Modern recipe search

Overview

Allspice Search is a modern recipe discovery experience built specifically for recipe publishers. It helps readers search across your recipes using natural language, ingredients, recipe titles, descriptions, preferences, and cooking intent.

Instead of sending readers away to Google, Pinterest, ChatGPT, or another recipe site, Allspice gives them a better discovery experience directly on your site.

Allspice Search is available inside the Allspice widget in the Search tab. We also recommend replacing your existing site search with Allspice Search so readers have one clear place to discover recipes.

Standard Search vs. AI Search

Allspice supports two search experiences depending on site eligibility and recipe archive size.

Standard recipe search

Standard search is available broadly and searches your recipes by:

• recipe title
• ingredients
• recipe description
• other indexed recipe metadata

This provides a fast, familiar recipe search experience that is still more recipe-aware than a generic WordPress search.

AI recipe search

AI Search is a fully free-text recipe discovery experience. Readers can search the way they naturally think, such as:

• healthy dinners with chicken and rice
• easy summer recipes for a cookout
• vegetarian meals that are high protein
• something cozy for a cold night
• quick weeknight meals my kids might like

Instead of matching only exact words, AI Search can interpret intent, recipe meaning, ingredients, cuisine style, difficulty, and other contextual signals.

AI Search Eligibility

AI Search is available for sites with more than 150 indexed recipes.

This threshold helps ensure that the AI system has enough recipe coverage to produce useful, varied, and high-quality results. Smaller sites can still use standard Allspice Search, which searches by title, ingredients, description, and recipe metadata.

If a site recently crossed 150 recipes, allow time for Allspice to crawl, index, and process the new recipe set. Publishers can also use Sync with Allspice in the WordPress plugin to help apply recent changes faster.

Search Pills

Allspice can display suggested search pills that help readers start exploring a recipe archive quickly.

These pills are generated based on what the site does well and where the recipe library has meaningful depth. For example, a site with strong coverage in air fryer dinners, gluten-free baking, meal prep, weeknight dinners, or seasonal salads may receive pills that reflect those strengths.

Search pills are designed to be specific enough to feel useful, but broad enough to lead readers into multiple relevant recipes.

How pills are generated

• Allspice analyzes the site’s recipe archive and identifies categories, themes, ingredients, and cooking styles where the site has strong coverage.
• Pills are influenced by the kinds of recipes the site publishes often and performs well for.
• Pills are regenerated every few weeks so they can evolve with the content library.
• As the publisher adds more recipes, Allspice may update suggested pills to reflect new strengths.
• Pills should reflect real strengths of the archive rather than generic food categories every site might use.

How Results Are Ranked

Allspice Search ranks results using a combination of recipe relevance, recipe metadata, user intent, and site-specific performance signals.

The goal is not just to find recipes that mention the search words. The goal is to show recipes that are likely to satisfy what the reader is actually asking for.

Signals that may influence results:

• recipe title and description
• ingredients and ingredient groupings
• recipe categories and tags
• semantic match to the reader’s query
• site-specific recipe performance statistics
• recent reader behavior and search trends
• freshness of indexed recipe data

Search statistics are updated regularly, generally on a weekly basis. This allows Allspice to improve results over time based on what readers are searching for, clicking, saving, and engaging with.

Because these signals are refreshed over time, search results may change as audience interests shift, as seasonal trends change, or as new recipes are added to the site.

Personalization & Follow-Up Search

When available, AI Search can take into account stored user preferences, previous searches, and prior interactions with Allspice. This helps create a more relevant experience for returning readers.

For example, if a reader has shown interest in gluten-free recipes, quick dinners, or certain types of meals, Allspice can use that context to make future search interactions more helpful.

The second chat experience

After an initial AI search, readers can continue the conversation. They can:

• narrow the initial search, such as “make it vegetarian” or “only show quick options”
• expand the search, such as “show more like this” or “include meal prep options”
• switch to something completely different, such as “actually, show me desserts for a party”

This makes search feel less like a static results page and more like an interactive recipe discovery assistant.

Result Layout

Allspice Search results are displayed in a visual, recipe-first layout.

Better matches can be shown in larger cells, helping readers quickly identify the recipes most likely to fit their search.

This creates a more editorial and discovery-oriented experience than a traditional list of links. The result layout is designed to help readers compare options quickly while staying inside the publisher’s site experience.

Where Search Appears

Allspice Search is available inside the Allspice widget in the Search tab.

Readers can access it from Allspice buttons, floating entry points, or custom links depending on the site’s configuration.

For the best reader experience, we recommend making Allspice Search easy to access from the main site navigation.

Navigation links that use #allspice-search only work on pages where the Allspice script is loaded. Configure the plugin or embed so search is available wherever readers should open it from the menu.

Replacing Your Site Search

We recommend replacing your existing recipe site search with Allspice Search.

Most default WordPress search experiences are not built specifically for recipes. They often return posts based on keyword matching rather than cooking intent, ingredient relevance, recipe usefulness, or reader preferences.

Allspice Search is built specifically for recipe discovery. It understands recipe content, ingredients, user intent, and site-specific performance signals.

