Creating Your Own Recipes

Build recipes from scratch in Platebreaker with automatic nutritional analysis powered by USDA FoodData Central.

How to Create a Recipe

Navigate to “My Recipes” in your profile
Tap “Create New Recipe”
Fill in the recipe details (see sections below)
Save and use in meal planning

Recipe Details

Basic Information

Recipe name:

Choose a descriptive name (e.g., “Grandma’s Lentil Soup”)
Make it searchable for later

Servings:

How many portions does this recipe make?
You can adjust this later when meal planning

Meal type: (optional)

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or dessert
Helps organize your recipe collection

Cuisine: (optional)

Italian, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, etc.
Makes recipes easier to find

Prep & cook time: (optional)

Helps with meal planning
Filter recipes by how much time you have

Adding Ingredients

Search for ingredients:

Type the ingredient name (e.g., “chicken breast”)
Platebreaker searches USDA FoodData Central
Select the closest match

Specify amounts:

Enter quantity (e.g., 200)
Choose unit (grams, cups, ounces, etc.)
Platebreaker converts to standard units automatically

Cooking method:

Raw, boiled, steamed, fried, baked, etc.
Affects nutrient retention calculations
Platebreaker applies USDA retention factors

Tips for accurate nutrition:

Use specific ingredient descriptions (e.g., “chicken breast, skinless” vs. “chicken”)
Weigh ingredients when possible (more accurate than volume)
Include cooking oils and fats—they add calories and nutrients

Cooking Instructions (Optional)

Add step-by-step directions:

Helps you remember how to make it
Share with family members
Not required for nutritional calculations

Tags & Categories (Optional)

Add tags to organize your recipes:

Dietary preferences: vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo
Occasions: quick weeknight, meal prep, entertaining
Seasonal: summer, fall, winter, spring

Nutritional Calculations

Platebreaker automatically calculates nutrition for your recipe:

Per serving based on the servings you specified
Per 100g for easy comparison
All 65 tracked nutrients with default targets
Plus additional nutrients from USDA data

What’s Calculated

Energy (calories)
Macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat)
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
Amino acids
Fatty acid breakdown
Fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol

How Rankings Are Calculated

Once you create a recipe, it receives a ranking score just like any other recipe:

Based on your current nutritional needs
Updates as you add meals to your planner
Appears in search results alongside curated recipes

Editing Your Recipes

You can always edit your recipes:

Update ingredients or amounts
Change cooking methods
Adjust servings
Nutrition recalculates automatically

Your recipes are private: Recipes you create are only visible to you. They won’t show up in other users’ searches.

Exception: Professional chefs and verified recipe creators can publish recipes that appear in public search results.

Coming soon:

Share recipes with family members using family profiles
Export recipes to share outside Platebreaker

Best Practices

Accuracy Tips

Weigh ingredients: More accurate than measuring cups
Include everything: Don’t forget oils, butter, seasonings with sodium
Specify cooking methods: Affects nutrient retention
Use detailed ingredient names: “Olive oil, extra virgin” vs. “oil”

Organization Tips

Name consistently: Use a naming pattern (e.g., “Meal Type - Main Ingredient - Style”)
Add tags: Makes recipes easier to find later
Note serving sizes: Helps with meal planning
Add photos: (Coming soon) Visual reminders of your creations