User guide

Follow these steps in order to go from a new account to a printed grocery list. Each step shows what you'll see. If something doesn't go as expected, see Troubleshooting at the end.

1. 1Create your account

   Select Get started on the home page. Sign up with your email address and a password, or continue with Google or Apple.

   • If you sign up with email, we send you a code. Enter it to verify your email address and finish creating your account.
   • Next time, select Sign in and use the same email or the same Google or Apple account.
   

2. 2Add your family

   Go to Family. Enter a name (up to 50 characters), check the restrictions that apply to that person, and select Add family member. To change someone later, open their name and select Edit.

   • Allergies (the EU's 14 allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame, celery, mustard, lupin, sulphites and molluscs) are hard rules: every meal in your plan is checked against them. You can also type up to 5 other allergies per person; those are checked by ingredient name and by AI, which is less certain than the check of the listed allergens.
   • Diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, halal) are followed too; when only some of your family follow a diet, they get their own version of a meal.
   • Basic plans meals for up to 2 family members and Premium for up to 5. If you have more members saved than your plan covers, everyone stays saved and you choose who new meal plans are for.
   • MealNest AI doesn't give medical advice and can't guarantee a meal is safe for a medical condition. It checks ingredient names, not brands, "may contain" labels or cross-contact, so always check each product's label and a recipe's ingredients for your family's needs.
   

3. 3Fill your pantry

   Go to Pantry and add what you already have at home. Your meal plan prefers these ingredients, and they're left off your grocery list.

   • Type an item's name and select Add. As you type, matching common items are suggested.
   • Select Add common items to pick several of 60 everyday items at once, grouped by category.
   • To remove an item, select Remove next to it and confirm.
   • Your pantry holds up to 100 items, with names up to 50 characters. Items are listed alphabetically.
   

4. 4Generate your meal plan

   Go to Meal Plan and select Generate my meal plan. MealNest AI builds a week of meals around your family's restrictions and your pantry.

   • It usually takes 30 to 60 seconds. You can leave the page and come back; the plan keeps generating.
   • If it takes longer than usual, or doesn't finish, see Troubleshooting.
   • Each meal shows an estimate of the calories in one serving. It is a rough guide, not exact nutrition data.
   • Day 1 is the day the plan was made. Choose how to see the week at the top of the plan: By day, By meal or Today. Your choice is kept on every device.
   

5. 5Read the recipes

   Each day's card shows the meal's name and a short description. Select View recipe to see the ingredients and the steps.

   • When some of your family follow a diet, the card can include a version of the meal for them, labeled with the diet (for example, "Vegetarian version").
   

6. 6Get a new plan

   Select Regenerate, above or below your meals on the Meal Plan page, to replace your plan with a new one, built from your family and pantry as they are now. The previous plan isn't kept.

   • On Basic you can get a new plan every 7 days; on Premium and during the free trial, once a day. Until then, the button shows how long is left.
   • Changed your family or pantry? They're used the next time you generate a plan.
   

7. 7Check your grocery list

   Go to Grocery List to see everything this week's meals need, with the quantities from each recipe.

   • Anything in your pantry is left off. If everything is already in your pantry, the list tells you there's nothing to buy.
   

8. 8Print it or save it as a PDF

   Select Export to PDF below your meals on the Meal Plan page to print the whole week's recipes. On the page that opens, check Include grocery list to add the list at the end, then select Export to PDF. To print only the grocery list, select Export to PDF on the Grocery List page, then Export to PDF again.

   • Your browser's print window opens. Choose a printer, or choose Save as PDF to keep a copy.
   

9. 9Switch the language

   Use the flags at the bottom of any page to switch between English and Spanish. Your choice is saved to your account.

   • A meal plan stays in the language it was generated in. Generate a new plan to get recipes in the other language.
   • Pantry items you added from the common items switch language too; items you typed stay as you wrote them.
   

10. 10Manage your account

    Open Account from the menu at the top. You'll see your plan and its limits, a link to the Help Center, Sign-in settings and the option to delete your account. During your 14-day free trial you choose Basic or Premium here, billed monthly or yearly. Once you've subscribed, select Manage subscription to change or cancel your plan.

    • In Sign-in settings, select Manage sign-in settings to change your email address or password, connect Google or Apple, or see the devices where you're signed in.
    • To sign out, open the Account menu at the top and select Sign out.
    • To delete your account, select Delete my account and then Confirm delete. This permanently deletes your account and your data, and can't be undone.