10 Best Free Recipe Apps UK 2024 | BBC Good Food, Tasty and More

With over 4 billion views on their Youtube channel, Tasty is one of the most favoured recipe apps in the world. Made by Buzzfeed, this app has a user-friendly interface, which makes finding exactly what you need amongst the sea of recipes relatively easy.

All meals are rated by their users, who can also provide additional cooking advice in case you want to make any adjustments. There’s also a substantial selection of how-to videos where you can gain cooking tips from famous chefs, blog-style lists of some of the best recipes to try. And to top it all off, most of these recipes are quick, easy and won’t cost you a fortune in ingredients. 

This is definitely one of the most aesthetically-pleasing recipe apps out there, so if appearances are your bag, then this is the one for you. Looking more like a designer magazine than a food app, the home screen reels alone will have you salivating in seconds!

All recipes are created by the in-house chefs and can easily be followed by the step-by-step photos or with the real-time video walkthroughs. Even though the app looks super fancy, the meals are geared towards new cooks but are still adventurous enough for seasoned hobby-chefs to enjoy.

If you’re looking for a huge library of recipes to expand your repertoire, Yummly is for you. Rather than only showcasing recipes from an in-house team, Yummly works more like a search engine, scouring the internet for incredible recipes to add to their roster.

It might sound like hell trying to sift through 2 million recipes, but they have excellent filters which allow you to find exactly what you’re looking for. Search by diet, cuisine, cooking time, or type of dish. They also have a great shopping list feature and a feed which is personalised to your tastes.

Epicurious has over 35,000 recipes, but more importantly, it has reams of filters to help you find exactly what you’re craving. Search by meal, dish type, dietary concerns (even nut allergies, paleo, keto and kosher filters!), ingredients, cuisine, holiday or technique. It's also well-regarded for its excellent veggie and vegan content. 

Another bonus feature of Epicurious is their smart timers, meaning that there is now no excuse for overcooking your steak, or under-boiling your eggs – even if you’re doing them at the same time! Each recipe is reviewed by the community and given a percentage of how likely they are to make it again. 

Project Foodie is another app with a stunning design! Created by a team of brothers (a chef and an award-winning TV producer), their recipe app is geared towards beginner cooks as it contains cooking classes, tips and valuable instructions for a new chef to become successful in the kitchen. 

Each recipe contains a short preview so that you can see what you’re in for, as well as a way to adjust the serving amount and a shopping list function. You can choose between reading the cooking method, going at your own speed or switching to the video option where you cook alongside the chef in real-time. 

The interactive recipe app from Sidechef displays daily inspiration on the home screen, for you to swipe or save in true Tinder fashion. You can search their large recipe repertoire by ingredient, mealtime, theme, or cooking duration as well as many other categories like microwave cooking or quick and healthy. The only filter that they don't have is cuisines.

Following the recipes is simple with their step-by-step method, which includes images as well as detailed written instructions. With a motto of "save time, save money and eat better" (and by that they mean healthier) this is one of those apps that has become a staple tool in many houses. 

As well as being one of the leading TV channels for food programmes in the UK, and the owner of a successful British cooking magazine, BBC has now rolled out a recipe app that contains over 13,000 recipes. Each recipe has a user rating with comments so that you can get a real insight into how the meals will pan-out. 

Not only are you able to save recipes for future meals, but this app also enables you to add them to collections. Categorise your meal-lust into breakfast, lunch and dinner, or even use them for weekly meals plans! Unfortunately, it only includes basic instructions for the methods, so it might not be the best option if you're after a little more explanation. 

If you always seem to have a few leftover ingredients that you don’t know what to do with, Big Oven could be an excellent option for you. Their detailed search function enables you to deep dive into their huge library, searching for meals with just three ingredients that you want to use up. 

The app also includes a shopping list which adds all your ingredients in just one click, saving you heaps of time. The downside is that the app isn’t that user friendly compared to some of the other choices, which can be a little offputting while you're searching for something to cook.    

If there’s one thing you can count on with a recipe app from the NHS, it's that the meals will be healthy! If you’re struggling to follow a healthy diet at home, downloading this app could be a great first step. Each recipe includes a detailed breakdown of nutritional information including calories, protein and fat percentages. 

However, the app is again quite basic, with just a few, minimal features – you won’t find any fancy restaurant-grade cooking here! But this means that all the ingredients are easily found at your nearest shop, and the food is really simple to make. You can even store your favourite recipes in categories such as dinner or breakfast, and use the collections to prep your weekly meal plans!

Easy Meals is one of the best recipe apps for beginner cooks who are keen on looking after their weight. There are 150 recipes to choose from, which might not sound like a lot, but when you’re new to the kitchen, huge recipe apps with thousands of choices can be a little overwhelming. 

With a range of meal ideas to choose from and built-in features for shopping lists and calorie counting, Easy Meals makes planning your food for the entire week simple. The app also includes additional information on eating seasonally and lots of cooking tips to help you learn new kitchen skills. The downside, of course, is that it will be a little too simple for non-beginners.