Can You Add Recipes to Noom? Yes, Here's How

January 9, 2026 •

4 min read

According to user forums and Noom's own support pages, manually adding custom recipes is a standard feature. So, can you add recipes to Noom? The answer is a clear yes, and the process is straightforward once you know where to look within the app.

Quick Summary

Noom allows users to create and save their own custom recipes for easier food logging. The process involves entering individual ingredients and saving the compilation as a 'Saved Meal' or 'My Dish,' which can then be logged quickly with the correct serving size on subsequent occasions.

Key Points

Yes, you can add recipes: Both iOS and Android versions of the Noom app allow users to create and save their own recipes.
The feature is 'Custom Meals' or 'Saved Meals': You add the ingredients individually and then save the entire compilation as a single dish for easy re-logging.
Log ingredients once, use repeatedly: Creating a custom meal saves you from manually entering each ingredient every time you eat a home-cooked dish.
Method differs slightly by OS: iOS users typically use the 'My Meals' section, while Android users must use the 'More' button after logging a meal to save it.
Accurate tracking is a key benefit: Saving custom recipes ensures you get a precise caloric and food color breakdown for your homemade meals.
Be mindful of editing limitations: On Android, you may have to delete and re-create a custom meal to make changes, whereas iOS allows for editing.
Saved recipes are found in a specific location: On Android, look for the 'steaming pot' icon to find your previously saved dishes.

Adding Your Own Recipes to Noom: A Complete Guide

Noom provides a vast database of pre-loaded recipes for its users, but what about those delicious, healthy meals you prepare at home? The good news is that the app offers a simple way to create and log your own dishes. This feature is essential for anyone who cooks frequently and wants to maintain accurate, detailed food tracking without manually entering every ingredient, every time.

The Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Custom Noom Recipe

Creating a custom recipe in Noom is more intuitive than you might think, though the exact steps can vary slightly between iOS and Android. Fundamentally, you log a collection of ingredients for one meal and then save it as a reusable 'custom meal' or 'dish'.

For iOS Users:

Open the app and tap the 'Log Your Meals' task card.
Select the meal type (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack).
Tap 'My Meals' at the top of the screen, then 'Add a New Meal'.
Name your dish and add all the ingredients, searching for each one individually.
Set the total number of servings for the entire recipe after adding all ingredients.
Save the meal to your list for future use.

For Android Users:

Go to the 'Log your meals' section and choose the meal type.
Enter the ingredients individually for your recipe.
After logging the meal, go to the 'Analysis' or confirmation screen.
Tap 'More' in the top-left corner and select 'Add to Saved Meals'.
Name your meal and save it. It will appear under the 'steaming pot' icon next time you log food.

Why Logging Custom Recipes is Crucial for Noom Success

Manually tracking homemade meals, even when the components are relatively standard, can be time-consuming and tedious. By saving your own recipes, you are building a personalized database of your most-eaten meals. This has several key benefits:

Saves Time: Instead of a lengthy search, you can log a familiar dish in just a few taps.
Enhances Accuracy: The detailed initial entry of ingredients and serving sizes ensures you have accurate nutritional information and color-coding for that meal, which is often more precise than guessing or using a generic, similar-sounding food from the main database.
Reinforces Learning: The process helps reinforce your understanding of ingredient caloric density and Noom's food color system, making you more mindful of your food choices over time.
Reduces Friction: Fewer barriers to tracking means you are more likely to stay consistent with your logging, a cornerstone of the Noom program.

Comparison: Custom Recipes vs. Pre-loaded Noom Recipes


Feature	Custom Recipes (User-Created)	Pre-loaded Noom Recipes
Setup Effort	Requires initial manual entry of all ingredients, including quantities and serving sizes.	Instantly available within the app; simply search and log.
Nutritional Accuracy	Based on exact ingredients and portions used, leading to high precision.	Created by Noom's nutritionists and accurately calculated for easy logging.
Customization	Highly customizable. You can adjust ingredients and serving sizes to fit your specific needs.	Limited customization. You can adjust serving size, but not ingredients directly.
Food Color Analysis	Provides a full green, yellow, and orange breakdown (on iOS and specific Android methods).	Full breakdown is provided automatically upon logging.
Time Efficiency	More time-consuming initially, but very fast for repeat logging.	Fast to log immediately, but only for the pre-existing recipe.

Expert Tips for Noom Recipe Logging

Prep Your Ingredients: Before creating a new recipe in Noom, measure and weigh your ingredients. This ensures the most accurate calorie and food color breakdown.
Name Clearly: Use specific, descriptive names for your custom meals (e.g., "Turkey Chili, 6 servings") so they are easy to find and identify later.
Use the Recipe Database First: If you're using a common recipe, it's worth a quick search of Noom's pre-loaded recipes first. It might save you the work of manual entry if a similar one already exists.
Don't Forget the 'More' Button: On Android, saving a meal is not immediately obvious. Remember to hit the 'More' button on the meal analysis screen after adding all ingredients to save your recipe.
Re-save for Updates: If you change an ingredient or a portion in an existing custom meal, remember you'll likely have to save it as a new recipe or delete and recreate it. On Android, you cannot edit custom meals once created. On iOS, you can edit saved meals.

Conclusion: Personalizing Your Noom Experience with Custom Recipes

The ability to add recipes to Noom is a powerful tool that helps personalize your weight loss journey. By moving beyond the app's standard database, you can accurately track your favorite homemade meals with ease. This functionality not only saves time but also promotes a deeper understanding of the nutritional content of the food you love to eat. Embracing custom recipes is a significant step toward making Noom a sustainable and integrated part of your long-term healthy lifestyle. This feature turns a chore into a seamless habit, allowing you to focus more on the psychological aspects of mindful eating that Noom emphasizes.

Explore more food tracking features on Noom's official support page.

Frequently Asked Questions

To create a recipe on Android, first log all the individual ingredients for your meal. On the meal analysis screen, tap the 'More' button in the top-left corner and then select 'Add to Saved Meals.' Name your recipe and save it for future use.

For iOS, begin by tapping 'Log Your Meals' and select a meal type. Tap 'My Meals' at the top, then 'Add a New Meal.' Enter all ingredients, set the total number of servings, and tap 'Save Meal' to save it.

Yes, if you enter all the ingredients individually and then save the meal, Noom will provide a full green, yellow, and orange food color breakdown for that custom recipe.

The ability to edit custom meals varies by operating system. On iOS, you can typically edit a saved meal. On Android, it is often necessary to delete the old recipe and save a new one with the corrected ingredients.

Saved recipes are typically found in the 'My Meals' or 'Saved Meals' section of the food logging area. On Android, this can often be accessed by tapping a 'steaming pot' icon near the search bar.

Yes, recipes from the official Noom Kitchen cookbook are pre-loaded into the app, making them easy to search for and log directly from the recipe database.

No, you don't have to enter the total calories manually. If you log all the individual ingredients from the Noom database, the app will automatically calculate the total calories and nutritional breakdown for you.