How-to

Why won't my TikTok or YouTube recipe import?

Published October 10, 2026 Last checked October 10, 2026

What Sous Chef can import from video today

Sous Chef imports from public TikTok and YouTube links: regular YouTube videos, Shorts, youtu.be links, TikTok video links, and TikTok’s short vm. and vt. links. Videos can be up to ten minutes long. The import reads the caption or description, the voiceover, the on-screen text, and what’s shown, and it runs in the background, so you can leave the app.

If an import doesn’t work, the message on the import tells you which of the cases below you hit.

1. “This video is private, deleted, or unavailable here”

Sous Chef can only read what anyone with the link could watch. Videos that are private, friends-only, deleted, or blocked in some regions can’t be imported.

Fix: open the link in a private browser window, signed out. If it doesn’t play there, it won’t import. Look for the creator’s written recipe on their site instead, or copy the caption and use Paste text.

2. “Choose a video no longer than ten minutes”

Long-form videos, like a 25-minute YouTube episode, are over the limit.

Fix: check the description for a written recipe or a link to one. If there isn’t one, use YouTube’s Show transcript to collect the amounts, then paste what you gathered into Sous Chef as text. Our guide to getting a recipe from a YouTube video without watching it all walks through it.

3. “Sous Chef reads TikTok and YouTube videos today”

The link is from somewhere else, most often an Instagram Reel. Instagram isn’t supported yet.

Fix: copy the Reel’s caption and use Paste text, or screenshot the recipe and use From a photo (you can pick several photos for one recipe).

4. “We couldn’t find a recipe in this video”

Sous Chef read the video and didn’t find a recipe: no ingredients, or a “what I ate today” clip with no way to make the food. It reports this instead of inventing a recipe.

Fix: if the caption says “recipe in bio” or links somewhere, import that page. If the recipe is in a different video in a series (“part 2”), try that link.

5. “The video’s caption or description wasn’t available”

Sometimes the video comes through but its caption or description doesn’t. Sous Chef still builds the recipe from what’s said and shown, and the recipe notes that the caption couldn’t be retrieved, so some details may be missing.

Fix: if the caption had amounts the video didn’t, copy it and compare. You can add anything missing by editing the recipe.

6. “Sous Chef is busy preparing other videos”

Video imports are queued. When a lot are running at once, a new one may be turned away for a few minutes.

Fix: try again in a few minutes.

7. You pasted a video file, not a link

Importing a video saved to your camera roll or Files isn’t available yet; the option is shown as coming soon.

Fix: go back to TikTok or YouTube, tap Share, then Copy link, and paste that link into From a link.

The import worked, but the recipe looks wrong

A few things worth checking:

• Amounts labeled as estimates. The creator never stated them, so Sous Chef estimated. Read those lines before cooking; see what to do when a TikTok recipe has no measurements.
• A note about a conflict. The caption and the video disagreed. The note tells you where; pick the one that makes sense for the dish.
• Several recipes from one video. A video that makes three separate dishes becomes three recipes. That’s intentional.

Anything else you can fix by asking: open the recipe and type the correction, like “the oven is 375°F, not 350°F.”

A quick checklist before you try again

If you’re not sure which case you’re in, run through these in order. Most failed imports are solved by the first two:

1. Is it a link? It should start with tiktok.com, vm.tiktok.com, vt.tiktok.com, youtube.com, or youtu.be. Use Share, then Copy link in the app.
2. Does it play when you’re signed out? Open it in a private browser window. If it asks you to sign in, or says it’s unavailable, Sous Chef can’t read it either.
3. Is it ten minutes or shorter? Check the length on the video.
4. Is there actually a recipe? Ingredients and a way to make them. A taste test or a restaurant review won’t import as a recipe.
5. Did it say “busy”? Wait a few minutes and try again.

If none of these explain it, paste the caption or description as text. It won’t have what was only said in the video, but you’ll have the bones of the recipe, and you can add the missing amounts by asking Sous Chef or editing the recipe.

Common questions

Do I need to sign in to import a video?

No. Video import works without an account. Signing in keeps your library if you reinstall or change phones.

Will Sous Chef support Instagram?

It isn’t supported today, and we don’t promise dates here. Paste text and photo import cover Reels in the meantime.

Why does the import take a minute?

Sous Chef has to fetch the video and then read the whole thing: speech, on-screen text, and visuals, not just the caption. It runs in the background, and the recipe appears in your library when it’s done.