When I wrote the first version of this post on creating an accessible cookbook for low vision and accessing large print recipes in 2018, I considered myself someone who loved to bake but was still getting the hang of cooking for myself. After I was diagnosed with highly sensitive food allergies that make eating prepared meals from restaurants and grocery stores largely unsafe, I suddenly had to spend a lot more time learning how to cook, finding recipes with ingredients I was not allergic to, and exploring cookbooks and food blogs to recreate my favorite foods, as well as discover new favorites!
When I’m not reading about low vision accessibility/assistive technology, I am often reading cookbooks in large print, checking out new recipes, learning about different dishes, or talking to my friends and family about food in some capacity. Something that has been tremendously helpful is finding ways to index and save recipes so I can easily figure out what I want to eat next, or what to make based on the ingredients I already have. Here is a list of accessible cooking and recipe websites for low vision users that can be helpful for organizing recipes or finding new favorites, as well as ways to use other tools for creating and organizing accessible recipes.
Saving online recipes in a consistent format: Copy Me That
Copy Me That is a web application and mobile app that lets users save, edit, and organize recipes from any website and view saved recipes across multiple devices. Users can also add their own recipes to the website, with the option to share recipes publicly with other users. Recipes saved from other websites will include a link to the original website, formatted ingredients list, and step-by-step instructions copied directly from the original website. Recipes can be viewed in a two-column layout or vertical (single column) layout.
Copy Me That supports browser zoom and system font sizes, but I have had inconsistent experiences reading recipes with a screen reader. To read recipes with a screen reader, I recommend opening the Print Recipe feature to view a text version of recipes formatted as ordered/unordered lists.
Cost
Copy Me That is free up to 40 recipes. To save unlimited recipes, upgrade to the paid plan for $1 USD a month, $12 USD per year, or $65 USD for lifetime access. A single paid membership can be used across multiple devices that are signed in to the same account.
Related links
Save online recipes to app: Paprika Recipe Manager 3 App
The Paprika app is a mobile app and software for saving, editing, and organizing recipes, with options for adding recipes from the embedded web browser and adding recipes manually. Recipes saved from other websites will include a link to the original website, formatted ingredients list, and step-by-step instructions copied directly from the original website. No internet connection is required to view recipes
Paprika supports system font sizes and color schemes, and all text can be read with VoiceOver and TalkBack screen readers. There are also shortcuts to set a timer directly within Paprika for specific steps, such as a 30-second timer for using a stand mixer.
Cost
Each Paprika Recipe Manager app is sold separately and requires a one-time purchase of $5 USD. The desktop applications for Windows and Mac are $30 USD. Recipes can be synced across devices, though there is no web application for Paprika.
Related links
- Paprika Recipe Manager for iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows
- How To Use VoiceOver With Low Vision on iPad
Free online recipe manager: RecipeSage
RecipeSage is a personal cookbook and recipe scanner that offers a text-based option for saving, editing, and organizing recipes. Similar to CopyMeThat, recipes saved from other websites will include a link to the original website, formatted ingredients list, and step-by-step instructions copied directly from the original website.
RecipeSage supports browser zoom and offers additional font size customizations in settings, as well as several dark mode themes, but the recipe instructions and steps are not accessible for screen readers. Clicking/tapping on an ingredient or step will strikethrough the text, and currently recipes can only be viewed in a two-column layout.
Cost
RecipeSage is free and open-source; a free account is required for use.
Related links
Organize cookbooks and search for recipes: Eat Your Books
Eat Your Books is a recipe indexing platform that functions as a personal search engine for a user’s cookbook collection. Users can search for recipes by ingredient, recipe type, author, and more, as well as add personal notes and comments. Eat Your Books does not display recipes or specific ingredient quantities; it is designed to give users the information they need to find a recipe in a cookbook they already have. Many libraries also offer Eat Your Books access so users can search all available cookbooks at a particular library to find recipes or titles of interest.
Eat Your Books is a web application that can be used across multiple devices logged into the same account. Eat Your Books supports browser zoom, display scaling, and the option to view ingredients lists on the search results page. It is mostly keyboard accessible, but I recommend bookmarking the Bookshelf link to make it easier to search for recipes.
I download a lot of my accessible cookbooks from Bookshare, which is an online accessible library for people with print disabilities like visual impairment. I also use apps like Libby and the NLS library for finding cookbooks in accessible formats.
Cost
Eat Your Books offers a free membership for creating a searchable index with up to five cookbooks or magazines and unlimited online recipes, indexed blogs, and personal recipes. A full membership with unlimited cookbooks/magazines costs $5 USD per month or $40 USD per year.
