How to save recipes from Instagram and TikTok and find them when you cook
You see a ten-minute lasagne reel, hit save, and on Saturday, pan in hand, it's nowhere among hundreds of saves. If your recipes are spread across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and screenshots, this guide is for you.
Scan it with your phone
Why saved recipes are so hard to find
- Instagram and TikTok saves mix recipes with everything else, and you can't search them by ingredient.
- Recipes from websites end up as browser bookmarks or open tabs.
- The ones family send you on WhatsApp get lost in the chat.
- Screenshots get lost in the gallery among every other photo.
A recipe book on your phone that sorts itself
In Linkalia, create a collection and add a category called Recipes (or Cooking). From then on, when you share a cooking reel or TikTok, Linkalia reads the title and description and, if it's about a recipe, puts it in Recipes on its own — even if the video never says “recipe”: ingredients or cooking words are enough.
Well-known recipe sites (Allrecipes, NYT Cooking, Cookpad, Cookidoo…) also go straight to Recipes.
How to save each recipe
- On Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or your browser, tap Share.
- Choose Linkalia.
- Tap “Save here” in your cooking collection.
It also works with the recipe PDF someone sends you on WhatsApp or the photo of grandma's handwritten recipe: they're saved as documents in the same collection.
Tips to find them when you cook
- Add a note with the key ingredients (“chicken, curry, 30 min”). Search also looks at your notes, so you can search by ingredient.
- Make your own categories: “Quick dinners”, “Desserts”, “For guests”, “Batch cooking”.
- Pin to the top the ones you make every week.
- It works offline: your recipe list is there even if the Wi-Fi is weak in the kitchen. (Playing the video still needs internet.)
A shared family recipe book
Share the collection as a Collaborative one and let everyone add their recipes: your partner, siblings or flatmates. Or as a Channel, if you're the one publishing and the rest just browse.
Frequently asked questions
How does Linkalia know a reel is a recipe?
It reads the link's title and description. If there's a clear word like “recipe” or “ingredients”, or two different cooking terms, it files it under Recipes. It only does this for items you haven't moved by hand.
Is the video saved?
The link is saved with its title, image and description. The video plays from Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.
Can I save recipes from websites?
Yes. In your browser tap Share and choose Linkalia; the best-known recipe sites go straight to the Recipes category.
Your recipes, organised and at hand when you cook. Linkalia is free.
Scan it with your phone