Quick answer: The Meal Planner lets you schedule what you’re cooking across the week — from saved recipes or custom entries like “takeout” or “leftovers.” Plan on iPhone, iPad, or the web; your plan syncs to the same account. You can also build a grocery list from planned recipe meals and share or copy your plan as text.
What you can do
- Add recipes from your saved library to specific days
- Add custom meals (no recipe required) — e.g. dinner out, meal prep, leftovers
- Organize by meal type — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and more
- Browse weeks — previous, current, and next week
- Create a grocery list from ingredients in planned recipe meals
- Share or copy your plan (iOS)
Meal planner data syncs between the iOS app and recipecloudapp.com when you’re signed into the same account.
iPhone and iPad
Open the meal planner
- Open the Recipe Cloud app.
- Tap Planner in the bottom tab bar.
- The screen title is Meal Planner.
You must be signed in to view and edit your plan.
Browse your week
- Use the week picker at the top to switch between Previous Week, This Week, and Next Week (tap the arrows on either side).
- Each day (Sunday through Saturday) shows as a collapsible section with the date (e.g. “May 10”).
- Meals are grouped under Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, and Other.
- Pull down on the list to refresh.
Add a meal
Tap Add Meal at the top, or the + button on a specific day. Choose:
From Saved Library
- Tap From Saved Library.
- Pick All Saved Recipes or a collection.
- Tap a recipe.
- On the Add Meal screen, set Date and Type (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, or Other).
- Tap Add.
Custom Meal
- Tap Custom Meal.
- Set Date and Type.
- Enter a name or note for the meal (e.g. “Pizza night” or “Leftovers”).
- Tap Add.
Add a meal from a recipe
While viewing any of your saved recipes:
- Open the recipe’s more menu (⋯).
- Tap Meal Planner.
- Set the date and meal type, then tap Add.
Edit or remove a meal
Tap a meal card to open Edit Meal. You can:
- Change the date or type
- Tap Update to save
- Tap Remove to delete the meal from your plan
- For recipe meals, tap the recipe card to open the full recipe
More options (⋯ menu)
Tap ⋯ at the top right of the meal planner:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create Grocery List | Pull ingredients from planned recipe meals into your grocery list |
| Share Plan | Share the current week’s plan via the iOS share sheet |
| Copy Plan | Copy the plan as plain text to the clipboard |
Create a grocery list from your plan
- Tap ⋯ → Create Grocery List.
- Choose:
- Create from this week — uses the week shown in the picker, or
- Select date range... — pick start and end dates, then tap Continue.
- In the Ingredients sheet, review ingredients grouped by recipe. Tap items to select or deselect; use Select all / Deselect all per recipe.
- Tap Add to Shopping List.
Ingredients are collected from recipe-based meals in the date range. Custom meals without a linked recipe won’t add ingredients.
Open your list from the Shopping tab.
Web app
Open the meal planner
- Go to recipecloudapp.com and sign in.
- Click Meal Planner in the top navigation (or open
/meal-planner/).
You must be signed in to use the planner.
Layout overview
The planner has two main areas:
- Left sidebar — your saved recipes (filter with the All My Recipes dropdown or a collection)
- Calendar — your week view with scheduled meals
On smaller screens, the calendar switches to a list-style week view with mobile-specific controls.
Navigate weeks
Use prev, next, and today in the calendar toolbar to move between weeks.
Add a recipe to your plan
Desktop (drag and drop)
- Find a recipe in the left sidebar.
- Drag it onto a day on the calendar.
- The meal is added to that day. Click it to set Meal Type (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Other) and save with Update.
Mobile / narrow screens
- Tap + on the day you want.
- Choose Add Recipe To Plan.
- Pick a collection, tap a recipe, then set Meal Date and Meal Type on the Add Meal screen.
- Tap Save.
You can also open the week ⋯ menu and choose Add Recipe to Plan.
Add a custom meal
Desktop
- Click an empty area on a day in the calendar to open Add Custom, or use the week menu on mobile.
Mobile
- Tap + on a day.
- Choose Add Custom Meal.
- Enter a name, pick Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Other, and tap Save.
Edit or remove a meal
Click or tap a meal on the calendar to open the edit panel. From there you can:
- Change Meal Type
- Tap View Recipe (for recipe meals)
- Tap Update to save changes
- Tap Remove to delete the meal
On desktop, you can also drag meals to another day to reschedule.
Create a shopping list from your plan
- Click Add to Shopping List in the calendar toolbar (or Create Shopping List from the mobile week menu).
- In the Shopping List modal, set Start date and End date.
- Click Get Ingredients.
- In the Ingredients modal, check the items you want and click Add to Shopping List.
Only ingredients from recipe-based meals in that date range are included.
Filter recipes in the sidebar
Use the dropdown at the top of the sidebar to show All My Recipes or a specific collection when picking meals to add.
Tips for a better planning workflow
- Link recipes, not just names — grocery list generation works from saved recipes with ingredient lists. Custom text entries won’t contribute ingredients.
- Check both platforms — a plan started on the web appears on your phone after sync (and vice versa).
- Set meal types — Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner labels make the plan easier to read and share.
- Review before shopping — deselect pantry staples you already have in the ingredient picker before adding to your list.
Plan limits
Free accounts have limits on how many recipe-based meals you can add per day on the meal planner. If you hit a limit, Recipe Cloud will prompt you to upgrade to RecipeCloud Plus for unlimited meal planning. Custom meals may have different rules than linked recipes.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to try |
|---|---|
| Planner is empty after signing in on a new device | Pull to refresh (iOS) or reload the page (web). Confirm you’re on the same account. |
| No ingredients in grocery list | Planned meals must be linked to recipes with ingredients. Custom meals won’t appear. |
| Can’t add more recipe meals | You may have reached your plan’s daily limit; upgrade to RecipeCloud Plus or remove an existing meal. |
| Drag-and-drop doesn’t work (web) | Drag-and-drop is for desktop-sized screens. On mobile, use + → Add Recipe To Plan. |