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Importing Recipes

Updated

Opening the importer

  • iPhone and iPad: in the Library, tap + and choose Import from Link or Photo.
  • Mac: click the Import button at the top of the sidebar, choose File > Import Recipe…, or press ⇧⌘I.

The importer has three sources, chosen with the control at the top: Link, Text and Image.

Paste the address of a recipe page and tap Import Recipe. If there's a link on your clipboard when you open the importer, Sprig fills it in for you.

Sprig works through the page in this order:

  1. Recipe data on the page. Most recipe sites include structured recipe data. Sprig reads the title, ingredients, steps, times, servings and photo straight from it. This is the fastest and most accurate route.
  2. Apple Intelligence. If the page has no recipe data, as with many blogs and pages built with JavaScript, Sprig pulls out the readable text and asks Apple Intelligence on your device to find the recipe in it.
  3. Page text. If Apple Intelligence isn't available, Sprig looks for ingredient lines and numbered steps in the text itself.

While it works you'll see what it's doing, for example "Reading structured data…" or "Extracting with Apple Intelligence…".

If none of these finds a recipe, Sprig tells you it couldn't find one on the page. Try copying the recipe text and using Text instead.

From pasted text

Choose Text and paste a recipe from Notes, Messages, an email or anywhere else. Sprig finds the ingredients and steps automatically. The text needs to be at least a few lines long before the Import Recipe button becomes available.

From a screenshot or photo

Choose Image, then Choose Screenshot or Photo and pick an image from your library. This works with:

  • screenshots of recipes from apps and social media
  • photos of cookbook pages
  • handwritten recipe cards

Sprig reads the text in the image on your device and turns it into a structured recipe.

Reviewing before you save

Every import ends on the Review Import screen, where you can change anything before it goes into your library.

At the top you'll see:

  • a confidence badge showing how sure Sprig is about what it found
  • how the recipe was read: From site data, Apple Intelligence, From page text or From image

When confidence is lower, Sprig suggests giving the ingredients and steps a quick look. Edit whatever needs fixing and tap Save to Library. The new recipe opens straight away.

The review screen works like the normal recipe editor. See Library & Editing for how the ingredient and step fields work.

Restoring a backup

To bring in a whole library you exported from Sprig earlier, use Import from Backup… in Settings on the Mac. See Settings, Sync & Privacy.