apps that…by

Crouton

An app that imports recipes from sites, books and photos.

Health & foodRecipe keepersMeal plannersFree plan+2 more
Get CroutonBuild your own recipe appFree plan

What Crouton does

Crouton is a recipe manager and cooking companion for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. You bring in recipes from websites, cookbooks and photos, plan meals, make grocery lists and cook with a step mode that runs timers for you. It syncs through iCloud.

Import from websites, cookbooks and photos
Step mode with timers taken from the recipe
Meal plans and grocery lists
Follow recipe blogs by RSS feed
Bluetooth scale and temperature probe support
iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch

Crouton is made by a small team and feels built by people who cook. You can import recipes from websites, scan pages from a cookbook, or use AI to read a photo of a recipe. Everything syncs through iCloud, so your recipes show up on every Apple device you own.

The kitchen side is where it shines. Step mode shows one instruction at a time and picks up the times written in the recipe as timers. It can make grocery lists, help you plan meals, follow recipe blogs through their feeds, and even connect to Bluetooth kitchen scales and Combustion temperature probes.

It's Apple-only, with no Android or web version. The free tier caps how many recipes you can import, and extras like AI photo import sit behind the Discover subscription. If you're all-in on Apple and want a cooking companion more than a database, it's a great one to try.

Alternatives to Crouton

ReciMeSave recipes from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in one place
Recipe keepersMeal planners
Free, with paid extrasFree plan
View
AnyListA shared grocery list that also keeps your recipes
Grocery listsRecipe keepers
Free, paid from $9.99/yrFree plan
View
PaprikaYour recipe box, meal plan and grocery list, paid for once
Recipe keepersMeal planners
From $4.99 one-time
View
Samsung FoodSave recipes, plan meals and shop from one free app
Meal plannersRecipe keepers
Free, paid from $6.99/moFree plan
View
Plan to EatPlan your week from your own recipes, then shop from one list
Meal plannersRecipe keepers
From $5.95/mo14-day free trial
View
CookBookA private cookbook for recipes from social, sites and photos
Recipe keepersMeal planners
Free, paid from $6.99/moFree plan
View

Who it's for

Apple households who cook often
People who want hands-on help while cooking

Skip it if: Anyone on Android, Windows or the web.

Pricing

Free plan
Free, paid from $1.99/mo

Crouton is free to download, with a cap on recipe imports. Crouton Plus is a one-time $24.99 purchase. The Discover subscription, $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year, adds extras like AI photo import and a recipe feed. Optional tips are also available.

Prices can vary by country. Checked 19 Oct 2026.

What people like

  • Thoughtful cook mode with timers
  • Pay once for Plus, no subscription needed for the core app
  • Works on Apple Watch and Mac
  • Indie app that updates often

Watch out for

  • Apple devices only
  • Free tier limits recipe imports
  • AI photo import needs a subscription

Want a cooking helper that matches how you cook? Build your own.

Describe your app idea and Bilt builds it. Free to start, on your phone in minutes.

Start building free
Try this idea: “an app where I follow a recipe one step at a time and a timer starts whenever a step needs one”

Questions people ask

Is Crouton free?

You can start free, with limited imports. Crouton Plus is a one-time $24.99, and Discover is an optional subscription.

Is Crouton on Android?

No. It works on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

Does Crouton have a cook mode?

Yes. Step mode shows one instruction at a time and can start timers from the recipe text.