Don’t Let Meal Planning Ruin the Fun — These Apps Make It Easy
The holiday season brings so much joy, but it also comes with added meal planning stress.
Keeping track of everything can feel overwhelming between regular family dinners and special holiday meals.
I’ve tested dozens of meal planning apps over the years, and these five stand out for making food preparation significantly easier.
Each app offers unique features that can help you stay organized, reduce food waste, and actually enjoy whatever holiday season your celebrating, without the constant meal-related stress.
1. Plan to Eat (For Recipe Collectors and Organized Moms)
Plan to Eat shines if you’re the type of person who collects recipes from multiple sources and needs one central location to organize them.
This app lets you easily import recipes from websites, organize them into categories, and drag them directly onto a calendar for planning.
For special holidays, this feature is particularly helpful for scheduling when to make specific dishes.
Key benefits of Plan to Eat:
- Automatic shopping list organized by store section
- Recipe categorization for easy holiday meal finding
- Calendar view for planning your entire month
- Recipe scaling for different group sizes
2. BigOven (Perfect for Last-Minute Holiday Inspiration)
BigOven stands out for its massive recipe database (over 350,000 recipes) and its unique “Use Up Leftovers” feature.
This feature is incredibly useful during the holidays when you might find yourself with random ingredients or leftovers.
Simply enter up to three ingredients you have on hand, and BigOven suggests recipes to use them.
What you’ll love about BigOven:
- Huge recipe database for endless inspiration
- “Use Up Leftovers” feature prevents food waste
- Basic meal planning calendar
- Grocery list function
The free version includes basic features, while the Pro version removes ads and adds nutritional information – helpful when balancing out those holiday indulgences with healthier everyday meals.
3. Paprika (Great for Visual Meal Planners)
Paprika offers a one-time purchase model rather than a subscription, making it budget-friendly for long-term use.
What sets Paprika apart is its visually appealing interface and powerful recipe-scaling feature.
You can easily adjust serving sizes – perfect when cooking for varying numbers of holiday guests.
Standout features include:
- Pantry inventory system
- Smart timer function for multiple dishes
- Recipe scaling for different group sizes
- Beautiful visual interface
One of my favorite features is the smart timer function that allows you to set multiple timers for different dishes – incredibly helpful when coordinating complex holiday meals with multiple components.
4. Cozi Family Organizer (Best for Coordinating Meals and Schedules)
Cozi stands out as a comprehensive family organization tool that includes excellent meal planning features alongside a shared family calendar.
This integration makes it particularly valuable during the holidays when you’re juggling not just meals but also events, shopping trips, and visitors.
How Cozi makes holidays easier:
- Combined calendar and meal planning in one place
- Family sharing across all devices
- Automatic grocery list generation
- Storage for family favorite recipes
What makes Cozi especially useful for holiday planning is the ability to share everything with family members across different devices, helping everyone stay on the same page about meal expectations and responsibilities.
The basic version is free, while Cozi Gold removes ads and adds additional features like shopping list text messaging and birthday reminders.
5. AnyList (For Streamlined Grocery Shopping)
AnyList began as a grocery list app and expanded to include impressive meal planning features, making it particularly strong in the shopping aspect of meal preparation.
The app automatically organizes your grocery items by store section and learns your shopping patterns over time.
It also allows you to store price information for budget tracking – especially helpful during the holidays when expenses can add up quickly.
AnyList shopping advantages:
- Automatic aisle organization
- Real-time list sharing and syncing
- Price tracking for budget management
- Simple meal planning calendar
What truly sets AnyList apart is its excellent list sharing and synchronization.
Changes made by any family member update in real time, making it easy to divide and conquer holiday shopping tasks.
The free version includes basic features, while the Complete version adds recipe management and meal planning capabilities.
Practical Tips for Using Meal Planning Apps During the Holidays
Whichever app you choose, these strategies will help you maximize its benefits:
1. Plan in advance:
Set aside 15-20 minutes each weekend to plan the upcoming week’s meals, including any holiday preparations that can be done ahead.
2. Schedule prep days:
Use your app’s calendar to schedule specific prep tasks (like chopping vegetables or making dough) on less busy days.
3. Create holiday recipe collections:
Group your special occasion recipes together for easy access year after year.
4. Use the shopping list religiously:
Add items as soon as you think of them to prevent forgotten ingredients.
5. Schedule leftovers:
Deliberately plan meals that will use up holiday dinner leftovers in creative ways.
Comparing Costs and Features
| App | Price | Best Feature for Holidays | Available On |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan to Eat | $39.99/year | Recipe organization and meal calendar | Web, iOS, Android |
| BigOven | Free or $2.99/month | “Use Up Leftovers” tool | iOS, Android, Web |
| Paprika | $4.99 (one-time per platform) | Recipe scaling and multiple timers | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac |
| Cozi | Free or $29.99/year | Combined family calendar and meal planner | iOS, Android, Web |
| AnyList | Free or $9.99/year | Shopping list organization | iOS, Android |
Note: All prices mentioned were accurate at the time of publication. Please check each app’s website for current pricing.
Which App Is Right for You?
Choose the perfect app based on your biggest holiday challenge:
1. Choose Plan to Eat if:
You collect recipes from multiple sources and want powerful organization tools.
2. Choose BigOven if:
You value having access to a large recipe database and need help using up ingredients.
3. Choose Paprika if:
You prefer a one-time purchase and need good recipe-scaling options for varying group sizes.
4. Choose Cozi if:
You want to integrate meal planning with your family’s overall schedule and activities.
5. Choose AnyList if:
Your primary focus is on streamlining the grocery shopping process with excellent list sharing.
Digital Tools Can Help You Enjoy the Holidays — Not Just Survive Them
The right meal planning app does more than just organize your shopping list – it creates space in your life to actually enjoy the holiday season.
By reducing mental load and eliminating last-minute grocery store trips, these digital tools help transform holiday meal preparation from a source of stress to a manageable part of your celebration.
Remember that the best app is the one you’ll actually use consistently.
Start with the free version when available, and focus on the features that address your specific pain points in holiday meal planning.
Which of these apps seems like it would work best for your holiday planning style?
Or do you have another favorite meal planning tool I didn’t mention?
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