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Import a recipe from a video

If you spotted a recipe in a TikTok, YouTube short, Instagram reel, or any other video, Forktastic can extract the actual recipe — ingredients, quantities, and step-by-step instructions — directly from the video and its caption.

Under the hood, video imports use the same URL import flow, with extra processing to read the video content. You don’t need to do anything different; just paste or share the video link.

Step by step (share sheet — easiest)

This is the fastest way on iOS and Android.

  1. In TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or any video app, find the recipe video.
  2. Tap the Share button (usually an arrow icon).
  3. Find Forktastic in the share sheet. You may need to scroll or tap More to see it the first time.
  4. Tap it. Forktastic opens with the video URL pre-filled.
  5. Tap Import.
  6. Wait 15–30 seconds — video extraction takes longer than text-only URLs because the AI needs to process the audio and frames.
  7. Review the extracted recipe. Edit anything that looks wrong.
  8. Choose a cookbook, tap Save.

Step by step (manual paste)

If the share sheet doesn’t work for your app:

  1. In the video app, tap Share → Copy link.
  2. Open Forktastic, tap the Import tab.
  3. Tap From URL.
  4. Long-press the field → Paste.
  5. Tap Import.
  6. Continue from step 6 above.

What gets extracted

Forktastic pulls the recipe from three sources, in order of reliability:

  1. The caption. Most cooking TikToks and Reels list the full ingredients and instructions in the caption. If the caption has them, the AI uses that directly — extraction is fast and accurate.
  2. The audio. If the caption is sparse, the AI transcribes the spoken instructions (“First, add two tablespoons of olive oil…”).
  3. The video frames. As a last resort, the AI watches the video — useful for silent recipes shown only as on-screen text.

The result is a structured recipe with ingredients (quantities + units), step-by-step instructions, and the video’s thumbnail as the cover image.

What works well, what doesn’t

Reliably works:

  • TikTok cooking videos with full captions
  • YouTube cooking videos with descriptions or pinned-comment recipes
  • Instagram Reels with text overlays or detailed captions

Sometimes works:

  • Long YouTube videos where the recipe is buried in a 20-minute monologue (extraction picks the recipe but may miss subtle steps)
  • Videos with very fast cuts and no narration

Won’t work:

  • Private accounts you don’t follow (Forktastic can’t fetch the video)
  • Stories that have expired
  • Videos taken down by the creator after you shared the link

If extraction misses an ingredient or step, you can fill it in during the review screen or later by editing the recipe.

Forktastic extracts ingredients and instructions — the functional, non-copyrightable parts of a recipe — for your personal use. The original video and its creator’s voice/imagery aren’t stored. If you’d like to credit the source, the original URL is saved on each imported recipe so you can link back from your cookbook.

Free tier limit

Video imports count against your free 5-recipe quota. See Free vs Pro.