# Ica Scraper (`mrdoe/ica-scraper`) Actor

- **URL**: https://apify.com/mrdoe/ica-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [MrDoe](https://apify.com/mrdoe) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 1,000 recipe returneds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

![ICA Recipe Scraper - ICA recipe scraper showing ingredients, instructions and nutrition](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/ica-scraper--hero.png)

### What does ICA Recipe Scraper do?

ICA Recipe Scraper reads ICA.se's recipe category pages or exact recipe URLs and returns, for each recipe, the name, description, full ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, total cook time, serving yield, category tags, average rating and review count, calorie information, publish date and an image URL. Give it a category URL to discover recipes automatically, or exact recipe URLs for a direct lookup.

### Why use ICA Recipe Scraper?

- Covers ICA.se, Sweden's largest recipe site, with real ingredient and instruction data.
- Full step-by-step instructions, not just a title and photo.
- Includes rating, review count and calorie information per recipe.
- Works by category (auto-discovers recipes) or by exact recipe URL.
- No account or API key.

### What makes this different

Most recipe scrapers return only a title and image. This Actor returns the complete structured recipe - every ingredient, every instruction step, nutrition and rating - ready to use in an app or database without further parsing.

### Who can use the ICA Recipe Scraper and how?

- **Meal-planning apps:** Build a Swedish recipe database with full ingredients and instructions.
- **Food bloggers and content sites:** Source recipe ideas and structured data for a Swedish audience.
- **Nutrition trackers:** Pull calorie and nutrition data alongside full recipes.
- **Grocery list generators:** Extract ingredient lists to auto-generate shopping lists.

### How it works

![ICA Recipe Scraper workflow: your input, collection, output](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/ica-scraper--how-it-works.png)

1. **Your input** — add a category URL, or exact recipe URLs, plus a max results count
2. **The Actor collects it** — the Actor reads the category page to find recipes, then visits each one for full detail
3. **Your output** — you get one row per recipe, with ingredients, instructions and nutrition

### What data can you extract?

The dataset has 13 fields per row:

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `name` | string | Recipe name. |
| `url` | string | Recipe page URL. |
| `imageUrl` | string | Recipe image URL. |
| `description` | string | Recipe description. |
| `totalTimeMinutes` | number | Total cook/prep time in minutes. |
| `recipeYield` | string | Serving yield as shown on the page. |
| `recipeCategory` | string | Category tags, comma-separated. |
| `ratingValue` | number | Average rating. |
| `ratingCount` | number | Number of ratings. |
| `calories` | string | Calorie information as shown on the page. |
| `ingredients` | array | Full list of ingredients with quantities. |
| `instructions` | array | Step-by-step instructions, in order. |
| `datePublished` | string | Date the recipe was published. |

### How to use ICA Recipe Scraper

![ICA Recipe Scraper input form](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/ica-scraper--input.png)

1. Open the Actor and go to the **Input** tab.
2. Add a category URL (e.g. a dinner or dessert category) or exact recipe URLs under Start URLs.
3. Optionally set filters and a **Max results** limit.
4. Click **Start**. A default run finishes in under a minute.
5. Open the **Output** tab, then download the dataset or connect it to your tools.

### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `startUrls` | array | No | `[{"url":"https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/"}]` | One or more ICA.se (ica.se/recept) category URLs, or exact recipe URLs. |
| `maxItems` | integer | No | `20` | Maximum number of recipes to return, per category URL. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | No | `{"useApifyProxy":false}` | ICA's recipe pages work without a proxy for moderate volumes. Enable Apify Proxy for larger runs. |

### Output Data

![ICA Recipe Scraper dataset table](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/ica-scraper--output.png)

Each row is one recipe: name, description, full ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, cook time, yield, rating and nutrition.

![ICA Recipe Scraper field map of one record](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/ica-scraper--fields.png)

A real dataset item:

```json
{
  "name": "Korvstroganoff med ris",
  "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/korvstroganoff-med-ris-533512/",
  "imageUrl": "https://assets.icanet.se/t_ICAseAbsoluteUrl/imagevaultfiles/id_223427/cf_259/korvstroganoff_med_ris.jpg",
  "description": "Korvstroganoff är en lättlagad och välsmakande korvgryta med bland annat falukorv, lök, grädde och tomatpuré som passar bra som vardagsmidd…",
  "totalTimeMinutes": 30,
  "recipeYield": "4",
  "recipeCategory": "Huvudrätt,Middag,Lunch",
  "ratingValue": 4.3,
  "ratingCount": 2712,
  "calories": "661 calories",
  "ingredients": [
    "4 port ris eller annat gryn",
    "550 g falukorv eller kycklingstekkorv",
    "1 gul lök",
    "1 msk olja"
  ],
  "instructions": [
    "Koka riset enligt anvisningen på förpackningen.",
    "Skär korven i stavar. Skala och hacka löken.",
    "Stek korv och lök i oljan i en stekpanna ca 5 minuter. Tillsätt tomatpuré och fräs någon minut.",
    "Rör ner grädde, mjölk, soja och dijonsenap. Låt sjuda ca 5 minuter."
  ],
  "datePublished": "2006-06-26"
}
```

### Usage Examples

#### Scrape a category

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

#### Scrape an exact recipe

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/kladdig-kladdkaka-722982/"
    }
  ]
}
```

### Tips for Best Results

- Use a specific category URL (e.g. dessert, vegetarian) for more relevant results.
- Give exact recipe URLs directly when you already know them - it skips the category step.
- Default is 5 results for a fast test. Set the max to 0 to return everything available.

### Known Limitations

- Each category page returns the recipes shown on that page rather than deep pagination.
- Nutrition fields are only as complete as ICA itself publishes for that recipe.

### Integrations

Run it from the Apify API, on a schedule, or from a webhook. Send results straight to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, Slack or your own database with Apify's built-in integrations.

### Export Formats

Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML table or RSS from the **Output** tab or the API.

### Frequently Asked Questions

#### Does it need an ICA account?

No. The Actor reads ICA.se's public recipe pages and needs no account or key.

#### Can I get a specific recipe directly?

Yes - give its exact ICA.se recipe URL as a Start URL and it returns that recipe's full detail.

#### How many recipes does one category return?

Typically around 24 per category page, capped by your Max results.

#### Do I need an account or login?

No. The Actor reads public data and needs no account or key.

#### Am I charged for failed runs or empty results?

You are only charged for results that are actually written to the dataset.

#### Can I run it on a schedule?

Yes. Create a Task with your input and add a schedule in Apify Console. With monitor mode on, each scheduled run returns only what changed since the previous one.

### Enterprise and custom work

Need higher volumes, a custom output schema, dedicated scheduling or a no-breaking-changes commitment for a production pipeline? Open an issue on the Actor page and describe your use case. Bulk terms and custom builds are available.

### Support

Questions or a missing field? Open an issue from the **Issues** tab on this Actor's page and it will be looked at.

### Legal / Responsible Use

You are responsible for using the data in line with the source's terms and applicable law. The Actor collects publicly available data only and is not affiliated with the source.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

One or more ICA.se (ica.se/recept) category URLs, or exact recipe URLs.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of recipes to return, per category URL.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

ICA's recipe pages work without a proxy for moderate volumes. Enable Apify Proxy for larger runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/"
        }
    ],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("mrdoe/ica-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/" }],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("mrdoe/ica-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.ica.se/recept/middag/"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call mrdoe/ica-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,mrdoe/ica-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/YFO2ZT4Fqfm7HOeWt/builds/wHyMrxpLkGVQbI2zs/openapi.json