Related links
- Eat Your Books
- Ten Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Bookshare
- Reading Magazines With The Libby App And Low Vision
- NLS at the Library of Congress – National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)
- Mainstream eReader Apps and Low Vision Accessibility
Voice recipes for blind and low vision users: Cookie Voice Recipes
Cookie is a voice-controlled cooking app for iOS that supports voice commands, AI features, hands-free control, and several accessibility features for blind and low vision users. Users can save recipes from any website and search for recipes directly within the app, as well as add their own recipes. Cookie reads recipes and ingredients step-by-step so users can navigate recipes at their own page. With Premium, there are options for importing recipes from social media platforms like Instagram, as well as using an OCR scanner tool for physical copies of recipes
Cookie is fully accessible with VoiceOver and supports dark mode, though it does not support large font sizes and restricts users to a two-column layout. However, the voice control and hands-free interface make it easier for users that are cooking without looking at the screen.
Cost
Cookie Voice Recipes offers a free plan with unlimited online/personal recipes. Cookie Premium offers AI-powered features like photo import and premium voices for $4 USD per month or $30 USD per year.
Related links
Add custom recipes as an Alexa skill: Alexa Skill Blueprints
There are a few smart speaker skills and Alexa skills that can be used for audio recipes and hands-free cooking, but they are often inconsistent across devices and can be challenging to use. With Alexa devices, the most reliable tool I have found for providing audio recipes is Alexa Skill Blueprints, which is a free official Amazon tool that allow users to create their own custom Amazon Alexa skills without coding. There are a few templates that can be useful for adding recipes, including:
- Custom Q&A: Custom Q&A will read an entire response at once, but this can be helpful for setting up custom answers to specific questions, reading short reminders, or similar.
- Task Tracker: Can be used to read a step-by-step list, where the user says yes after each item. The list will need to be reset each time, but this can be used for creating simple recipes.
- Roommate: Useful for creating custom questions and answers about where kitchen items are located or instructions on how to use specific appliances. This can also be used to provide cook times for prepared foods (e.g. “how long do the sweet potato fries cook in the air fryer?”)
Besides creating voice-activated recipes, smart speakers are also useful for setting timers, accessing podcasts, controlling smart bulbs, and many other tasks; smart speakers with a built-in camera like the Echo Show can also be used to read labels.
Cost
Free to use with existing Alexa devices.
Related links
- Alexa Skill Blueprints
- Accessible Flashcards For Low Vision
- How To Create A Custom Dorm Skill With Amazon Alexa
Create a one-page list of recipes with a private link: Microsoft Sway
Microsoft Sway is a free web app that allows users to create their own simple webpages and presentations with text, images, widgets, file attachments, and more. More versatile than a PowerPoint or static Word document, users can collaborate to organize information in Sway that can be read with large print, screen readers, and other types of assistive technology.
Even though they are hosted online, Sway links are not public and do not show up in search engine results unless they have been made public elsewhere. Users can add a Sway link to a webpage or email, and anyone who views the link can see the content (or edit it if sharing has been configured).
Examples of how to create a cookbook in Microsoft Sway can include:
- Adding images or screenshots of recipe cards (don’t forget the alt text!)
- Sharing external links to websites or embedded documents
- Writing or copy/pasting text into text boxes— use Heading 1 to write recipe names for easier navigation
- Embedding online audio or online video links
- Converting an existing Word (doc/docx) or other file to Sway by creating a new Sway and uploading the file, and then selecting “convert to Sway” or “import to Sway”
- Customizing the visual layout of the Sway in the Design tab
When creating a digital cookbook with Microsoft Sway, a great way to involve others is to share the document with others to edit so they can add their own recipes. Because Sway does not require any downloads or specialty software, users can read and collaborate on Sways from any web browser, or export Sway documents as a Word or PDF document for offline reading.
Cost
Sway is a web application with no downloads required. Sway can be used with a free Microsoft account, with additional premium features for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Related links
- Microsoft Sway | Create visually striking newsletters, presentations, and documentation in minutes
- How To Use Microsoft Sway With Assistive Technology
- Accessible Microsoft Sway Designs For Low Vision
- How To Write Alt Text And Image Descriptions For Food
- Going To Restaurants With Low Vision Assistive Technology
Digital bookmarking tool designed for educators: Wakelet
Wakelet is a free cross-platform digital curation tool that makes it easy to save, organize, and share digital content such as websites, videos, images, and applications, as well as options for uploading files from a user’s device. Wakelet supports multiple options for reading text content and navigating collections, including integration with Microsoft Immersive Reader and several built-in accessibility features. Wakelet collections can be shared online with a custom link or kept private for personal use.
Like Microsoft Sway, Wakelet is not specifically a recipe sharing platform, but it can be useful for organizing Expanded Core Curriculum resources related to cooking and baking, or for sharing recipes with students.
Cost
Wakelet offers a free plan for creating up to 3 collections and publishing up to 200 items, and a premium plan with unlimited items/collections for $12 USD a month or $90 USD per year.
Related links
- Wakelet Plans and pricing | Choose the best plan for you.
