Found a recipe in a video? Here's how to keep it.

What can be imported from a video or post

The importer reads what the creator wrote down, never the video itself. For each kind of link, that means:

• Instagram posts and reels: the caption.
• TikTok videos: the caption. The short links the TikTok app shares work too.
• YouTube videos and Shorts: the title and description.
• Pinterest pins: the recipe page the pin links to.

When the caption or description links to the full recipe on a recipe website, such as the creator's blog, that page is imported instead, and the video is kept as a link in the recipe's notes. When the caption is written out as a recipe, with an ingredient list and steps, it's read as it is. When it's looser, with amounts tucked into sentences, AI sorts it into ingredients and steps, and you check the result before anything is saved.

Step by step: paste the link

1. In Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, tap Share on the post and choose Copy link.
2. Open Import in Hedgehog Chef, paste the link on the Link tab and choose Import.
3. Check the preview: title, ingredients, steps and photo. Choose Review & edit to fix anything, or Save recipe.

The saved recipe links back to where it came from (the post, or the creator's recipe page with the video in its notes), names the creator when their name comes through, and uses the video's thumbnail as its photo when there isn't a better one.

Faster: share it straight from the app

Copying and pasting works everywhere. If you save recipes often, set up one of these once:

• Android. Install Hedgehog Chef from Chrome's menu, and it shows up in the share sheet. Share the post, pick Hedgehog, and the import starts on its own.
• iPhone. Add the “Save to Hedgehog” shortcut (the steps are in the app under Settings → API & shortcuts). It appears in the share sheet for links; in Instagram, TikTok and YouTube you may need to tap More or Share to… to reach it. The shortcut saves the recipe without the preview step, so give it a look afterwards.
• Claude. With Hedgehog Chef connected to Claude, send Claude the link and ask it to save the recipe. See how to plan meals and shop with Claude.

When there's no recipe to import

Plenty of recipe videos never write the recipe down: it's said out loud or flashed on screen. Those can't be imported: the importer doesn't listen to the audio, read text off the screen or download captions. Instead of guessing, the import says there's no recipe in the post, so you're not left with a half-invented one.

What you can do:

• Look for the written version. Check the comments and the creator's profile link; some post the full recipe on their own site. Import that link instead.
• Type it as you watch. Open Import → Text, jot down the ingredients and steps, and let Read it for me sort them, or mark the lines yourself with Fill in by hand.

A few other things can get in the way:

• Instagram sometimes blocks the importer from reading a post. You'll be asked to open the post, copy the caption and paste it on the Text tab.
• A YouTube description that doesn't come through. If only the video's title could be read, copy the description and paste it on the Text tab.
• Private and deleted posts can't be read at all.

Tips for recipes that hold up

• Check the amounts. Caption recipes are often casual (“a splash of soy sauce”, “some garlic”). Pin them down in Review & edit while the video is fresh in your mind.
• Keep the video for technique. The post stays linked on the recipe page, so the knife work or the fold is a tap away when you cook.
• File them as you go. A binder such as “From TikTok” keeps saved videos together until you've tried them.
• Mind the AI setting. If you've turned AI off in Settings, captions written out as recipes and linked recipe pages still import; looser captions need AI, and each one counts toward your kitchen's daily AI imports (see pricing).

Recipe websites work the same way: paste the link, or use the bookmarklet on a computer. The import page lists every source, from cookbook photos to other apps' exports.