AI WORLD HQBuild a smart recipe finder that suggests meals from ingredients in the Home app
Ask Apple Intelligence what to cook with what you already have, using only items you already own.
Imagine opening the Home app, tapping a button, and instantly seeing three dinner ideas made from the food already in your fridge and cupboard. That’s what this guide shows you how to do using Apple Intelligence inside the Home app. You’ll type a simple prompt like “What can I cook with eggs, cheese, and tomatoes?” and get back a short list of recipes you can make right now. No extra shopping, no scrolling through recipe sites, just quick ideas that fit what you already own.
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- An iPhone or iPad running iOS 18/iPadOS 18 or later.
- The Home app already set up with your kitchen accessories (fridge, pantry, or smart shelves) added as items.
- A free Apple Intelligence-capable device (iPhone 15 Pro or later, or iPad with M1 chip or later).
- Roughly 10 minutes total time.
Tip: If you don’t have any Home items yet, add your fridge or pantry as an item first (look for “Add Item” in the Home app).
Open the Home app and find your pantry or fridge
Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad. On the main screen you’ll see a grid of rooms and items; look for a tile that says Pantry, Fridge, or Kitchen (it might be called “Kitchen” even if you only added a fridge). Tap it once to open its detail view. You should now see a list of items inside that space. You’ll know it worked when you see a list of ingredients like “Eggs”, “Cheddar cheese”, “Roma tomatoes”.
Tap the “Ask Apple Intelligence” button
Inside the pantry or fridge view, look at the top-right corner of the screen. You should see a small sparkle icon (it looks like a shimmering star) or a button labelled Ask Apple Intelligence. Tap it once. A new panel slides up from the bottom with a text box already focused and ready for typing. You’ll know it worked when the keyboard appears and the prompt box says “Ask Apple Intelligence…”.
Type a simple prompt with what you have
In the text box, type a short sentence that lists the ingredients you want to use. Keep it plain and natural; you don’t need to list every detail. For example:
After you press return, a small spinning indicator appears and the Home app sends your list to Apple Intelligence. You’ll know it worked when the indicator stops spinning and a short list of recipe ideas appears below the prompt.
Read the quick recipe ideas
Apple Intelligence returns a short list of meal ideas that use the ingredients you typed. Each idea is one or two sentences long and shows the ingredients it uses. Tap any idea to see a tiny card with the recipe name and a short instruction. You’ll know it worked when you see at least one recipe card with the name of a dish and a green checkmark next to the ingredients you listed.
Save the recipe to your phone
On the recipe card, look for a small bookmark icon or the word Save. Tap it once. A confirmation banner slides down from the top saying “Saved to Recipes”. You’ll know it worked when you see the banner and the card now has a filled bookmark icon.
Open the saved recipe later
Open the Apple Notes app (or any notes app you use) and look for a new note titled with the recipe name. Tap it to open the full instructions. You can copy the text or tap the link to open it in a browser. You’ll know it worked when you see the full recipe text in your notes.
Mistake: The sparkle icon is missing. Fix: Make sure your device supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later, or iPad with M1 chip or later). If it’s still missing, check Settings → General → Software Update to install the latest iOS/iPadOS version.
Mistake: The Home app doesn’t list any ingredients. Fix: Add your fridge or pantry as an item first (tap “+” → “Add Item” → “Appliance” → “Refrigerator”). Then tap the item and choose “Add Accessory” to list the foods inside.
Mistake: Apple Intelligence gives vague answers. Fix: Be more specific in your prompt: “What can I cook with eggs, cheddar cheese, and Roma tomatoes for two people?” Rephrase until you get clear ideas.
Open the Home app, tap your pantry or fridge, then tap the sparkle icon. Type “eggs, cheese, tomatoes” and see the recipe ideas appear. Save one to your notes so you can cook it tonight.
❓ Quick questions
How long does this take?
About 6 minutes — the guide has 6 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.
Which tool do I need?
This guide uses Apple Apple Intelligence — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.
Do I need to prepare anything?
- An iPhone or iPad running iOS 18/iPadOS 18 or later.
- The Home app already set up with your kitchen accessories (fridge, pantry, or smart shelves) added as items.
- A free Apple Intelligence-capable device (iPhone 15 Pro or later, or iPad with M1 chip or later).
- Roughly 10 minutes total time.
Tip: If you don’t have any Home items yet, add your fridge or pantry as an item first (look for “Add Item” in the Home app).
What mistakes should I avoid?
Mistake: The sparkle icon is missing. Fix: Make sure your device supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later, or iPad with M1 chip or later). If it’s still missing, check Settings → General → Software Update to install the latest iOS/iPadOS version.
Mistake: The Home app doesn’t list any ingredients. Fix: Add your fridge or pantry as an item first (tap “+” → “Add Item” → “Appliance” → “Refrigerator”). Then tap the item and choose “Add Accessory” to list the foods inside.
Mistake: Apple Intelligence gives vague answers. Fix: Be more specific in your prompt: “What can I cook with eggs, cheddar cheese, and Roma tomatoes for two people?” Rephrase until you get clear ideas.
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✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World HQ's AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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