Top 14 Recipe Apps for the iPhone and iPad

Some recipe apps include separate categories for vegan or vegetarian meals, but the VegWeb Vegan Recipe Finder ($2.99) devotes a whole app to meatless recipes. It includes more than 13,000 recipes, so there is a ton of variety. The categories are very detailed, which makes it easy to drill down into the numerous recipes. The ingredients and directions are listed on the same page, so it's easy to read. The Twitter and Facebook integration is also a nice touch. It would be great if the app included pictures, but that might make this huge app a little unwieldy. Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

If you like a lot of variety, the BigOven app (Free) may be a good choice. It has a whopping 170,000 user-submitted recipes, so you'll never get bored. Most recipes include pictures, which is great, but there are only eight recipes listed per page. BigOven does have some excellent features, like a 'Leftover Wizard,' which searches ingredients you already have. The 'What's For Dinner?' section lets you see what other users are having for dinner that night. Twitter integration is another plus. While the functionality is impressive, BigOven isn't as sleek as other recipe apps and it can look amateurish in some areas. Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5. 

The SparkRecipes app (Free) is a good choice for dieters, since it includes nutritional information for all 200,000 user-submitted recipes. The app has a ton of search options, which makes it easy to wade through the recipes efficiently. You can even limit recipes based on their calorie count. The instructional videos are helpful and load quickly over a WiFi connection. Unfortunately, the recipes aren't as easy to follow since the ingredients and instructions are listed on separate pages. Browsing by category can also be overwhelming given the numerous recipes. Overall rating: 3 stars out of 5. 

VeganYumYum is an excellent vegan food blog that is known for its gorgeous food photography. The VeganYumYum Mobile app (Free) doesn't disappoint in that regard -- each recipe has illustrated instructions, so they are ridiculously easy to follow. The photos are stunning. You can add recipes to a favorites category, but that's about it for extra functionality. There's also only 75 recipes. Even so, vegans will love the VeganYumYum app and appreciate the step-by-step instructions. Overall rating: 3 stars out of 5.