TheMealDB Recipes Scraper

TheMealDB Recipes Scraper

Scrape recipes from TheMealDB by name, category, cuisine, or ingredient, up to a million per run. Every recipe comes with its ingredients, instructions, image, and YouTube link. No API key. Export to JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML.

TheMealDB is a free recipe database with over 600 meals from around the world. This Actor reads its public API directly, so you can search by recipe name, browse by category, area, or ingredient, or pull random meals without registering for a key. Each result is returned as one flat row with the full ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, and media links.

Who uses it	What they scrape TheMealDB for
Food bloggers	Build a recipe index for their niche cuisine
Meal planning apps	Populate a database of recipes with ingredients and instructions
Data analysts	Study ingredient combinations across world cuisines
Chefs and cooking schools	Curate a teaching library of recipes by category

What it does

This Actor collects recipes from TheMealDB by search, category, area, ingredient, or random selection, and returns each recipe as one flat row.

• 🔍 Search by name: find recipes whose title matches your query, like Arrabiata or Chicken.
• 🗂️ Browse by category: get all recipes in a category such as Seafood or Dessert.
• 🌍 Browse by area/cuisine: filter by world cuisine like Italian or Japanese.
• 🥕 Browse by ingredient: list recipes that use a specific ingredient, e.g. chicken_breast.
• 🎲 Random meals: fetch random recipes for inspiration or sampling.
• 📋 List metadata: get all categories, areas, or ingredients available on TheMealDB.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with TheMealDB data

📚 Build a recipe database.

A food startup runs the Actor in allMeals mode to collect the full TheMealDB catalog and seed their app's recipe search.

🌍 Analyze world cuisines.

A data analyst uses byArea mode to pull all Italian recipes and compare ingredient frequencies against Japanese recipes.

🥗 Plan weekly menus.

A meal planning service uses byIngredient mode to find recipes that use ingredients their users already have.

🎲 Generate recipe ideas.

A cooking blog runs random mode daily to feature a surprise recipe and keep content fresh.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	TheMealDB's public API is free and open, so you can start scraping immediately.
Full recipe data	Each row includes the ingredient list with measures, step-by-step instructions, image URL, and YouTube link.
Flexible modes	Search, browse, or randomize to fit your data collection needs.
Scalable	Collect up to 1,000,000 recipes in a single run.

How it compares

This Actor covers all TheMealDB modes and returns complete recipe data, while competitors vary in their focus.

Feature	ParseForge	Themealdb Recipe Scraper	TheMealDB Recipe Database - Data Scraper	TheMealDB Recipe Scraper
Search by recipe name	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browse by category	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Yes
Browse by area/cuisine	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Yes
Browse by ingredient	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Random meals	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
List categories/areas/ingredients	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Full ingredient list with measures	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Step-by-step instructions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
YouTube link	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
No API key required	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Yes

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search term, a category, an area, or an ingredient, and set a maximum number of recipes to collect per run. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "mode": "byCategory",
  "query": "Chicken"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "mode": "byCategory",
  "query": "Chicken"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.01333 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$1.33
1,000 results	$13.33
10,000 results	$133.30

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the TheMealDB Recipes Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to TheMealDB through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/themealdb-recipes-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your query. For search mode, try a simpler term like Chicken. For browse modes, use exact values from the list modes, e.g. Italian for area or Seafood for category.

Why did the run stop before reaching maxItems?

TheMealDB may not have enough recipes matching your filter. Try a broader category or search term, or use allMeals mode to get the full catalog.

Why are some fields empty?

Not all recipes have a YouTube link or image. TheMealDB data is community-sourced, so some fields may be missing for certain recipes.

Can I get more than 600 recipes?

TheMealDB currently has around 600 recipes. If you need more, consider combining with other recipe sources or waiting for database updates.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need an API key to scrape TheMealDB?	No. TheMealDB offers a free public API, and this Actor uses it directly without any registration or key.
How many recipes can I scrape in one run?	You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The full TheMealDB catalog is around 600 recipes, so one run can collect everything.
What data does each recipe include?	Each recipe row includes the name, category, area, instructions, ingredient list with measures, image URL, and YouTube link if available.
Can I search by ingredient?	Yes. Use byIngredient mode and provide the ingredient name, like chicken_breast. The Actor returns all recipes that use it.
What is the difference between search and browse modes?	Search mode looks for recipes by name. Browse modes filter by category, area, or ingredient. Random mode returns random recipes.
Can I list all categories or areas?	Yes. Use categoriesList, areasList, or ingredientsList modes to get the available filter values.
What output formats are supported?	The Actor exports to JSON, CSV, Excel, and XML, so you can use the data in any tool.
Is the data from TheMealDB reliable?	TheMealDB is a community-maintained database. Recipes are generally accurate, but always verify before publishing.
Can I schedule this Actor to run regularly?	Yes. On Apify, you can schedule runs daily, weekly, or at any interval to keep your recipe data fresh.
Does this Actor scrape the website or use the API?	It uses TheMealDB's official public JSON API, which is faster and more reliable than scraping HTML.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by TheMealDB. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.