🍳 Cooking with kids
Mealime
By Mealime (owned by Albertsons Companies). Visit Mealime
Warning: read this before you buy or sign up. Checked 2026-10-24.
Mealime was a free meal-planning app used by over 4.5 million people: pick a plan type, set allergies and dislikes, and it built a week of simple 30-minute recipes with a sorted grocery list. Mealime announced it was discontinued as of October 21, 2026. Albertsons Companies, which bought it in 2021, is moving users to Meals Hub, a free recipe feature inside its grocery-store apps that includes the Mealime recipes and kid-friendly themes.
Our take: Skip it; it has closed. Families who used it can try Meals Hub if they shop at an Albertsons-owned store, or pick another planner.
| Ages it suits | was a general-audience app for adults |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Terms (last updated April 13, 2021) say minors may use the app only under parental or adult supervision. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Discontinued Oct 21, 2026. Paid Pro subscriptions are being wound down and Pro recipes opened to all users. The replacement, Meals Hub, is free inside Albertsons Companies store apps. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI. |
What's good
- Recipes live on in Meals Hub, free
- Was simple and allergy-aware
Watch for
- Discontinued Oct 21, 2026
- The replacement lives inside a grocery chain's shopping app
- Saved plans and settings may not carry over cleanly
Data and privacy
The privacy policy lists Google Analytics and other trackers, says Google may use data to personalize ads, and offers a California opt-out of the sale of personal information. Data moving to Meals Hub falls under Albertsons' apps. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No studies; the maker cites user counts and testimonials.
Alternatives to Mealime
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Fight BAC!
Partnership for Food Safety Education (nonprofit) · ages K-12, plus parents of babies
A solid free pick for teachers and parents teaching kids to cook safely; kids wanting a game will find only a little here.
Desk researchThrough schools
Jamie Oliver's 10 Skills (Ministry of Food)
Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited · ages about 3-14 (UK primary and secondary; US schools and community groups)
A good free starting point for schools and clubs teaching basic cooking; families cooking at home will get more from free recipe sites, since this is built for classrooms.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Kids Cook Real Food
Kitchen Stewardship LLC (Raising Healthy Families, Katie Kimball) · ages about 2-12 (Teens Cook Real Food for 13-21 is on a waitlist)
Suits parents who want a structured plan to teach several kids real kitchen skills at home; skip it if you want a kid to learn alone from an app.
Desk researchPaid
Kids Eat in Color
Kids Eat in Color, LLC · ages for parents of kids 0-18; BetterBites targets ages 1-5
Worth a look for parents worried about a young picky eater who want daily coaching; a child with weight loss or severe food refusal needs a doctor first.
Desk researchPaid
Outschool cooking classes
Outschool, Inc. · ages about 9-18 for the cooking listings we saw (Outschool overall covers 3-18)
Good for tweens and teens who want a live, social cooking class from home; younger kids need a parent beside them, and families uneasy about recorded video should skip it.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Paprika Recipe Manager
Hindsight Labs LLC · ages adults (a parent's planning tool)
A solid, ad-free planner for the parent who runs the family kitchen; not a kids' product, so children should use it only alongside a parent.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.mealime.com/
- https://www.mealime.com/closing
- https://www.mealime.com/terms-of-service
- https://www.mealime.com/privacy-policy
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.