TheMealDB

Food & Drink

Meal Recipes free API

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📚 Documentation & Examples

Everything you need to integrate with TheMealDB

🚀 Quick Start Examples

TheMealDB Javascript Examplejavascript

// TheMealDB API Example
const response = await fetch('https://www.themealdb.com/api.php', {
    method: 'GET',
    headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

Exploring TheMealDB API using JavaScript

Are you a food enthusiast who wants to explore different recipes and cuisines? Look no further than TheMealDB API! This public API offers a diverse collection of recipes, ingredients, categories, and more.

To get started, here are some examples of how to use TheMealDB API in JavaScript.

Getting Started — Test API Key "1" (No Signup Needed)

TheMealDB is free to start with no registration. During development or for educational use, put the test key 1 directly in the request path:

// Search meals by name using the free test key "1"
const res = await fetch('https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/search.php?s=chicken');
const { meals } = await res.json();

The base URL pattern is https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/, where the 1 is the shared test key.

When you need your own key: If you publish a public app (for example on an app store) or want premium features — multiple-ingredient filters, listing the full database instead of the first 100 results, and the v2 endpoints — you must become a supporter. Sign up via PayPal/Patreon on https://www.themealdb.com/api.php and they email you an upgraded key, which replaces the 1 in the URL path. For prototypes, side projects, and learning, the test key 1 is all you need.

1. Getting all categories

fetch('https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/categories.php')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data.categories))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

This code sends a request to the API endpoint that returns all available categories. The response is then parsed into JSON and logged to the console.

2. Searching for meals by name

const keyword = 'chicken';

fetch(`https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/search.php?s=${keyword}`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data.meals))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

In this example, we're fetching all meals from the API in which the name contains the keyword chicken. The search term is passed as a query parameter in the API endpoint.

3. Getting a random meal

fetch('https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/random.php')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data.meals[0]))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

With this code, we can fetch a random meal from the API. The response object contains an array of one meal, which is then logged to the console.

4. Getting meal details by ID

const mealId = '52772';

fetch(`https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/lookup.php?i=${mealId}`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data.meals[0]))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

This example shows how to get the details of a particular meal using its ID. We're fetching the meal whose ID is 52772 and then logging its details to the console.

5. Getting meals by ingredient

const ingredient = 'chicken';

fetch(`https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/filter.php?i=${ingredient}`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data.meals))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

Finally, we have an example of fetching meals by their ingredient. In this case, we're fetching all meals that include the ingredient chicken. The response object contains an array of meals that are then logged to the console.

These API examples demonstrate the vast amount of data that you can access from the TheMealDB API. Hopefully this inspires some creative recipe discovery for you. Happy cooking!