MealieCart is an app I made for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It takes the recipes on your Mealie shopping list or meal plan, matches each ingredient to the exact Walmart or Kroger product you like, and fills your cart in one tap. It never checks out for you.
MealieCart is in testing now and coming to the App Store.
What you need
- A Mealie account. Mealie is a free, open-source recipe manager. You can run it yourself (on a home server, a NAS or Home Assistant), pay a hosting service such as ElfHosted to run it for you, or use an account on someone else’s Mealie.
- A Mealie API token, which any Mealie account can create (see Quick start below)
- A U.S. account at Walmart (walmart.com) or Kroger, including Kroger’s family of stores such as Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers
- An iPhone or iPad with iOS 17 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon
Quick start
- Make a Mealie API token. In Mealie, open your profile, then API Tokens, and create one. Copy it.
- Connect. In MealieCart, open Settings, type your Mealie address (for example https://mealie.example.com), paste the token and tap Connect and load list. Then pick the shopping list you use for groceries.
- Pick your store. Walmart is the default. To shop at Kroger, open Settings, choose Kroger under Grocery store, tap Sign in to Kroger and pick your store.
- Mark your pantry staples. Open a recipe, tap something you always have (salt, oil, spices) and switch on “I always have …”. MealieCart skips it from then on.
- Link each ingredient once. Tap an ingredient, then Find on Walmart or Find on Kroger, and pick the exact product you buy (on Walmart, open it and tap Use this product). You only do this once per recipe.
- Fill your cart. Add recipes to your Mealie shopping list like you normally do. In MealieCart, open Cart Review, check the products and pack counts, and tap Add to Walmart cart or Add to Kroger cart. Your cart opens with everything added.
- Finish up. After you check out, tap Done shopping. It checks those items off your Mealie list.
Tip: the Recipes tab has every recipe in your Mealie, so you can link products ahead of time, before a recipe is ever on your list.
Help
How do I connect to Mealie?
In Mealie, open your profile, then API Tokens, and create a token. In MealieCart, open Settings, type your Mealie server’s address (for example https://mealie.example.com), paste the token and tap Connect and load list. Then pick the shopping list you use for the week.
How do I link an ingredient to a Walmart product?
Open a recipe and tap an ingredient. Tap Find on Walmart, open the exact item you want (right size and count), then tap Use this product. You can also paste a Walmart product link yourself. Links are saved with the recipe, so you only do this once.
Can I link recipes before I plan them?
Yes. The Recipes tab has every recipe in your Mealie. Links you add there are used whenever that recipe is on your weekly list.
What’s a pantry staple?
Something you always have, like salt or olive oil. Open the ingredient and switch on “I always have …”. MealieCart then skips that food in every recipe and never adds it to your cart. You can change the list in Settings, under Pantry staples.
How do I fill my Walmart cart?
Sign in to walmart.com first. Then open Cart Review, check the products and pack counts, and tap Add to Walmart cart. Walmart opens with everything added in one step. Check availability and substitutions on Walmart before you check out. MealieCart never checks out for you.
How do I shop at Kroger?
Open Settings and choose Kroger under Grocery store. Tap Sign in to Kroger and sign in on Kroger’s own page, then tap Your store and pick your store by ZIP code. Under Get it by, choose Pickup or Delivery. Then use Find on Kroger on each ingredient: you’ll see your store’s products with prices and sales, and tapping one links it.
How do I fill my Kroger cart?
Open Cart Review, check the products and pack counts, and tap Add to Kroger cart. Everything goes into your Kroger cart in one step, and your Kroger cart opens so you can check it over and check out. MealieCart never checks out for you.
Can I switch between Walmart and Kroger?
Yes. Each ingredient keeps its own Walmart product and its own Kroger product, so switching stores in Settings never loses a link.
How do I change how many I’m buying?
In Cart Review, tap − or + next to the pack count. When a recipe counts whole items (like “2 cans”), MealieCart starts with that number.
How do I remove something?
Swipe left on a product in Cart Review, or on an ingredient in a recipe, and tap Remove. Changed your mind? Tap Undo. On a Mac you can right-click it instead. To remove a whole recipe from this week, tap the trash can next to its name. Removing never changes your Mealie recipes, and your product links stay saved.
What does Done shopping do?
Once your cart looks right, tap Done shopping. It checks off those items on your Mealie shopping list and clears This Week and Cart Review. You can uncheck items in Mealie if you need to. It’s the only thing MealieCart ever changes in Mealie.
Do my links sync between devices?
Yes. Links, pack counts, checkmarks and pantry staples sync through iCloud when your devices use the same Apple Account. Connect Mealie on each device separately.
MealieCart can’t connect to Mealie.
Use the same address you open Mealie with in Safari, including https://. Check that the page opens in Safari on the same device, and that your token hasn’t been deleted in Mealie. If your Mealie server only works on your home Wi-Fi, MealieCart can only reach it there too.
Find on Walmart says a link leaves Walmart.
Only Walmart’s own pages open inside MealieCart. Tap Back and pick a product on walmart.com.
Does MealieCart work on iPad and Mac?
Yes. On iPad it has a sidebar. On a Mac with Apple silicon, the same app from the App Store runs in its own window.
Is MealieCart made by Mealie, Walmart or Kroger?
No. It’s an independent app made by me. It isn’t endorsed by or affiliated with Mealie, Walmart or Kroger.
Contact
Something broken or confusing? Email me at jessicahart94@icloud.com.