Mealie Account Setup Guide
Mealie is a self-hosted recipe manager and meal planner. No external account needed - create your account directly on this server!
Creating Your Account
Step 2: Sign Up
On the login page, look for "Create Account" or "Sign Up"
- Enter your desired username
- Enter your email address (optional but recommended for password recovery)
- Create a strong password
- Confirm your password
Step 3: Login
Use your credentials to log in to Mealie
Getting Started with Mealie
Step 4: Add Your First Recipe
There are multiple ways to add recipes:
- Import from URL: Paste a recipe URL and Mealie will auto-extract it
- Manual Entry: Create a recipe from scratch
- Bulk Import: Import multiple recipes at once
Step 5: Organize Recipes
Keep your recipes organized:
- Create categories (e.g., "Breakfast", "Desserts", "Quick Meals")
- Add tags for easy searching
- Rate your recipes
- Add notes and modifications
Step 6: Meal Planning
Plan your meals for the week:
- Go to "Meal Planner" in the sidebar
- Drag and drop recipes onto calendar days
- Generate shopping lists automatically from your meal plan
Key Features
📖 Recipe Management
- Import from popular recipe websites
- Store unlimited recipes
- Add photos and nutrition information
- Scale recipes up or down
🛒 Shopping Lists
- Auto-generate from meal plans
- Check off items as you shop
- Share lists with family members
- Organize by store sections
📅 Meal Planning
- Weekly/monthly calendar view
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Export meal plans
- Set recurring meals
👥 Multi-User Support
- Create multiple user accounts
- Share recipes between users
- Set permissions (admin/user)
- Family-friendly collaboration
Pro Tips
- Browser Extension: Install the Mealie browser extension for one-click recipe imports
- Mobile App: Use Mealie on your phone while cooking (responsive web design)
- Recipe Sharing: Share recipe links with friends and family
- Backup: Export your recipes regularly to keep a backup
- Custom Foods: Add custom ingredients for better nutrition tracking
Importing Recipes
Mealie can import from most major recipe websites including:
- AllRecipes
- Food Network
- Serious Eats
- Bon Appétit
- NYT Cooking
- And hundreds more!
Simply paste the URL and click "Import" - Mealie handles the rest!
Troubleshooting
Can't create account?
- Make sure you're using a unique username
- Password must meet minimum requirements
- If signup is disabled, contact the admin
Recipe import not working?
- Try copying the recipe manually
- Some websites block automated scraping
- Check that the URL is for a specific recipe, not a recipe list
Additional Resources