How to Build a Meal Recipes App with Xcode and AI

Overview

In this tutorial, we’ll build a simple meal recipes app using Xcode and Alex, an AI assistant that helps you develop iOS apps more efficiently. This app will let users add their own meal recipes, view them in a list, see detailed instructions, and mark favorites.

We’ll walk through the full development process—from setting up the project to building the core features and polishing the user experience.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• Xcode installed on your Mac
• Alex installed and set up (get started at alexcodes.app)

Implementation Steps

1. Project Setup & Planning

Creating a New Xcode Project

Start Xcode and choose Create a new Xcode project. Select the iOS App template and make sure Swift and SwiftUI are selected. Name your project MealRecipes.

Planning App Features

Our app will support the following:

• Add and manage meal recipes
• View recipe details
• Mark and unmark favorite recipes

We’ll create two main screens: a list of all recipes, and a detailed view for each recipe.

Brainstorming Data Models

We’ll need a Recipe struct to represent each recipe. You can use voice or text to ask Alex to create this for you. Try something like:

"Create a new struct called Recipe with the following properties: title, ingredients, and instructions as Strings, and isFavorite as a Bool."

You can instantly apply the generated code into your Xcode project with Alex. If anything doesn’t compile, you can ask Alex to help resolve the issue instead of spending time debugging it yourself.

Outlining UI/UX

For the UI, we’ll design a SwiftUI List to show recipe titles and a favorite button. Selecting a recipe opens a detail view with full ingredients and instructions. We’ll also include a simple form to let users add new recipes.

2. Core Features

Building the UI with SwiftUI

Let’s start by designing the main screen. You can ask Alex to generate the initial code for a SwiftUI list that displays your array of Recipe objects.

Next, create a detail view for showing the full recipe. Ask Alex to create a view that takes a Recipe and displays the ingredients and instructions in a scrollable layout.

Use Alex to speed up your progress by describing what you want in plain language—whether you're adding buttons, navigation, or layouts.

Adding New Recipes

We’ll create a form view that lets users input new recipes. You can have Alex scaffold this view by asking:

"Create a SwiftUI form with text fields for title, ingredients, and instructions, and a toggle for marking as favorite."

Use simple commands or natural language, and Alex will understand and generate the appropriate code.

Toggling Favorites

When users tap the favorite button on a recipe, it should toggle the isFavorite property. You can ask Alex to write this logic and apply it instantly.

3. Data & Storage

Saving Recipes Locally

To persist recipes between app launches, we’ll store them using UserDefaults. If you’d like help writing this boilerplate, you can describe your intent:

"Help me save an array of Recipe structs to UserDefaults and load them when the app launches."

If you run into bugs or crashes, you can fix them manually—or let Alex take a look and suggest a fix in just one click.

Managing App State

We'll use @State and @Binding to manage our data. If you’re not sure how to connect your data between views, ask Alex for help—just describe what you’re trying to achieve, like:

"How do I bind a recipe object from the list view to the detail view in SwiftUI?"

4. Polish & Refinement

Adding Animations

To improve user experience, add a subtle animation when users favorite a recipe. Ask Alex to suggest a scale or color change animation for the heart icon.

Handling Edge Cases

Make sure your app handles scenarios like empty recipe lists or missing input. Alex can help generate alerts, default states, or loading indicators if needed.

You can ask:

"Help me show an empty state message if there are no saved recipes."

Or:

"Add an alert when a user tries to save a recipe without a title."

Testing & Validation

Run your app on the iOS simulator. Add a few recipes, view their details, mark favorites, and quit and relaunch the app to ensure persistence works correctly. If something doesn't behave as expected, you can troubleshoot on your own—or ask Alex to inspect the issue and suggest fixes.

Next Steps

Now that you have the foundation of your meal recipes app, you could explore features like:

• Filtering or searching recipes
• Grouping recipes by category
• Sharing recipes with friends
• Syncing with iCloud

Use Alex throughout your development to save time and stay focused on building features.

Conclusion

You’ve built a fully functional meal recipe app that stores data locally and allows users to manage their favorite meals. Along the way, Alex helped generate code, assist with logic, and fix issues—all through natural, human-like interaction.

Ready to build your next app even faster? Try Alex for yourself at Alex and take advantage of the free trial.

Happy cooking—and happy coding!