Pantry Zone
AI-powered recipe app that helps users discover meals using ingredients they already have. The experience combines smart recipe recommendations, pantry tracking, and quick discovery to make cooking easier and reduce food waste.
Self-Initiated
Year:
2026
Timeframe:
3 weeks
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Hotjar (simulated)
Overview
Pantry Zone is an AI-powered recipe discovery app that helps users turn ingredients they already have into simple, practical meals. Instead of searching for a recipe first and then buying ingredients, users can discover recipes based on what’s already in their pantry. The app combines AI recommendations, ingredient-based discovery, and personalised recipe suggestions to make everyday cooking easier while encouraging users to reduce food waste.
Design Challenge
The challenge was to make meal discovery feel effortless for users who have ingredients at home but don’t know what to cook. Traditional recipe apps often require users to search for a specific dish, which can lead to recipes requiring ingredients they don’t have. Pantry Zone needed to clearly communicate which recipes matched available ingredients while keeping the experience visually engaging and easy to scan. The key design question was: How might we help users quickly discover what they can cook with the ingredients they already have?
Solution
I designed Pantry Zone around a discovery-first experience. The home screen surfaces AI-powered recipes based on pantry ingredients, while ingredient chips provide quick ways to explore meals. Recipe cards show key decision-making information, including the number of pantry items used and cooking time. Users can also ask AI for personalised suggestions, save recipes for later, and manage their ingredients through a dedicated Pantry section. The result is a simple flow from Pantry → Discover → Save → Cook, reducing the effort required to decide what to make.
