I’ve reached a point in my life where cooking is important to me. I may not want to stand in the kitchen when I get home after work but I’ve realized how much better I feel when making my own meals with fresh, whole ingredients. Now it’s time to find some healthy recipe apps that not only use whole ingredients to make delicious meals but also don’t take too long to make. Here’s my list of the best healthy recipe apps I’ve discovered.
Mealime (Free)
I’ve been testing out the Mealime Pro ($5.99/month) version of the app for a couple weeks now. I absolutely love this app, and I give it credit for getting me in the kitchen more here lately. The recipes usually take slightly longer than predicted in the app, but everything has tasted absolutely amazing. You can set your preferences: Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Less Meat, or All. The app allows you to make a meal plan for the week, and the Pro version allows you to select Favorites you can return to again and again. You can check out my full review of Mealime Pro here.
Forks Over Knives ($4.99)
I love apps that make me pay one time, up front and then continue to offer more and more features without charging extra. Subscriptions are great but we can only afford so many. Forks and Knives is a one-time upfront price for all the amazing features and recipes. Based on the documentary and diet of the same name, this app focuses on whole ingredients. The app has both extensive and “Quick meals”. One thing it allows me to do that Mealime doesn’t is browse through and search for recipes. There’s also a community tab where you can see what recipes other users of the app have recently favorited.
Garden Plate (Free)
Garden Plate offers a free and Pro ($2.99) version; I like, however, that its Pro version is a one-time fee of $2.99. Garden Plate has a good selection of recipes, but if you aren’t used to a very healthy lifestyle, it may be too much. The app consists of vegan and vegetarian recipes, offering a few raw recipes as well. It’s lovely to try some dishes perhaps you wouldn’t typically have tried and stepping outside your food comfort zone. But for the day-to-day meals, most people will want an additional app with wider variety. For those who want to seriously step up their health game, try it out.
Food Fix Up ($2.99)
This app looks beautiful and you get everything in a one-time fee just like with Forks Over Knives. The app’s recipes are all gluten, dairy, and refined-sugar free. That doesn’t mean it’s vegan—the focus isn’t on sticking religiously to one lifestyle or another, rather it asks you to listen to your body and eat accordingly. All the food consists of whole, healthy ingredients, and they are mouth-watering. Think salads are boring? Not in this app! For $2.99, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Fit Men Cook ($2.99)
Regardless of your gender, the Fit Men Cook app has features and recipes everyone can appreciate. This app focuses on meal prep, which means cooking a couple days a week in order to have healthy food ready everyday. It’s also geared towards fast and affordable recipes and provides detailed nutritional information. Each recipe has a how-to video and the app connects with your Apple Watch for easily checking off your grocery list as you shop.
