Manage your recipes

Once you have recipes in Spiceful, you can create new ones manually, edit existing ones, add photos, and organize your collection.

Create a recipe manually

Write your own recipe from scratch with full control over every detail. This is ideal for family recipes, personal creations, or recipes you want to customize from the start.

When you'd use this

• You have a recipe written down or memorized that you want to save
• You want to create a completely original recipe
• You prefer to enter details yourself rather than importing

How it works

On web:

1. Click Add Recipe (top-right of the Recipes page)
2. Select Create from scratch
3. Fill in the recipe details:
   • Title — Give your recipe a name
   • Category — Choose or create a category (e.g., Dinner, Desserts)
   • Tags — Add tags for easy filtering later (e.g., "vegetarian", "quick")
   • Prep time / Cook time — Enter times in minutes
   • Servings — How many servings the recipe makes
4. Add ingredients:
   • Enter each ingredient with quantity, unit, and item name
   • Click the + button or press Enter to add more
5. Add steps:
   • Type each instruction step
   • Click the + button to add more steps
   • Optionally add photos to individual steps
6. Add notes (optional) — Tips, variations, or storage instructions
7. Click Save Recipe

On mobile:

1. Tap the Recipes tab
2. Tap Add (top-right)
3. Select Create Manually
4. Fill in title, servings, prep time, and cook time
5. Add ingredients by tapping Add Ingredient
6. Add steps by tapping Add Step
7. Add notes (optional)
8. Tap Save Recipe

Tips

• Use consistent ingredient formatting (e.g., "2 cups flour" not "flour 2 cups") for better grocery list integration
• Add tags to make recipes easier to find later
• You can always edit the recipe after saving to add photos or make changes

Edit a recipe

Update any part of a saved recipe—fix typos, adjust ingredients, add photos, or change instructions.

When you'd use this

• You imported a recipe and want to fix extraction errors
• You made adjustments while cooking and want to save them
• You want to add a photo, notes, or tags
• You want to update servings, prep time, or cook time

How it works

On web:

1. Open the recipe you want to edit
2. Click Edit (or the pencil icon) in the top-right corner
3. Make your changes:
   • Title — Update the recipe name
   • Image — Upload a new photo or remove the current one
   • Category — Change or add a category
   • Tags — Add or remove tags
   • Times — Update prep and cook time
   • Servings — Change the serving size
   • Ingredients — Add, edit, or remove ingredients
   • Steps — Add, edit, reorder, or remove instructions
   • Notes — Add tips, variations, or personal notes
4. Click Save Changes

On mobile:

1. Open the recipe
2. Tap Edit (top-right)
3. Make your changes to any field
4. Tap Save Changes

Tips

• Add tags to help you find recipes later (e.g., "weeknight", "meal prep", "kid-friendly")
• Use the notes field for personal modifications like "I doubled the garlic" or "next time use less salt"
• You can add photos to individual steps on web

Add photos to recipes

Add photos to your recipes to see what the finished dish looks like at a glance.

When you'd use this

• You want your recipe collection to look beautiful and be easy to browse
• You cooked the recipe and want to save a photo of your result
• You imported a recipe without an image and want to add one

How it works

Add a main recipe photo (web only):

1. Open the recipe
2. Click Edit
3. Click the image area at the top (or the camera/upload icon)
4. Select an image file from your computer
5. Click Save Changes

Add photos to recipe steps (web only):

1. Open the recipe and click Edit
2. Scroll down to the step you want to add a photo to
3. Click the camera icon next to the step
4. Select an image file
5. Click Save Changes

Remove a photo:

1. Click Edit
2. Click the X or remove button on the image
3. Click Save Changes

About mobile photo upload

Photo upload is currently only available on the web app. To add photos from your phone:

1. Email or transfer the photo to your computer
2. Open Spiceful in a web browser
3. Edit the recipe and upload the photo

Direct photo upload on mobile is coming in a future update.

Photo tips

• Photos count toward your storage limit (Free: 25 MB, Premium: 1 GB)
• Typical recipe photos are 200 KB–1 MB each
• JPEG and PNG formats work best
• Square or landscape photos look best on recipe cards

Archive recipes (Premium)

Hide recipes you're not currently using without deleting them. Archived recipes don't clutter your main list but can be restored anytime.

This feature requires Premium.

What archiving does

Archived recipes:

• Don't appear in your "All Recipes" view
• Can be viewed in the "Archived" filter
• Can be restored (unarchived) at any time
• Are not permanently deleted

When you'd use this

• You have seasonal recipes you only use part of the year
• You imported recipes you're not sure about yet
• You want to declutter your recipe list without losing recipes

How it works

Archive a recipe:

On web:

1. Open the recipe you want to archive
2. Click the archive icon (box with arrow) near the title
3. The recipe is now archived and will disappear from your main list

On mobile:

1. Open the recipe
2. Tap the archive icon (top-right area)
3. The recipe moves to your archived list

View archived recipes:

On web:

1. Go to the Recipes page
2. Click the view selector
3. Choose 📦 Archived

On mobile:

1. Tap the Recipes tab
2. Tap the view selector
3. Choose Archived

Unarchive a recipe:

1. View your archived recipes (see above)
2. Open the recipe
3. Click/tap the archive icon again to restore it
4. The recipe returns to your main list

Archive tips

• Archiving is great for keeping your collection organized without losing recipes
• Archived recipes don't count differently toward limits—they're still saved in your account
• Use search within the Archived view to find specific archived recipes

Common issues

Can't save the recipe

• Make sure you've entered a title and at least one ingredient or step
• Check that you haven't reached your recipe limit (Free: 10, Premium: unlimited)

Recipe limit reached

• Free accounts can save up to 10 recipes. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited recipes

Changes not saving

• Make sure you have a stable internet connection
• Check that you haven't accidentally cleared required fields like the title

"Storage limit reached" (photos)

• Your account has run out of image storage space
• Free: 25 MB limit. Premium: 1 GB limit
• Delete unused recipe photos or upgrade to Premium for more storage

Photo not uploading

• Check your internet connection
• Make sure the file is an image (JPEG, PNG) and not too large (under 10 MB recommended)
• Try a different browser if the issue persists

Photo looks blurry

• This can happen if the original photo is very large and gets compressed. Try uploading a smaller version

"Premium required" (archiving)

• Archiving is a Premium feature. Upgrade to Premium to use it

Can't find an archived recipe

• Make sure you've selected the "Archived" view—archived recipes don't show in "All Recipes"
• Try searching by title within the Archived view

Related articles

• Import recipes
• Search and filter recipes
• Rate and favorite recipes
• Storage limits and usage
• Understanding Free vs Premium