows me; it gives a customizable social aspect to cooking. But Allrecipes itself loads the same recipes that I’ve never wanted to make or have even looked at every time that i open Allrecipes ... spaghetti and sausage recipe next to the Parmesan potatoes recipe. When i want to search for a recipe, i enter key words, adjust the advanced search settings and ... same recipes. For example: i search “lemon chicken” with wheat free ingredients, ready in less than 2 hours. Results: the same stupid spaghetti and sausage recipe and Parmesan potato recipes that have shown up every single time i open Allrecipes . I can’t. It makes me want to throw my phone. At least show me SOMETHING with lemon that’s wheat free!

by Lynnaine

Update: I use to use this all the time, but lately I’ve been having a lot of trouble with it. Today I was trying to print a recipe for my mom and Safari kept opening my app and Allrecipes has no option for printing. I had to delete Allrecipes !!!! I realize not many people print things these days but for older people like my mom there should still be the option. I love that my wireless connection to my printer from my phone lets me skip going on the computer when I have what I want pulled up already on my phone. Allrecipes should have a way to send to a printer.

I love being able to save my favorite recipes and access them from my iPhone or computer. I like reading through the reviews for ideas on how to make the recipe in different ways. My only complaint is that there are often many recipes that are basically the same.

by Jmbasb

I have always loved my this app recipe file, and have used it almost exclusively for my cooking. I could add notes about changes I made to oven temp, ingredient adjustments, etc, Plus I had all my favorites divided into categories like cookies, salads, seafood, etc. This new update removed these features and destroyed all my notes ! The least they could have done was warn users they were going to lose all their notes before they destroyed them. I could have gone in and copied those before the deadline. I am furious to see them say “you can still do all your favorite stuff!” It takes me longer now to find the recipe I’m looking for, and I have no idea how to tweak it for my oven and taste because they destroyed my recipe notes. I would quit using Allrecipes altogether if I didn’t already have so many family favorites on here, and I do appreciate seeing a recipe without having to read the author’s life history.

by Monkey-bird

The recipes are mostly geared towards convenience cooking and are generated by amateur “chefs”. There’s nothing at all wrong with home cooks, I’m one, but I do not cook from packets, cans, or readymade items. I try very hard to cook nutritious and delicious food for my family, and that means avoiding preservatives, additives, and artificial ingredients as much as possible. I’d say that my reasonable requirements exclude 80% of the recipes on the site, and there’s no way to easily search for foods made from scratch. Really, do we need a ton of recipes to make cakes from box mixes and canned fruit in syrup with fake whipped cream? Because they are all there.

Functionally, the search features don’t work very well. Recipes on Instagram or Pinterest that should be linked to Allrecipes cannot be found, and there are major glitches if you try to save recipes and then search within your saved favorites. It never works properly. There are better recipe apps out there.

by SavvyToast

I’ve never been compelled to rate an app before now. I’ve used the this app website, iPhone and iPad apps for years. Of the three, the iPhone app is the most disappointing, especially after the last couple of updates. My feed has literally not changed in months, offering no new recipe suggestions, not even rearranging them so I may see something I may not ordinarily from further down the page. I uninstalled/reinstalled and at first was excited to see new recipes pop up, but then as soon as I signed in, I was greeted by the exact same recipes I’ve been looking at for the last 6-8 months. I get that it bases them on preferred diets/cuisines, but seriously...I’m bored. On top of that, the dinner spinner is merely amusement, as it comes up with the most ridiculous combinations (a shellfish dessert in the slow cooker, anyone?). I only keep Allrecipes on my phone to have access to my saved recipes at work or when grocery shopping. But normally at home, I opt for my iPad version.

by Nikkiplus2

I have been using the this app app and website for years, and have never needed to use other recipe sites more than in the past few months.

I find that when I go into Allrecipes , then my favorites, as soon as I start to scroll down into the recipe, Allrecipes crashes and closes. It’s still in the background so I can go back to the tab, but the recipe is no longer pulled up, and Allrecipes is resetting each time. This happens multiple times in a row, so being able to actually access a recipe and have it remain on the screen for long enough (when I used to be able, and LOVED having it open through every step) to make a recipe is no longer an option.

