# Half Lemons: Recipe Generator — Find recipes by ingredients

> Recipe generator using available ingredients, with pantry tracking and grocery lists. (iPhone/iPad app by Theodore Goodman.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/half-lemons-recipe-generator/id1539975398 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Theodore Goodman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1519553241)
- Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 159 App Store ratings · 88 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 61 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2020-11-12
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/half-lemons-recipe-generator/id1539975398/reviews.md

## What is Half Lemons?

Half Lemons is a recipe app for everyday cooking that serves up recipes using the ingredients you have at home. Make deciding what’s for dinner a no brainer. Get hundreds of creative recipes using the ingredients you have on hand. No trips to the store necessary.  
 
The App at a Glance:
 
* Your digital pantry.
 
Enter the ingredients you have at home with an easy tap interface. We keep track of them from one meal to the next.
 
* Hundreds of recipes with no missing ingredients
 
Recipes you can actually make with the things you have on hand. No missing ingredients. No funky substitutions needed. And definitely no trips to the store!
 
*Always on app-screen
 
When you follow a recipe, your phone will never go dark. No more chicken juice fingers trying to open your phone.
 
* Filter recipes by key ingredient
 
Want to use up the last chicken thighs? Or maybe your fresh cilantro is starting to look tired. No problem! Filter recipes using any ingredient in your kitchen.
 
*Grocery lists.
 
See a recipe you want to make? Missing a few ingredients? Automatically add them to a grocery list.
 
 
* Save recipes you want to make
 
If a recipe looks good save it for later. If you loved it and want to make it again save it. No limits!
 
* All recipes are hand-picked with at least 4 stars and up
 
 
* Thousands of recipes from the best sources & food bloggers
 
Recipes are sourced from favorites like: NYT Cooking, Half Baked Harvest, Epicurious, Smitten Kitchen, Skinny Taste, BBC food, Jamie Oliver and so many more great bloggers.


Our terms of use: https://www.halflemons.com/terms-of-use

## Key features

- Ingredient-based recipe generation
- Digital pantry tracking
- Filter recipes by key ingredient
- Automatic grocery list creation
- Save favorite recipes
- Always-on app screen during recipes

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Pro Access | $0.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Pro Access | $3.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Pro Access | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Pro Access | $29.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Pro Access | $49.95 | one-time |


## What do users think of Half Lemons?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 💡 Innovative ingredient-based recipe filtering
- 🍽️ High-quality curated recipes from multiple sources
- 💰 Saves money by using existing ingredients
- ♻️ Reduces food waste effectively
- ⏱️ Saves time on meal planning
- 🎨 Beautiful and aesthetically pleasing design
- 📱 Well-designed user experience
- 🔍 Filters recipes by dietary restrictions
- 💾 Saves pantry list for future use
- 🌟 Consistently delicious and simple recipes

**Cons**

- 💳 Aggressive paywall and subscription model
- 📉 Limited recipe collection compared to competitors
- 🔧 Poor technical implementation and bugs
- 🚫 Severe limitation on free recipe saves (only 3)
- 👥 No account sharing or multi-user support
- 🌍 Limited ingredient database variety
- 🔐 Login restricted to Apple ID only
- 📱 Inconsistent app performance
- 🔄 Search functionality not working properly
- 🌐 English-only language support

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App stuck on false 'no internet connection' error
- Search returns irrelevant results (e.g., only French fries)
- App crashes or freezes on startup
- Pantry feature no longer functional after updates
- Inconsistent recipe suggestions despite ingredient input

**Most requested features**

- Multi-language support (Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, French)
- Account sharing for families and partners
- Star/rating system for recipes
- Recipe favoriting and saving functionality
- Cloud sync across multiple devices (iPhone, iPad)
- Expanded ingredient database with more variety
- Alternative login methods beyond Apple ID
- Search functionality for pantry ingredients
- Donation/tip jar option
- Expanded Asian produce and recipe options
- Regional ingredient name variations (e.g., arugula/rocket)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 88)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/half-lemons-recipe-generator/id1539975398/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Lamb

*2025-02-09, version 1.7.7*

This is easy and delicious

### 2/5 — Not very robust

*2025-01-12, version 1.7.67*

Was looking for a solution to replace Yummly when they shut down the app. This isn’t it. The recipe collection is lackluster.

### 1/5 — Good idea, not accomplised

*2024-12-28, version 1.7.65*

Its computer programming is as bad as their English.
Nice idea, really lovely goals, but their command of computering is close to Zero. I can imagine a nice 10-year-old boy (not a native speaker of English) creating his first app. If so, it is a great achievement.
As an app, I am afraid, it is merely an attempt.

