Mealie: Self-Hosted Recipe Manager with Meal Planning and Shopping Lists

Why Mealie?

Recipe blogs hide a 5-ingredient recipe behind 2,000 words of backstory. Mealie fixes this:

URL import — Paste a link, get just the recipe. No story.
Meal planning — Drag recipes onto a weekly calendar.
Shopping lists — Auto-generated from your meal plan.
Family cookbook — Multi-user with shared groups.
Beautiful UI — Grid or list view with food photos.
REST API — Integrate with n8n or Home Assistant.

Prerequisites

Docker with docker-compose.
At least 256 MB RAM.

Step 1: Deploy with Docker Compose

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3"
services:
  mealie:
    image: ghcr.io/mealie-recipes/mealie:latest
    container_name: mealie
    ports:
      - "9925:9000"
    environment:
      ALLOW_SIGNUP: "true"
      TZ: America/Mexico_City
      BASE_URL: http://mealie.example.com
    volumes:
      - ./mealie-data:/app/data
    restart: always

docker compose up -d

Access at http://your-server:9925. Default credentials: changeme@example.com / MyPassword.

Step 2: Import Recipes

Click ”+” in the top right.
Paste a URL: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-chili-recipe
Mealie extracts: title, image, ingredients, instructions, cook time, servings.
Edit if needed, click Save.

Supported sites include: AllRecipes, Serious Eats, BBC Good Food, NYT Cooking, Bon Appétit, and thousands more.

Step 3: Meal Planning

Feature	How
Weekly view	Drag recipes onto days
Shopping list	Auto-generated from planned meals
Multiple plans	Create plans per family member
Nutritional info	Displayed per recipe (if available)
Leftovers	Mark meals that produce leftovers

Mealie vs Alternatives

Feature	Mealie	Tandoor	Paprika
Self-hosted	Yes	Yes	No (app only)
URL import	Excellent	Good	Good
Meal planning	Yes	Yes	No
Shopping lists	Yes	Yes	Yes
API	REST API	REST API	No
Cost	Free	Free	$5 one-time
Multi-user	Yes	Yes	No

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
URL import fails	Site may not be supported; manually create the recipe or try a different URL
Images not loading	Check disk space; verify the `mealie-data` volume is writable
Forgot admin password	Reset via CLI: `docker exec mealie python /app/scripts/reset_password.py`
Shopping list empty	Ensure recipes are added to a meal plan first

Summary

URL import strips blog stories, extracts just the recipe.
Meal planning + shopping lists for organized cooking.
Multi-user family cookbook with shared groups.
REST API for integration with automation tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mealie and why use it?

Mealie is a self-hosted recipe manager that lets you save, organize, and share recipes. Its killer feature is URL import — paste a recipe URL from any food blog, and Mealie extracts the recipe data automatically (ingredients, instructions, images), stripping away the blog's 2,000-word story. It also includes meal planning, shopping lists, and a REST API.

How does recipe URL import work?

Mealie uses the recipe-scrapers library, which supports thousands of cooking websites. Paste a URL, Mealie scrapes the structured data (ingredients, steps, cook time, servings), and creates a clean recipe card. You can edit anything after import.

Can I share recipes with family members?

Yes. Mealie supports multiple users, recipe groups, and public recipe links. Family members can create accounts, add their own recipes, and access shared meal plans and shopping lists.

Does Mealie have a mobile app?

Mealie's web interface is fully responsive and works as a PWA (Progressive Web App). Add it to your phone's home screen for an app-like experience. There's also a REST API for third-party apps.