I loved Allrecipes, but find myself using other websites much more now, which is a shame because Allrecipes provided me with a fantastic experience and great recipes prior to these awful crashes. Please fix this finally so I can enjoy Allrecipes again!

by Rinnswimmer

Second update: Allrecipes has removed the categories from the favorites tab for mobile phones, making it virtually unusable for me. I will now be using the mobile site or searching for a better app.
Update: this issue is happening primarily on iPhone... not as much on iPad, not at all on a PC. Also realized one of the primary app-crashers is the ads, for whatever that’s worth. I’m really sad because I LOVE Allrecipes, I used it almost exclusively especially because you can search recipes with specific mixtures of ingredients. But the past few months to a year (my app is automatically updated), Allrecipes crashes multiple times while I’m trying to search and read recipes. It’s EXTREMELY frustrating when you have to go back in and replicate your search to find that recipe or scroll through your saved recipes only to have it crash AGAIN. And there are no options on Allrecipes for help, contacting this app, or troubleshooting. Unfortunately, I’m now thinking I need to find a new go-to recipe app, or just only use the site when I’m on my laptop.

by Madatthedog

I have used the this app app for many years. The recent update has removed the folders. Everything is jumbled together now. It sort of works…but who knows which of my favorites I will never find again? The notes that I kept for myself telling me what I had done with a particular recipe are gone. And today I couldn’t find a way of posting a review. So I wrote out the recipe I had just used by hand on an index card with the changes I had made since I found no way of implementing any of those changes online. I sent in my feedback to app support a week ago asking if I need to pay for the magazine in order to retrieve my folders and notes. I’m now approaching my questions with a review. this app is still my go-to recipe site, so I’m giving 3 stars. But the recent update and lack of response to my request of customer support leave me puzzled. 🤷‍♀️

by Pbjandmayo

I love Allrecipes and have many recipes saved in my Favorites Folder and refer to them often. The issue I have with Allrecipes is that it just quits on its own repeatedly. It seems to occur one day repeatedly and then another day works just fine. Today is one of those days where I have had to reopen Allrecipes and redo my search three times already within a ten minute span of time. This has occurred for as long as I have had Allrecipes (at least a couple years) and I have put up with it but today I decided to write a review. I can’t imagine that I am the only user having this issue. Hope it can be corrected because I do like using Allrecipes .

by Jirae Patrick

I'll start by saying that I love this app. It has tons of recipes, they're easy to read, it's easy to change the yield, and it has lots of ways to find what you're looking for.

Allrecipes has one major flaw and that's its ingredient search function. This works normally on the website (type in ingredients separated by commas) but Allrecipes has a complicated interface. It uses several different input methods and requires the user to use gestures in several different directions to do similar and repetitive tasks, all for a search function that seems custom-built to be like this. It isn't clever or nice to use. It doesn't make anything easier than a more mainstream user experience design would. I can't think of another UI anywhere that works the way that it does either, so why do this?

by Killerqueenie78

R u Kidding me?? The last Update was terrible!! (So y bother updating anymore?) it doesn’t get better. Now half the time when I’ll put in say Shrimp Scampi to search either in my favs or just to search for new recipes, it’ll come up empty with no recipes! N sometimes when a recipe finally does come up there’s no ingredients or directions. Also sometimes ill find the recipes on the internet when it won’t come up in Allrecipes , ill find if then click on ot to open Allrecipes n it won’t open to that recipe. So I’m not going to bother updating this version since I don’t have the iPhone X.

This review was from a previous update.....When i want to view a recipe now every time I go to tap on it to open the recipe it won't open now. It just keeps telling me to drag the recipe to remove it. You could've done a much better job on how to sort out a recipe box and to delete recipes.
Plz fix cause as of right now i cant use Allrecipes n will b deleted soon. Ty

It could be a great app but u can only search in the in season section. We should b a search only section. Why cant we edit our recipe box??? There r recipes i tried that i dont like n i want to delete them from my box n cant, so i have to keep them in my box?? Plz make changes to improve Allrecipes!
Tnk u

by Wingo1224

I use Allrecipes all the time to try new recipes, and to make favorites that I've saved over the years. The ads are annoying, but I've learned to deal with them. One thing I'm noticing is that there's an apparent disconnect between the recipes that are available on the website and the recipes available in Allrecipes . For example, today I saw two Instant Pot recipes on Instagram that I wanted to check out and save to my favorites to try later, but when I tried to find them in Allrecipes , I couldn't. The recipes either aren't there, or the search function isn't working. I like being able to say what types of recipes I'm interested in so that Allrecipes can populate my feed, but I'd like to be able to dismiss or hide ones that don't appeal to me.