### 2/5 — Ruined by subscription model

*2024-06-22*

I was one of the earliest users of this app, and the app was one of my staples in the kitchen. However most of the features have become paid and I cannot even save my pantry for free anymore. I wish there was a way to revert the update and go back to the older version As such, the free version of this app is of no use anymore and I cannot recommend it to anyone.

I understand that server costs need to be paid, but this shouldn’t be at the cost of features experienced by old users. Perhaps make new features paid but don’t ruin the original experience

### 5/5 — Always wanted an app for this!

*2023-12-02, version 1.7.56*

Absolutely love this app. Chef kiss! Highly recommend.

### 1/5 — You can only save 3 recipes???

*2023-10-27, version 1.7.56*

I’ve been looking for another app to replace Yummly because everything is behind a paywall now and saw a few people recommend this app. The interface is nice and it looks clean and is simple to navigate. It also looks like it has a lot of cool recipes. However, why on earth can you only save 3 recipes at a time without upgrading?? I’d love to keep recipes in one place so I can make them later but I guess that’s not an option unless you want to pay.

### 5/5 — I love to cook and this is fabulous!

*2023-07-08*

This app is for all chefs! It is so neat to be able to put in the ingredients you have on hand and find killer recipes you can make. Love that the app pulls recipes from many different sources so their is a lot of variation. Also you can see recipes that normally have a pay wall which is awesome!

### 3/5 — Seems Great but No Sharing Option

*2023-07-05*

This app seems wonderful but the reality of living with a partner is shared cooking and groceries. Because this app can’t link accounts (don’t see it as a paid feature) and only allows login via Apple (can’t use a shared email account across two phones) it becomes essentially unusable when living with another person. Even though it looks wonderful, I will have to use an option that gives me some way of managing my pantry across multiple iOS accounts.

### 5/5 — so underrated!!

*2022-11-21, version 1.7.4*

omg i absolutely love this app! when i searched for an app like this i didn’t expect to find exactly what i wanted! it’s so simple to use and has beautiful meals with features that makes life easier for you,  i can’t believe this app isn’t viral yet but i know it will be very popular very soon and i’m so pleased with everything on half lemons!

### 5/5 — Finally… a really good …

*2022-03-29, version 1.5.5*

app for really good home meals! Thank you!!

## Frequently asked questions about Half Lemons

### What does Half Lemons do?

Half Lemons is a recipe app that generates recipes based on the ingredients you have in your home. It helps you decide what to cook, prevents food waste, and eliminates the need for extra grocery trips by suggesting meals you can make with what's on hand.

### How does the digital pantry feature work?

The app allows you to easily input the ingredients you have at home using a tap interface. It then keeps track of these ingredients for you, making it simple to see what you have available for meal planning and recipe generation.

### Can I filter recipes by specific ingredients?

Yes, you can filter recipes by key ingredients. This is useful if you want to use up a particular item you have, like chicken thighs or fresh cilantro, ensuring you find recipes that utilize those specific items.

### Is Half Lemons free to use?

The app is free to download and use, with options for in-app purchases. This model allows users to access core features without upfront cost, with additional benefits available through optional purchases.

### What kind of recipes can I find?

You can find hundreds of creative recipes that are guaranteed to be makeable with the ingredients you have. All recipes are hand-picked, have at least a 4-star rating, and are sourced from popular and reputable food bloggers and publications.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.8.0 — 2025-12-02

Sexy new animations while editing your Pantry.

### 1.7.79 — 2025-11-14

We now support iOS 26! It's a thing of beauty.

### 1.7.78 — 2025-10-28

The Pantry is simpler! Sexier. And less busy. Also - Search is easier.

### 1.7.77 — 2025-10-26

Fixed a bug that was breaking the Upgrade flow. And improved the empty states in the Search and Saved Recipes lists.

### 1.7.75 — 2025-06-17

A whole new way to find recipes. Introducing our Search tab!.

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## More apps by Theodore Goodman

- [Streak Pulse](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/streak-pulse/id1548193772)
- [Dinners](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dinners/id6476162177)
- [Swink: Find Tennis Partners](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swink-find-tennis-partners/id6757252344)

All apps by Theodore Goodman: https://appshunter.io/developer/1519553241

## Related topics

[ingredients recipe](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ingredients-recipe) · [recipes by ingredients](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/recipes-by-ingredients) · [recipe generator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/recipe-generator)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*