Three recipes. One grocery list.

Three recipes can turn into a surprisingly messy shopping trip. One needs rice, another also needs rice, two use garlic, and the onions are measured in halves. If you simply copy every ingredient onto a list, you'll buy duplicates or spend the afternoon adding quantities in the supermarket.

A useful grocery list works backwards from the meals you actually plan to cook. It keeps the ingredient amounts attached to each recipe, combines what can safely be combined, and leaves room for items that have nothing to do with a recipe.

We'll walk through three illustrative recipes serving two each, and finish with one shopping list you can use. These are teaching examples, not exact recipe entries in supperz. The point is the calculation.

Step 1: Start with the ingredients for your chosen recipes

Decide on your meals and number of servings before combining anything. These simple meals use some of the same ingredients but still taste different.

Recipe A: Lemon-garlic chicken, broccoli and rice

Serves two. You'll need 350 g boneless chicken, 150 g dry rice, 250 g broccoli, 1 bell pepper, 2 garlic cloves, 1 lemon, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Cook the rice according to its package. Sauté bite-size chicken pieces with garlic and sliced pepper in oil until the chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F internally. Steam broccoli until tender. Serve over rice with lemon juice.

Recipe B: Black bean and pepper quesadillas

Serves two. You'll need 4 medium tortillas, 1 can black beans (about 400 g packaged weight), 1 bell pepper, ½ medium onion, 100 g shredded cheddar, 1 lime, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, salt and black pepper.

Soften chopped onion and pepper in oil. Add drained black beans and cumin, then fill the tortillas with the mixture and cheese. Fold and toast in a dry pan until the tortillas are golden and the cheese melts. Finish with lime.

Recipe C: Tomato-chickpea and spinach rice skillet

Serves two. You'll need 150 g dry rice, 1 can chickpeas (about 400 g packaged weight), 1 can chopped tomatoes (about 400 g), 100 g spinach, ½ medium onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.

Cook the rice. In a skillet, soften the onion with oil and garlic. Add tomatoes with their liquid, drained chickpeas and paprika; simmer until heated through, then wilt in the spinach. Serve over rice.

Notice the repeated ingredients: rice appears twice, peppers twice, garlic twice, onion in halves, and olive oil in all three recipes. That's where a consolidated list starts to save effort.

Step 2: Add together matching ingredients

Make one row for each ingredient, and keep the units and form consistent. Write the amount from each recipe beside it before calculating the total.

These examples are straightforward because the recipes use the same form of each ingredient. If one recipe calls for a cup of cooked rice and another asks for 150 g of dry rice, don't simply add those numbers. Dry rice absorbs water during cooking. Keep the entries separate or convert using a reliable yield for the particular rice you're cooking.

The same applies to a whole fresh tomato versus canned crushed tomatoes, a clove of garlic versus a teaspoon of garlic powder, and 400 g of canned beans versus 400 g of drained beans. They aren't automatically interchangeable.

Step 3: Turn the totals into one organized grocery list

Now add the ingredients used by only one recipe and group everything by where you shop. This is the complete combined list for the three recipes, at two servings each.

For canned beans, a 400 g can typically includes liquid as well as beans. Both example recipes call for a whole can, drained, so you need one can of each variety—not necessarily 400 g of beans after draining. Use the chopped tomatoes with their liquid.

Separating produce, proteins, cans and pantry staples makes the list easier to scan in-store. Grouping is useful even if you don't walk the aisles in that exact order.

Step 4: Recalculate when you change servings

Suppose you're having two guests for the chicken and rice meal. You want four servings of Recipe A but still only two servings of Recipes B and C. Double every ingredient in Recipe A, then recalculate the shared totals. Don't double the whole shopping list.

The tortillas, black beans, chickpeas and cheese also remain unchanged. This is why serving sizes belong to individual planned recipes rather than one global multiplier.

Step 5: Check what you have before buying more

The recipe totals are what you need to cook. The shopping list is what you still need to buy. Those are different numbers.

For example, suppose the original two-serving plan needs 300 g dry rice and 2 peppers. If your cupboard already has 180 g of the right dry rice and your fridge has 1 fresh pepper, you only need to buy at least 120 g additional dry rice and 1 more pepper. The store may sell rice in larger packages, but the difference becomes pantry stock for later, not a recipe requirement.

Do a quick physical check rather than relying on memory. Confirm that ingredients are in usable condition and that the form matches what the recipe needs. A nearly empty jar of cumin may not contain the full teaspoon the plan calls for.

Step 6: Translate recipe amounts into practical store purchases

A recipe may call for four garlic cloves, but the shop sells whole bulbs. It might need 100 g cheese, while the smallest bag is 200 g. Your grocery list can show the required amount without pretending that exact quantity is available at checkout.

• Loose produce: Buy the number of peppers and onions you actually need when available.
• Packaged ingredients: Buy the nearest sensible size and plan another use for the remainder. Cheese and tortillas can often be stored or frozen according to package directions.
• Pantry staples: An extra bag of dry rice isn't waste if you'll use it next week. Still check that a larger package actually fits your budget and storage space.
• Perishables: Shop quantities you can use safely. Freeze extra raw chicken promptly if you won't cook it within its recommended refrigerated storage window.

Compare the unit price when deciding between sizes, but consider how much of the package you can realistically use before it spoils.

Step 7: Add normal groceries that aren't in recipes

Recipe ingredients aren't your entire grocery shop. Milk for breakfast, coffee, fruit, detergent and a few snacks may need to go on the same list. Add them after the recipe ingredients have been combined so you don't accidentally forget the usual household essentials.

Mark what you already have, carry over anything still needed, and check off purchases as you shop. If a planned meal changes, remove any ingredients no longer required by any remaining recipe and add those needed for the replacement.

If you want the complete process for a five-meal week, see our five-meal plan with its combined grocery list. For making a smaller household shop go further, see meal planning for two without wasting food.

How supperz does the recipe-to-grocery work

With supperz, you choose the recipes you want in your meal plan and select serving versions. The app uses the ingredients attached to those recipes to build a grocery list, helping you avoid copying each recipe into a separate note. You can add manual items alongside the generated ingredients and check off things while shopping.

The worked list in this article is an independent hand-calculated example; the grocery list you get from supperz will depend on the specific recipes and servings you select in the app. Always review the list before shopping, especially if you already have ingredients at home or need to confirm dietary restrictions.

Learn more about automatic grocery lists, meal planning and recipes. Our guide to meal-planning apps with grocery lists explains what to look for when comparing the tools themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Grocery lists from recipes FAQ