Food Cooking Tips & Techniques Recipe Prep 8 Meal Planning Apps That Can Simplify Every Dinner Use these smart meal planning apps to turn every meal into something you'll truly enjoy eating. By Grace Elkus Grace Elkus Grace Elkus is a food writer and editor with over a decade of experience in culinary media. Highlights: * Associate food editor at Real Simple, where she developed recipes, wrote food stories, and assisted with styling * Deputy food director at Kitchn, where she and her team were responsible for 100 recipes a month * Currently the content lead for JOKR Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines and Lauren Phillips Lauren Phillips Lauren is a former editor at Real Simple and currently serves as a senior digital editor for Better Homes & Gardens. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 15, 2024 Would you like to put an end to haphazardly thrown together meals? Fortunately, there are many apps that focus on the organizational aspect of meal planning. The best ones store recipes, offer suggestions, and maintain grocery store lists—all while making sure you always have an answer to, "What's for dinner tonight?" Certain apps even go above and beyond dinner, with suggestions for breakfast and lunch (including packing lunches to go to school or the office). A good meal planning app can limit the shopping and planning options and make it all feel manageable. Take a look at these top meal planning apps and decide which might work for you. These apps are all free (though some offer in-app purchases), so you can test them to make sure your new cooking assistant is the right fit. 01 of 08 Mealime Meal Plans & Recipes itunes.com This free meal-planning app available on iOS and Android devices (with no in-app purchases) offers healthy recipes, grocery lists, and more. It allows you to filter by eating restrictions—think low-carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, and more—and prioritizes meals that cook in 30 minutes or so. The grocery lists are even optimized to reduce the amount of time you spend at the supermarket, so the whole process, from planning to shopping to cooking, takes up less of your time. 02 of 08 Cozi itunes.com This easy-to-use app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, features a streamlined Recipe Box, which allows you to transfer recipe ingredients to your in-app grocery list. The list is accessible to every family member, meaning anyone can swing by the store to shop. Once you start dinner prep, turn on Cozi's Cooking Mode, which keeps your screen lit so you don't have to touch it with dirty fingers. Genius! 03 of 08 LaLa Lunchbox itunes.com This adorable app, which is available on iOS devices, takes the stress out of packing lunches by getting kids involved in choosing their meals. (The app makes planning into a fun feed-the-monster game.) New dietary-specific bundles ensure that every kid, no matter their allergies or dietary restrictions, can use LaLa Lunchbox. 04 of 08 BigOven Recipes & Meal Planner itunes.com With a database of more than one million recipes, there's no shortage of inspiration in this app, which is available on iOS and Android devices. Seasonal collections featured on the home screen ensure you're using the freshest in-season ingredients. Our favorite feature of BigOven? The Use Up Leftovers tool, which suggests a recipe you can make with the three ingredients you enter. 05 of 08 Paprika Google Play If you're in search of an app to streamline meal planning, look no further than Paprika, which is available for iOS and Android devices. Whether you're planning lunches for the week or feeling ambitious with a month-long meal prep, Paprika has you covered. You can save your favorite recipes and personalize them with additional text or photos, which will then seamlessly import into your grocery list. And, of course, there's even a timer feature to assist you when it's time to start cooking. 06 of 08 Eat This Much Google Play Eat This Much, which is available for iOS and Android devices, is a great app for those trying to practice mindful eating. Taking into consideration your daily caloric intake, dietary preferences, budget, and schedule, the app generates a personalized meal plan so you can achieve your fitness goals. What's more convenient is that you can view the nutrition information of your meals. 07 of 08 PlateJoy Google Play Another great tool for those seeking healthier eating habits, PlateJoy (available for iOS and Android devices) offers meal plans created by nutritionists, so you're sure to follow a balanced diet that doesn't compromise taste. In addition to its recipe database and grocery list generator, the app also caters to a variety of dietary preferences, including those who are diabetic or need to follow a low FODMAP plan. 08 of 08 Prepear Google Play If you're a social media enthusiast, Prepear may be the app for you. Its "discover" feature, similar to Pinterest, allows you to explore and save recipes directly into your personalized in-app cookbook. The app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, also partners with food bloggers to create new recipes, so you're sure to be eating something tasty at all times. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit