Is Yummly the best recipe app ever?
As taboo as this may sound in 2021, I am not a big technology person. I don’t own a tablet, my AirPods are wedged between several tubes of lip gloss in the bottom of my Telfar, and I do not have games on my phone. Aside from social media, I’ve barely customized my devices past factory-issued apps at all.
With that in mind, it is a major event when I find an app worth downloading. In the case of this post, I think I’ve stumbled across the best recipe app ever! Yummly is an app and website designed by foodies for foodies, that provides recipe recommendations personalized to each user’s tastes. As you read on, I’ll share more about Yummly’s purpose, capabilities, what sets it apart from other recipe apps, and how you can start using it today!
You might be asking through your screen, “Arielle, how did you, a self-described non-tech person, find out about Yummly in the first place?” Thank my wonderfully brilliant but cooking-challenged college best friend. We spent undergrad expanding our palates by eating our way through all sorts of adventures (alligator hot sausages at the pier? No problem!).
After having our energy drained from joining the workforce, it became much harder to find exciting things to eat. Now that cooking and eating is more an exploit of labor than a spoil of luxury, anything to avoid the same boring meat and potatoes is worth looking into.
Remember how I mentioned that my friend is cooking-challenged? Well, she’s always got great ideas, but her execution is questionable, to say the least. Tired of being disappointed one too many times at not having the proper ingredients or techniques, she went down the rabbit hole AKA Google, and Yummly was the reward. Sometime later, she threw an unusually well-executed dinner party. When I asked her, “What changed?” her reply was, “Download Yummly…like yummy, but with an L before the Y.”
My Yummly Experience
Signing up for Yummly
The first thing to know about Yummly is while it is free to use, to get the full effect you’ll have to sign up through Facebook, Google, Apple, or another email provider. After signing up for Yummly, right from the jump, you’ll see a gorgeous series of cascading lists that filter for favorite foods, allergies, religious restrictions, and personal restrictions (plant-based, pescatarian, vegan, low carb, etc.) built to curate the best recipes for you.
My palate is adventurous; I have no allergies, no dietary or religious restrictions, and very few dislikes, so already the possibilities were endless. I also noticed that I gravitate to Latin, Caribbean, African, and Asian foods, which I take as a testament to my desire for complexity.
Yummly’s attention to detail was startling, even bordering on overwhelming as the options revealed themselves like a never-ending stream. Though it was some work to get my taste profile squared away, once it was over, I appreciated the thorough process, and recommend you take your time on this step.
Discovering recipes on Yummly
Yummly boasts a database of over 2 million recipes, sourced from its bank of professional chefs and top recipe sites like Epicurious and Allrecipes, as well as user submissions.
Visit the Explore page for even more customization in subtopics like seasonal fares, cuisines, and beverages. As if you didn’t think Yummly was a filtering powerhouse already, the app also allows you to choose recipes based on whatever you have in the kitchen already! Once you find a recipe you like, save or Yum it, and the recipe will save to your account. Two recipes I’ve Yummed and plan to make very soon are Cuban style arroz con pollo (main dish) and Elderflower French 75 (cocktail).
Yummly’s most important features
Most of these recipes are presented with step-by-step instructions, video tutorials, and timers. In your case, you’ll only see recipes that apply to you, and it doesn’t stop there! Yummly has a host of supplementary tools that make prep work, cooking, and finishing tasks a lot easier.
If you’re unsure about how a dish will taste, refer to the reviews section. Not confident that you have everything you need to get started? Use their shopping list tool to tie up any loose ends. An especially important feature in the age of COVID-19 is Yummly’s integration with Instacart, another website, and tool that tasks other people to grocery shop for you. Finally, link Yummly’s scheduling tool to your calendar for smarter meal prep. Once you choose your preferred time to eat, the app will tell you when to start cooking and when to finish, as well as how long you can leave the food out safely. It’ll even give suggestions for what to do with leftovers!
