Airtable recipe enrichment with Tasty (auto-fill ingredients, prep time, calories)

Build a code workflow that auto-enriches my Airtable "Recipes to Try" base with structured recipe details from Tasty whenever I add a new row.

Trigger: Airtable poll trigger on new_record, watching the "Recipes to Try" table in my recipes base. Every new row has the recipe name typed into a "Name" field (single line text). The enrichment columns on the same table start empty and need to be filled in: Tasty Recipe ID (number), Image URL (url), Prep Time (number, minutes), Total Time (number, minutes), Servings (number), Calories (number), Ingredients (long text), Tasty Link (url), and Did You Mean? (single line text).

Step 1: Call Tasty's List Recipes operation with q set to the recipe name from the new Airtable row, from=0, size=1. /recipes/list already returns the full recipe shape inline (sections with components for ingredients, nutrition object with calories, prep_time_minutes, total_time_minutes, num_servings, thumbnail_url, slug, id), so no second Tasty call is needed for enrichment.

Step 2 (happy path): If results[0] exists, PATCH the same Airtable row via Update Record. Map fields like this: Tasty Recipe ID = results[0].id (preserve as integer, this is the join key for any future workflows); Image URL = results[0].thumbnail_url; Prep Time = results[0].prep_time_minutes; Total Time = results[0].total_time_minutes; Servings = results[0].num_servings; Calories = results[0].nutrition.calories; Ingredients = flatten every component.raw_text across every section, joined with newlines; Tasty Link = https://tasty.co/recipe/ + results[0].slug. Leave Did You Mean? blank.

Step 3 (fallback): If results is empty, call Tasty's Recipe Auto-Complete operation with the same q. Take the first suggestion's display name (or search_value) and PATCH the row's Did You Mean? column with it, so I can see the suggested spelling next to my row and either fix it or accept it. Leave all the other enrichment columns untouched in this branch.

Constraints: do not touch any column I did not list (my own notes, ratings, tags). Use PATCH (Update Record), never PUT. Recipe IDs must be stored as integers so future workflows can re-fetch via List Recipe Tips or similar. Every step is a known node (Airtable read on trigger, Tasty search, Airtable PATCH) with deterministic branching on whether Tasty returned a match. This is intentionally a code workflow, not an agent.

Additional information

What does this prompt do?

Watches your Airtable recipes base and triggers the moment you add a new row.
Searches Tasty for the recipe name you typed and writes the best match back to the same row.
Auto-fills photo, prep time, total time, servings, calories, an ingredient list, and a direct link to the recipe.
If Tasty cannot find a match, drops a suggested spelling into a Did You Mean column so you can fix it in one click.

What do I need to use this?

An Airtable account with a base for tracking recipes (e.g. Recipes to Try) and columns for the enriched fields.
A Tasty account on RapidAPI (the free plan covers 500 lookups per month).

How can I customize it?

Point it at a different Airtable base or table (meal planning, dinner party menu, shared family cookbook).
Add or remove enrichment columns. You can drop calories if you do not track them, or add cuisine and difficulty.
Change the no-match behavior. Instead of writing a spelling suggestion, flag the row with a status or send yourself a notification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know how to code to set this up?

No. You connect your Airtable and Tasty accounts once, point the workflow at the right base and table, and it runs on its own from then on.

How quickly does the row get enriched after I add it?

Within a minute or two. The workflow watches Airtable for new rows on a short interval and runs as soon as it sees one.

What happens if Tasty does not have the recipe I typed?

Instead of leaving the row blank, the workflow writes a suggested spelling into a Did You Mean column so you can correct it and rerun.

Will this overwrite columns I have already filled in by hand?

No. It only fills in the enrichment columns (image, prep time, ingredients, etc.) and leaves your own notes and ratings alone.

Is the Tasty API free?

It has a free plan on RapidAPI that allows 500 lookups per month, which is plenty for a personal recipe collection. Higher tiers are available if you need more.