Epicurious Recipes Scraper

Extract complete recipe datasets from Epicurious in a structured, analysis-ready format. Collect titles, ingredients, instructions, times, servings, ratings, publishing metadata, and source links at scale. This actor is ideal for food trend analysis, content planning, and recipe intelligence workflows.

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Features

• Comprehensive recipe records — Collects rich fields for each recipe, including ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions
• Category-driven collection — Start from your preferred Epicurious collection URL and tag records by recipe type
• Pagination support — Continues across list pages until your requested result target is reached
• Flexible output depth — Choose full detail extraction or URL-only collection for faster runs
• Internal deduplication — Automatically removes duplicate recipe URLs in every run

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Use Cases

Recipe Research

Build a high-quality recipe dataset for culinary trend exploration, ingredient pattern analysis, and niche cuisine tracking.

Editorial Planning

Collect recipe structures, themes, and tags to inform newsletters, blog calendars, and content strategy for food brands.

Competitive Intelligence

Monitor how recipe styles, timing, and metadata evolve across categories to support product or media decisions.

Structured Data Pipelines

Feed standardized recipe data into spreadsheets, BI tools, or downstream automations for reporting and enrichment.

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrl	String	Yes	https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/our-favorite-vegetarian-recipes	Epicurious collection or search URL where extraction begins
recipeType	String	No	"vegetarian"	Label added to records for easier categorization
results_wanted	Integer	No	20	Maximum number of recipes to collect
max_pages	Integer	No	10	Safety cap for listing pages
collectDetails	Boolean	No	true	When enabled, collects full recipe details; when disabled, returns URL-focused records
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{"useApifyProxy": false}	Proxy configuration (disabled by default)

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Output Data

Each dataset item can contain:

Field	Type	Description
title	String	Recipe title
author	String	Recipe author or contributor
description	String	Recipe summary text
recipe_type	String	Category label from input
ingredients	Array	Ingredient lines
ingredients_count	Number	Number of ingredients
instructions	String	Instructions joined as a single string
instructions_list	Array	Step-by-step instruction list
prep_time	String	Preparation time
cook_time	String	Cooking time
total_time	String	Total recipe time
servings	String	Yield/serving information
difficulty	String	Difficulty indicator derived from available rating context
category	String	Recipe category (when available)
cuisine	String	Cuisine type (when available)
tags	Array	Recipe tags/keywords
image_url	String	Main recipe image
date_published	String	Publish date
date_modified	String	Last modified date
rating_value	Number/String	Rating value
rating_count	Number/String	Rating/review count
rating_best	Number/String	Best rating value
rating_worst	Number/String	Worst rating value
nutrition	Object	Nutrition block (if available)
article_body	String	Long-form body text (if available)
alternative_headline	String	Alternate headline text
is_accessible_for_free	Boolean	Accessibility flag when provided
url	String	Canonical recipe URL
scraped_at	String	ISO timestamp of extraction
_source	String	Source domain identifier
raw	Object	Additional non-empty source fields for advanced analysis

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Usage Examples

Basic Collection

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/our-favorite-vegetarian-recipes",
  "recipeType": "vegetarian",
  "results_wanted": 20
}

Vegan Category Collection

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/easy-vegan-recipes",
  "recipeType": "vegan",
  "results_wanted": 40,
  "max_pages": 12,
  "collectDetails": true
}

URL-Only Fast Run

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/vegetarian-recipes",
  "recipeType": "vegetarian",
  "results_wanted": 100,
  "collectDetails": false
}

Proxy Configuration

{
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

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Sample Output

{
  "title": "Chicken Tikka Masala",
  "author": "Julie Sahni",
  "description": "A classic and aromatic curry recipe.",
  "recipe_type": "vegetarian",
  "ingredients": [
    "1 cup plain yogurt",
    "2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated",
    "1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken"
  ],
  "ingredients_count": 3,
  "instructions": "Whisk the marinade. | Coat the chicken and rest. | Simmer sauce and combine.",
  "instructions_list": [
    "Whisk the marinade.",
    "Coat the chicken and rest.",
    "Simmer sauce and combine."
  ],
  "prep_time": "PT20M",
  "cook_time": "PT40M",
  "total_time": "PT1H",
  "servings": "4 servings",
  "tags": ["Indian", "Dinner", "Spicy"],
  "image_url": "https://assets.epicurious.com/photos/example.jpg",
  "date_published": "2024-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
  "rating_value": 4.8,
  "rating_count": 125,
  "url": "https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-tikka-masala-51171400",
  "scraped_at": "2026-02-28T10:30:00.000Z",
  "_source": "epicurious.com"
}

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Tips for Best Results

Start With a Focused Collection URL

• Use category-specific pages for cleaner datasets
• Prefer active, frequently updated collections

Keep Initial Runs Small

• Begin with results_wanted: 20 for validation
• Increase gradually for production jobs

Use Proxies for Reliability

• Residential proxy settings help maintain consistent collection quality
• Keep pagination limits realistic for faster completion

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Integrations

• Google Sheets — Export and review recipe data in spreadsheets
• Airtable — Build searchable recipe intelligence bases
• Make — Trigger workflows after each run
• Zapier — Connect results to business tools
• Webhooks — Deliver data to custom systems

Export Formats

• JSON — Best for APIs and apps
• CSV — Spreadsheet-friendly format
• Excel — Reporting and business analysis
• XML — Structured system exchange

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many recipes can I collect?

You can collect as many as available from your chosen pages, constrained by your results_wanted and max_pages settings.

Can I run this on multiple categories?

Yes. Schedule separate runs with different startUrl and recipeType values, then merge datasets.

Why are some fields empty on certain recipes?

Some source pages do not provide every metadata field. Empty fields are expected when the source lacks that information.

How can I make runs faster?

Use collectDetails: false for URL-focused collection and lower result limits for quick checks.

Is duplicate prevention available?

Yes. Canonical URL deduplication is enforced internally on every run.

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Support

For issues or feature requests, use the support options in your Apify Console.

Resources

• Apify Documentation
• Apify API Reference
• Apify Scheduling

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Legal Notice

This actor is intended for legitimate data collection. You are responsible for complying with applicable laws and website terms.