by Abby Owen

“I know this is gonna sound a little bit like a gratuitous advertisement for this recipe app, but I just wanted to share it with my friends that like to cook. It has been the most wonderful tool for me to learn new recipes, and they have so many to choose from. This is Allrecipes I used for the Cornish Pasties! You really should create a profile, download Allrecipes and enjoy cooking as much as I have with the help of this app. I can’t recommend it enough. I usually like to get on my desktop computer and print out a recipe when I am ready to cook, because it’s aggravating when my phone keeps turning off. I now have a drawer full of paper recipes I have printed. There’s really no ‘catch’ to Allrecipes. And it’s totally free. They keep trying to get you to buy their magazine, but that’s all. Easy to ignore. I’ve never had trouble finding just about any recipe I’m looking up, in the search. In fact, they usually have several different versions to choose from. Anyway, just had to share. Abs” - I just shared this on Facebook, because I am so impressed by Allrecipes. I LOVE IT!!!

by Garfoo

I was a huge user of this app. I used it daily to plan meals, create shopping lists and cook food. I amassed a large library of go-to recipes for almost any occasion. I simply loved Allrecipes and site.

But my enthusiasm changed once they updated the site and app for a more slick, pin it look. Allrecipes and site now take longer to load, collections can only be sorted by creation date vs alphabetically and the shopping list categories are frustrating in that they appear in some random listing-why they never just made it alphabetical is just baffling. That’s on top of the gross error that occurs when you add An item to a grocery list. The amount of the item is almost always off and you end up buying more than needed.

But the big hit cane in summer of 2018. Collections of mine were lost or unable to be viewed through some programming error both in app and on site. I have rebuilt these collections only to have it happen again. I have placed several support requests (4 to be exact) and not one has been answered. Others u have read have had the same issue.

As a result of this error and their horrible support, I have simply moved on. It’s a shame too because it was once the best go-to cooking app.

by TravelDivaLisa

I’ve been using Allrecipes for quite a while now and I have been seeing the same recipe suggestions in my feed for months and months. Out of all the recipes that this app have in their database why can’t they offer up more suggestions and allow the ones that I’ve already favorited to not appear anymore? They’re already sorted into my Collections so why am I still seeing them? In the this app magazine, they mange to come up with different recipes in each issue, so why can’t the manage to do this in the Feed?

In addition, often Allrecipes will encounter an unexpected problem and will crash, will freeze up and pull up irrelevant recipes when you do a search.

I only keep Allrecipes so that I can access my Collections. Allrecipes needs completely overhauled — especially the feed.

by FreakingKiddingMe?

All Recipes would do themselves a MASSIVE favor if they would provide an Ad-less version of Allrecipes in which I WOULD BET THOUSANDS like myself would be happy to shell out a few bucks a year for.

It is such a SHAME that finding recipes and reading their reviews, has to be completely ruined by the Ads which 75% of the time are completely INAPPROPRIATE for all ages. There are a lot of children learning to cook these days with the popularity of cooking shows.

What a breath of fresh air it would be for one company to stand up for what’s right —rather than running scared and taking the easy way out by not giving a whit about what ads they’ll take money for.

by Mwseniff

I was having all known kinds of problems. I clicked on a recipe in an email and my browser is having a heart attack. But it seems all is well sun is shining and the birds are sinking.
Allrecipes is great for my hobby of saving more recipes than I could make in a lifetime. I like to look at many different recipes for a dish I want to make. I sort of mentally mix and match all the ingredients in the various recipes. I end up with a dish I can call my own and since I cook like my mom (never actually measure anything) it provides all I need to turn out a dish. If the fix holds up I can hopefully recover the ones from my email and get them tagged as favorites. Overall a great app.

by Hddow

I have used Allrecipes for years (for free) and have made some incredible meals for my family from it. It has continued to improve. The power of Allrecipes is by far the users and their recipe reviews and helpful hints. They expand each recipe with tried variations that help you with your own customizations.

For the developers: please allow for custom notes and the ability to print. The categories are a great improvement, but I would love to leverage this with my own adaptations, notes and ability to have virtual cookbooks that I could print and also share by invite to family. I would pay for any of these features.

by KrDDS

Some of these reviews are harsh. Do you want it to cook dinner for you too!

What is does do: gives you meal suggestions. I can search for anything and get numerous recipes. Creates a shopping list divided by department, has name & photo of recipes at bottom of list for when I forget what my groceries were purchased for. Recipes to favorite. Make and don’t like, remove from favorites. Add notes to the recipe of changes or substitutions. Love that feature! Reviews also help with suggested changes.

I don’t use the dinner spinner anymore, I agree a bit ineffectual. That being said, I use Allrecipes every week. Makes my life easier and more organized.