Import a recipe from a URL
Paste the link to a recipe published on the web and let AreaCacao go to the page, read it, and bring it back as an editable draft.
Is your recipe already published on a web page? Paste its link and we'll go to the page, read its ingredients, steps, and times, and bring you a draft recipe inside AreaCacao to review and adjust. It's the third way to import, alongside photo/PDF and CSV.
What does it solve?
When a recipe lives on a blog, a supplier's site, or a course page, copying it by hand—ingredient by ingredient and step by step—is slow. Here you just paste the link: we go to the page and pull the data for you. It doesn't replace your judgment—it's a starting point you review before you produce.
How do I get there?
In the sidebar, under FORMULATION, open Import recipes, Upload new tab. Right below the area for dragging images or PDFs you'll see the prompt "Is your recipe published on the web?" with the Import from a URL button. Clicking it opens the window where you paste the links.
Before you start: credits
Importing from a URL uses credits, but fewer than importing a photo. Before you confirm, the window shows you the exact cost of the import—around 8 credits per recipe. Treat that 8 as a reference: the figure that counts is the one you see on screen before confirming.
You're charged only if it works. If the page can't be read or isn't a recipe, you're not charged anything (full refund). So you can try a link without worrying about overspending.
Step by step
- Open Import recipes. Sidebar → FORMULATION → Import recipes, Upload new tab.
- Click "Import from a URL". It's below the drag-and-drop area, in the prompt "Is your recipe published on the web?".
- Paste the links. You can paste one or several at once (up to 5), one recipe per link. The window shows you the exact cost before you continue.
- Confirm. The import starts in the background: you can keep working in the meantime, you don't have to wait on this screen.
- Wait for processing. Each import appears in the list and updates on its own, moving from Processing to Ready. You don't need to reload.
- Open the recipe. When the import reaches Ready, click Open recipe. It opens in the recipe editor, where you review and save it.
Final saving doesn't happen on this screen. Importing from a URL creates the draft; you review and save it from the recipe editor, just like the other imports. That's why there's no "Save recipe" button here.
Status of each import
| Status | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Processing | We're going to the page and reading the recipe. You can keep working. |
| Ready | Recipe extracted; you can now click Open recipe. |
| Failed | The page couldn't be read or wasn't a recipe; you haven't been charged. |
URL imports also show up in the History, alongside the rest of your imports, with their status and warnings. See Import history.
Which pages work best
- Public pages. It works best with recipes on open pages, reachable without a password.
- We can't reach pages behind a paywall or a login. If the recipe requires signing in or paying to view it, we won't be able to read it. In that case, open it in your browser, take a screenshot, and import it as an image. See Import a photo or PDF.
- One recipe per link. If a page gathers several recipes, the result is cleaner when each link points to a specific recipe.
Common errors
- The page can't be read. This is usually because the recipe is behind a login or a paywall. You're not charged; import it as an image instead.
- It's not a recipe. If the link points to a page that doesn't contain a recipe (an index, an article, a store), the import fails without charging you. Check that the link goes straight to the recipe.
- You pasted more than five links. You can import up to 5 at once; split them into batches if you have more.