Recipe app migration
Bring your recipe collection to Schmaus
Keep the collection you already built. Export it from Paprika, Mealie, Tandoor or Nextcloud Cookbook and import the supported archive directly into Schmaus.
Which recipe apps can Schmaus import from?
Schmaus directly reads Paprika .paprikarecipes and .paprikarecipe files, Tandoor export ZIPs, old and new Mealie export ZIPs, Nextcloud Cookbook export ZIPs, and Schmaus export ZIPs without AI credits. Schema.org recipe JSON and saved HTML can go through normal AI-assisted recipe creation.
Use the original export, not screenshots of your library
A recipe app already stores titles, ingredient lines, steps and other fields in a structured form. Its export keeps far more of that structure than a set of screenshots. Schmaus therefore has a separate archive importer for supported formats. It parses the files directly rather than asking AI to reconstruct every recipe.
Direct archive import does not use AI credits. It is designed for a collection move, while photo and PDF import is designed for unstructured paper or document sources. One archive can contain up to 500 recipes; larger libraries can be split into separate exports.
- Paprika: .paprikarecipes archives and individual .paprikarecipe files.
- Tandoor: standard export ZIPs, including individual recipe exports.
- Mealie: export ZIPs from both older and newer layouts.
- Nextcloud Cookbook: its recipe export ZIP layout.
- Schmaus: the ZIP produced by Schmaus export, including its lossless re-import data.
A careful migration in three steps
First, create a fresh export in the source app and keep an untouched copy somewhere safe. Then open recipe creation in Schmaus and select that backup file by itself. Do not attach a second archive, extra documents or explanatory text to the same import. One clear archive at a time makes format detection reliable.
When processing finishes, the imported recipes appear together. Review the result before deleting anything from the old app. Different products store categories, notes, nutrition, images and ingredient units in different ways, so no cross-app migration should be treated as proof that every field has the same meaning.
- Export from the source app and preserve the original backup unchanged.
- Import that file alone in Schmaus and let the archive finish before starting another.
- Compare a varied sample: a simple recipe, one with images, one with notes, and one with unusual units or sections.
What happens to unsupported files
CSV exports and proprietary backups from apps such as Recipe Keeper or Copy Me That are not direct archive formats in Schmaus. Renaming a file to .zip does not convert it. If the source app can export schema.org JSON or HTML with embedded recipe data, add that file through normal recipe creation. This route may use AI credits, so test a sample before moving a large collection.
For a small number of remaining recipes, use normal recipe creation with copied text or screenshots. That route uses AI because the material is no longer a supported structured archive. Review each result as you would a scanned cookbook page.
You can take your recipes out again
Schmaus export is a dual-format ZIP. It contains schema.org JSON in a layout understood by tools such as Tandoor, Mealie and Nextcloud Cookbook, plus a lossless Schmaus section for an exact re-import, including pictures. The open part makes the collection useful beyond one app; the Schmaus part preserves app-specific detail.
Keep periodic exports as backups, especially after a large migration or a long round of edits. A tested export is more useful than assuming any account or device will always remain available.