One advantage that Yummly has over other recipe websites and apps is its Yummly Smart Thermometer, starting at $89. A brilliant and tangible tool, the Smart Thermometer takes the guesswork out of achieving perfectly cooked meat by reading its temperature and sharing it with your phone. No other recipe website or app has achieved this level of sophistication, especially at such a reasonable price.
A quick recap on how Yummly works:
- Download the app or search for the website
- Sign up for an account
- Follow the prompts to customize your experience
- Explore the app for new recipes
- Start cooking!
Bonus: Yummly Pro (14-day free trial, then $4.99/mo)
Yummly Pro elevates the platform to an even better experience, filled with step-by-step video lessons, pro chef instructors, and exclusive recipes.
Growing Your Food Blog with Yummly
Like all great things, there are levels to this. Yummly isn’t only for novice cooks who need more experience or intermediate cooks who need inspiration. Food bloggers looking to expand their audience on Yummly are called Publishers. By following a few simple steps, Publishers can see exponential growth!
How to post your recipes on Yummly
To post your recipes on Yummly requires a bit of coding. Add the Yum button to your website, then encourage your followers to Yum their favorites. This will get Yummly’s attention to add your recipes to their database! Keep in mind there are over 2 million other recipes on the platform, so you’ll have to go the extra mile to get noticed.
How to get Yummly to feature your recipes
The next step is to fill out this registration form. Upon approval from Yummly, you could be featured on their website and app, on their social media accounts, and in emails!
How to increase exposure on Yummly
The more Yums your recipes get, the more traffic you’ll see. Publishers who encourage their followers to use Yummly, and promote their Yummly publisher page see better results. Also, the more recipes you get on Yummly the more referral traffic you’ll get from them.
Yummly is the Best Recipe App Ever!
Even though I’m thoroughly convinced that Yummly is the best recipe app out on the market, it does have its fair share of competitors. In some ways, these other apps are at an advantage but in terms of the overall product, Yummly is the superior platform.
How the competition holds up
Launched in 2010, Pinterest is a major competitor of Yummly as its entire purpose is to inspire its users. In the case of recipes, users can pin must-try recipes to their boards, just as Yummly users can Yum their favorites. However, pinning is Pinterest’s only real capability so it doesn’t compare to Yummly’s most popular features.
Of all the recipe websites and apps available, the one most similar to Yummly is Epicurious. Founded in 1995, this Condé Nast brand enjoys age and prestige on its side. Much like Yummly, it features a shopping list tool, filters for preferences and diets, and is visually appealing. Nonetheless, it feels more like a publication than an intuitive tool, and for that Yummly is more technologically sophisticated. Also, with only 33,000 recipes compared to Yummly’s 2 million, it is easy to feel like you’re running out of inspiration.
As the world’s largest recipe website and app, Allrecipes is Yummly’s biggest competitor. Allrecipes was founded in 1997 by five archaeology students just trying to find a cookie recipe. I appreciate the platform’s humble beginnings and am a frequent user myself. With its community-based submission system and wholesome design, Allrecipes feels very familiar. To Yummly’s credit, however, Allrecipes has a lower rating for a few reasons. It’s a less visually appealing platform, doesn’t track user data as closely, and is best suited for simple American dishes. Remember, the more you use Yummly, the smarter it gets, so you’re almost guaranteed a better user experience.
Have You Downloaded Yummly Yet?
Although I’m not a tech person, I do know enough to know that Yummly is the best recipe app around. Free to use, easy to navigate, and crafted to each user’s taste, there are no limits to the magic you can make in the kitchen. If I hadn’t noticed the marked improvement in my best friend’s cooking, I don’t think I would’ve come in contact with Yummly until many months later.
It has been an incredible journey finding food and drinks that I never knew were possible. The app has challenged some of my long-held culinary beliefs and pushed me out of my comfort zone as a cook and as an eater. With Yummly, I shop, cook, and eat smarter which is exactly what I expect from good technology. If you haven’t already created an account, I seriously suggest making one now. Your taste buds are waiting!