- Wakelet Accessibility Features For Low Vision
Organize an accessible recipe list: Word document with headings
Another option for organizing and storing recipes is to create a document with headings and ordered/unordered lists, which can be accessed with a screen reader, braille display, and large print sizes. Headings structure the document for screen reader users and can be used to generate a table of contents or navigation pane for quickly locating recipes of interest. Heading levels include:
- Title: Represents the main title of the page or content. There should only be one Title heading on a page.
- H1: Indicates main sections or chapters. Multiple H1 headings can be used, each introducing a new topic under the Title.
- H2: Sub-heading for H1 sections, providing further detail on a topic. H2 headings can introduce subsections or other key concepts.
- H3: Sub-heading for H2 sections, often used to highlight specific points of examples. Helpful for clarifying complex topics.
- H4: Sub-heading for H3 sections, used for even more specific details or dividing into sections
- H5 and H6: Sub-heading for H4 and H5 respectively, used to provide additional notes or supporting details. Not frequently used.
- Body text: Content that appears under headings.
One example of a heading structure for formatting digital recipes could be:
- Heading level 1: Categories of recipes, chapter headings
- Heading level 2: Recipe names
- Heading level 3: Components of recipe, such as ingredients, instructions, cooking notes, substitutions, etc.
- Unordered list/bulleted list: List of ingredients, substitutions, notes, etc.
- Ordered list/numbered list: Steps
While users are not limited to Microsoft Word, here is a list of keyboard shortcuts for adding headings:
- Heading 1: Ctrl + Alt + 1
- Heading 2: Ctrl + Alt + 2
- Heading 3: Ctrl + Alt + 3
- Normal style (body text): Ctrl + Shift + N
- Styles task pane: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S, use arrow keys to select Manage Styles
Cost
N/A; documents can be created in Word, Google Docs, Pages, or other text editors.
Related links
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- Reading Bookshare Titles With Microsoft Word
Organize recipes in a collaborative notebook: Microsoft OneNote
Another option for creating an accessible digital cookbook or “recipe binder” is to create a digital notebook with Microsoft OneNote, a free notetaking application that can organize multiple documents and multimedia content in one place. OneNote supports tools like audio embedding, pictures, and options for linking external content, as well as things like large print text and options for adding photos and drawings. Users can store OneNote documents on their own device or share them for viewing/editing with other collaborators.
Cost
Free option; premium features available with Microsoft 365 subscription
Related links
- How I Use Microsoft OneNote With Low Vision
- How I Outline Research Papers With OneNote
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
Scan digital copies of recipes: OCR scanning tools
For physical copies of recipes or handwritten recipes, OCR scanners can be helpful for creating digital copies of recipes for use in another application. Also known as optical character recognition, OCR technology converts images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into electronic text that can be read on another device, and has a long history of being used for making text accessible to blind and low vision individuals. Instead of attempting to read text from a scanned image or fixed layout, OCR makes it easier to read text either by listening to it or copy and pasting it into another application.
I have linked a post with options for OCR scanning apps below, though I have also used OCR scanning devices and scanning pens for digitizing recipes. I have also linked posts on how I use tools like Seeing AI and Google Lens to extract text from screenshots or images of recipes.
Cost
Varies by app or device. OCR scanners are commonly available at public libraries.
Related links
- OCR Scanner Apps For Low Vision Students
- Recognizing Images With Seeing AI
- How I Use Google Lens With Low Vision
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
Contact an accessibility support line while cooking: Be My Eyes Specialized Help Partners
Blind and low vision users can contact several different companies using the Specialized Help section of the app, including tech support, low vision/blindness support lines, and other businesses and companies that provide support for their products. Examples of food-related partners include Barilla, visual impairment nonprofits like Hadley that offer resources for cooking, and several companies for cleaning products (which can be useful for washing dishes). A complete list of Specialized Help partners is linked below and varies by country.
Cost
Be My Eyes is free for all users.
Related links
- Be My Eyes Service Directory
- How I Use Be My Eyes With Low Vision
- Navigating The Dining Hall: College O&M
Other resources on accessible cooking and recipe websites for low vision
- Looking for visual recipes that can be useful for students with low vision or other disabilities? One of my favorite resources is Accessible Chef – Accessible Cooking for Budding Chefs
- TSBVI also has a repository of independent living recipes designed for blind and low vision students, found at Independent Living Recipes | Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- For blind and low-vision specific cooking resources, Debra Erickson offers several tips and strategies on her website The Blind Kitchen – Cooking made accessible for people with vision loss
- Another strategy I have used for reading online recipes is opening recipes in Print view so they display as text. I share more about this in Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
- Searching for ways to make text easier to read on cooking websites? I share several tools in My Favorite Web Browser Extensions For Low Vision and CVI: Reducing Visual Fatigue
Published November 19, 2018. Updated June 2026