NYT Cooking Recipe Scraper

Search public NYT Cooking recipe pages or scrape direct cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/... URLs. Records include the recipe name, URL, description, author, rating, timing, nutrition, ingredients, instructions, and publication dates when exposed by the page's public structured data.

The Actor does not bypass subscriptions, authentication, paywalls, robots restrictions, or other access controls. A blank result can mean no matches, an unavailable page, or a changed source layout; run diagnostics are stored in the OUTPUT key-value record.

Input

• searchQuery — optional search text; defaults to chicken.
• recipeUrls — optional list of direct public NYT Cooking recipe URLs.
• maxResults — total record cap, 1–100.
• maxSearchPages — search page cap, 1–10.
• includeDetails — include ingredients and instructions, default true.
• requestDelayMs — delay between crawl phases, 250–5000 ms.

Output

One homogeneous dataset item per recipe. The OUTPUT key-value record contains counts and warnings.

Pricing

Event	Price	Description
Recipe found	$0.003	One validated recipe record saved to the dataset

The run displays its maximum possible recipe-event cost before crawling. Apify's automatic Actor-start event, if enabled in the pricing configuration, is separate. Users can set a per-run maximum charge in Apify.

Respect NYT Cooking's terms, copyright, and access policies. Store only data you are authorized to use.

Use cases

• Schedule repeatable collection and export results to downstream workflows.
• Run a one-off research job and export the structured result as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS from Apify.
• Schedule the same input to monitor changes over time and send completed datasets to a webhook or integration.
• Feed schema-shaped records into a database, spreadsheet, BI tool, or AI workflow with the source URL retained for verification.

Input example

{
  "searchQuery": "chicken",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "maxSearchPages": 3,
  "includeDetails": true,
  "requestDelayMs": 500
}

Run NYT Cooking Recipe Scraper with the Apify API

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('muhammadafzal/nyt-cooking-recipe-scraper').call({
  "searchQuery": "chicken",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "maxSearchPages": 3,
  "includeDetails": true,
  "requestDelayMs": 500
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

You can also run the Actor from Apify Console, schedules, webhooks, the REST API, Make, Zapier, n8n, or the hosted Apify MCP server.

Reliability and limitations

Public websites and upstream APIs change over time. Start with a small result limit, inspect the dataset and run log, and keep a known-good input for scheduled canary runs. A valid query can return no records when the source has no matches. If a run is blocked, rate-limited, or missing an expected field, reduce concurrency or scope where the input supports it and include the run ID in a support report.

The Actor does not guarantee that every optional field is present on every record. Treat absent values as unavailable from that source response, not as proof that the real-world value does not exist.

Responsible use

Use this Actor only for data you are authorized to access. Follow the target website's terms, robots and access policies, and applicable privacy, database, copyright, anti-spam, and data-protection laws. Do not use it to bypass authentication or other access controls, collect private data, harass people, or make high-impact decisions without independent verification.

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule NYT Cooking Recipe Scraper?

Yes. Use an Apify schedule to run the same saved input at a chosen interval, then connect a webhook or integration to process the dataset when the run finishes.

How should I test a new input?

Begin with the prefilled example or a small limit. Confirm that the output fields, source coverage, runtime, and live charges match your workflow before increasing the scope.

How do I export the results?

Open the run's default dataset in Apify Console and export JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS. Applications can retrieve the same records through the Apify API client or REST dataset endpoint.

Can an AI agent call this Actor?

Yes. Add muhammadafzal/nyt-cooking-recipe-scraper through the hosted Apify MCP server or call it through the API. The Actor's input and dataset schemas help agents construct valid requests and interpret returned records.