Recipe-sharing chatbots proliferate across Instagram as creators adopt automated messaging systems, according to an Eater report. 

NYT Cooking, Food52, and prominent recipe developers, including Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie (4.7 million followers) and Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen (1.8 million followers), utilize platforms like Manychat to deliver recipes through direct messages.

The system operates through keyword triggers. Users comment specific words on posts to receive automated recipe links, circumventing Instagram’s “link in bio” limitation for clickable content in captions.

Recipe developers report subscription costs of approximately $100 monthly for automation services. Perelman says these tools address “hundreds of comments a day” requesting recipes, while directing traffic to external websites where creators generate revenue through advertising and newsletter subscriptions.

Lisa Lin of Healthy Nibbles confirms the tools effectively drive website traffic, noting that “many, many people can’t be bothered” to navigate traditional link-in-bio systems.

As Eater notes, automation normalizes single-word commenting behavior across the platform. Users now attempt to trigger chatbots even when creators don’t employ them, according to multiple recipe developers surveyed.

Creator Response Mixed

Food creators express predominantly negative sentiments toward the tools, despite high adoption rates. Eater survey responses describe the systems as “scammy” and “desperate,” with creators citing concerns about the degradation of comment section quality.

Erin Clarkson of @cloudykitchen says she avoids automation tools, stating they “destroy comment sections” and undermine community-building efforts.

Developers cite Instagram’s restriction on clickable caption links as the primary driver for the adoption of automation. Lin notes that if Instagram permitted embedded links, “this automated recipe-sharing ecosystem wouldn’t even need to exist.”