Introducing Yummly’s New Home Experience
We gave the Yummly app a makeover! Now you can get personalized recipe inspiration, plan your meals, and see special content, all at a glance.
Classic Crepes recipe and photo by Annalise Sandberg. Art direction by Daniel Führer.
I like to think I’m pretty on top of things when it comes to making dinner. I write for Yummly, after all. But despite my expertise in meal planning and meal prep, sometimes I just … can’t. Maybe I’m on deadline with a project, or my teenager’s subway line isn’t running so I have to get him home (don’t even ask how many times that’s happened). Next thing I know, it’s six o’clock and I’m out of time.
That’s when I grab my phone and open the uber-helpful new Yummly app. It’s the easiest way I know to find the perfect recipe or dinner idea in a flash. And it’s all personalized to my preferences.
Jump ahead to:
Big new features
One thing I’ve always loved about Yummly: The enormous number of recipes to choose from. At this point, it’s nearly 2 million! That’s not even counting the information and inspiration to be found in all the articles and special features.
Come dinnertime, when I need to hone in on my perfect choice, asap, the new app makes navigation easy. It includes features you won’t find on the website, created with feedback from focus groups, to provide personalized recipe inspiration, meal-planning help, and special content at a glance.
Easy recipe discovery
The home page features multiple ways to get inspired and quickly find what you’re looking for. At the top, you can browse by category: Courses, Cuisines, Diets, Dishes, and Pro (recipes created for Yummly by professional chefs).
You can also browse carousels of recipes like “Your recommendations,” “From your Saved Recipes,” “Under 10 ingredients,” “Highly rated,” and “Healthy recipes.” These are organized specifically for you, based on your preferences and previous use. Swipe through them — and tap “View All” in any carousel to see even more choices.
Of course you can also click on the search function (the magnifying glass at the bottom of the home screen) and type in what dish you’re in the mood for, or type in a few ingredients you have on hand, and the app will find recipes that fit.
Your collections, front and center
Any time you save a recipe on Yummly, either online or via the app, you can slot it into a collection (you can set up your own or use the themes Yummly provides).
Want to see every recipe you’ve saved? Just tap on the person icon at the bottom of the home screen.
Yummly’s premium recipes
Scroll down the home screen and you’ll find Yummly’s premium recipe content, available to paid subscribers. This includes loads of tested recipes — Yummly Originals (from professional recipe developers), Yummly Pro (from professional chefs), and Guided recipes with step-by-step instructional videos.
Meal planning help
After years of meal-planning, I have a good sense of how to fit a group of recipes together — but I won’t say no to resources that make it even easier. And the Yummly app is loaded with them.
If you’re a Yummly subscriber,* you'll also have access to the Meal Planner where you can schedule recipes, make a shopping list with a click, and get cooking reminders when it's time to head to the kitchen.
* Auto-renews at selected price after trial unless you cancel. See full terms.
Information and inspiration
Not in a rush to find a single recipe? You’ll now see Yummly’s latest articles on the home screen, too.
It’s personal
This has to be my favorite part of the new app. Everything in those carousels I mentioned is selected just for you, to match your family’s tastes. I could never explain how, exactly, the algorithm does it, but the more I use Yummly, the more targeted to my lifestyle the recipes become.
Fill in your preferences
You can teach Yummly what foods you like by saving recipes into collections, and also by filling in your preferences. When you first log into the Yummly app, it will ask you about them. Or you can tap on the person icon at the bottom of the home screen, then the gear icon at the top right to change your preferences anytime. Maybe you’re on a particular diet, have food allergies, prefer certain cuisines, or don’t care for certain ingredients. (My list includes cilantro — eww, soapy.) Once you fill in this info, the algorithm begins to work its magic. You’ll only see recipes that suit your needs.
Weekly recommendations
Every week, the app will help you discover new recipes based on the way you use Yummly, including what preferences you've saved, what foods you've searched for, and what recipes you've saved into collections.
Helpful categories
When I don’t even know where to start, I scroll through the handful of category carousels on the home feed. For instance, Highly rated is just what it sounds like — the recipes all have lots of enthusiastic reviews. Quick and easy recipes have fewer ingredients and a shorter cook time. And then there’s the Explore more section which includes a whopping 10 categories. In all these sections, the suggestions match my personal preferences. It’s like some gremlin in my phone (well, call it the power of AI) spent the time to sort through millions of options and narrow it down to just the best ones for me.
Make it again
Trying to remember that one noodle dish everybody loved? Go to your Scheduled and Made collection (first click on the person icon on the bottom of the screen).
Make the most of Yummly
It couldn’t be simpler to take advantage of all the amazing new features on the app. I was up and running in around three minutes.
STEP 1: Get the app — it’s free! If you live in the U.S., you can get the latest version of the Yummly app today. Were you using an old version of the app? All you need to do is update.
STEP 2: Create an account: That’s also free, and it’s the only way to save your favorite recipes into collections, get personalized recommendations, or build shopping lists. Click here to get started.
STEP 3: Fill in your preferences: As I was saying, this step is key — a minute or two of setup can save you from having to sort through thousands of recipes that won’t work for your family. And you can add to or change your preferences at any time: Click the person icon in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen, and then the gear in the top right.
STEP 4: Sign up for a free trial subscription for premium content: Don’t get me wrong, the app is amazing without spending a dime. But if you’d like access to things like Yummly’s Original, Pro, and Guided recipes; advanced search filters; the built-in meal planner; and the ability to create personal notes on recipes, a paid subscription will make your life even easier. Sign up here, and you’ll have 30 days to explore all the extra goodies before committing.
STEP 5: Start saving recipes! The more recipes you save, the more personalized your experience will be. Here’s how to do it:
When you see a recipe you want to save, click the plus sign, which will call up several options. Click “Add to Collections,” and you’ll be prompted to choose where you’d like to save it — either to one of the pre-set themes like “Dinners,” “Breakfasts,” and “Desserts,” or a new collection you name. I’ve got mine set up for “20 Minute Mains,” “Instant Pot,” “Quick Treats” … You get the idea.
When you want to find your recipe collections, click on the person icon in the navigation bar. It’ll open a neatly-organized set of folders with all the recipes you’ve saved. That little icon is the first thing I click when I’m looking for tonight’s dinner, since it takes me straight to the recipes I’ve already flagged.
STEP 6: Unlock more Yummly features: Saving recipes also lets you access more features on the app, including detailed nutrition information. Use the plus sign to add a recipe’s ingredients to your shopping list, and if you’re a paid subscriber you can also save the recipe to your meal plan. To see your shopping list and meal plan, click the list icon in the navigation bar.
The best thing about the new Yummly app? I no longer get that frantic feeling when dinner time rolls around. Even on days when my meal plan goes awry (curse you, New York City subway!), easy options that suit my specific needs are just a few clicks away.
Explore Yummly
At Yummly we're with you to make every step of your time in the kitchen easier, more enjoyable, and more delicious. Check out details in these next articles.