Recommended approach:

• Add Allspice Search to the main navigation.
• Remove or de-emphasize the old site search if it creates a duplicate search experience.
• Remove other recipe search plugins if they overlap with Allspice.
• Use clear link text such as Search Recipes, Recipe Search, or Find a Recipe.

Add Search to WordPress Navigation

Publishers can add Allspice Search to WordPress navigation using a normal Custom Link. This works well for header menus, mobile menus, and other navigation areas controlled by WordPress.

Classic WordPress menus

1. In WordPress, go to Appearance → Menus.
2. Select the header, primary, or main navigation menu.
3. Open the Custom Links section.
4. Set the URL to: #allspice-search
5. Set the Link Text to something like: Search Recipes
6. Click Add to Menu.
7. Drag the new item to the desired menu position.
8. Click Save Menu.

Block themes / Site Editor

1. In WordPress, go to Appearance → Editor.
2. Open the template or header that contains the navigation.
3. Select the Navigation block.
4. Add a custom link.
5. Set the URL to: #allspice-search
6. Set the label to: Search Recipes
7. Save the changes.

When a reader clicks this link, Allspice will open the Search experience instead of sending the reader to a separate search results page.

Replacing an Existing Site Search Bar with Allspice Search

Search Replacement is only needed when a site wants an existing search icon, search bar, or search form to open Allspice Search. If the site only needs a new menu item, use the simpler Custom Link approach above with #allspice-search.

Search Replacement is configured from the site’s Domain Settings page in the Allspice portal. In the search_replacement section, there are three selector fields:

• Form Selectors
• Input Selectors
• Trigger Selectors

Form Selectors

Form Selectors are for existing search forms. When a reader types into the site’s normal search bar and submits the form, Allspice prevents the normal search results page and opens Allspice Search with the query prefilled.

Example:

<form class="search-form" method="get" action="https://example.com/" role="search">
  <input type="search" name="s">
  <input type="submit" value="Search">
</form>

Common form selectors:

form.search-form
form.searchform
form[role='search']

Input Selectors

Input Selectors tell Allspice which field contains the reader’s query. For WordPress, input[name='s'] is usually the most important one.

input[name='s']
input[type='search']
input[type='text']

Trigger Selectors

Trigger Selectors are for search icons, buttons, or links that should open Allspice Search immediately, usually without a prefilled query.

Example:

<button class="togglesearch">Search</button>

button.togglesearch
.search-toggle
.search-icon
.feastsearchtoggle a

Choosing the right setup

Option 1: Let readers type in the existing search bar first.

Use this when the site already has a visible search input and the desired behavior is: type query → press Enter/search → open Allspice with the query.

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a

Option 2: Open Allspice as soon as the search bar is clicked.

Use this when the site does not want readers typing into the native search field at all.

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a
form.search-form input[name='s']
form.search-form input[type='search']

Examples

Example: Feast / Genesis search

<form class="search-form" method="get" action="https://example.com/" role="search">
  <input class="search-form-input" type="search" name="s">
  <input class="search-form-submit" type="submit" value="Search">
</form>

Recommended settings:

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a

Example: Custom theme search button

<button class="togglesearch" aria-controls="searchwrap">Search</button>

<form class="searchform" method="get" action="https://example.com">
  <input name="s" type="text">
  <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

Recommended settings:

Form Selectors:
form.searchform

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']
input[type='text']

Trigger Selectors:
button.togglesearch

How to find selectors

Open the site, right-click the search icon, search bar, or search form, and click Inspect. Look for the relevant <form>, <input>, <button>, or <a> element.

Class selectors use a dot. For example, <form class="search-form"> becomes form.search-form, and <button class="togglesearch"> becomes button.togglesearch.

Important notes:

• Search Replacement only runs after the Allspice page script has loaded. If Allspice does not load at all, the site’s native search generally remains available.
• If the Allspice page script has loaded but the full widget is still loading, Allspice preserves the intended route using the page hash and opens the Search experience once the widget is ready.
• Sites using Slickstream or another search overlay may need to disable that tool’s search hook behavior, or configure Search Replacement so Allspice intercepts the search action first.

Pre-Filled Search Links

Publishers can also create links that open Allspice Search with a query already filled in.

Use this format:

#allspice-search?q=chicken

Examples:

• #allspice-search?q=chicken
• #allspice-search?q=easy+dinner
• #allspice-search?q=healthy+lunch
• #allspice-search?q=gluten-free+dessert

For multi-word searches, use + or %20 between words.

Best Practices

• Use clear navigation text like Search Recipes or Find a Recipe.
• Place search in the main header navigation if recipe discovery is important to the site.
• Remove duplicate recipe search plugins once Allspice Search is active.
• Keep publishing high-quality recipe content with clear titles, ingredients, descriptions, categories, and structured recipe data.
• Use search pills to guide readers toward the recipe categories the site is strongest in.
• Review analytics over time to understand what readers are searching for and where new content opportunities exist.
• Avoid sending readers to a separate search results page if Allspice can keep them inside the interactive recipe discovery experience.

FAQ

Do I need to replace my current site search?

No, but we recommend it. Allspice Search is built specifically for recipe discovery, while many default site search tools are designed for generic post lookup.

Can I add Allspice Search to my menu?

Yes. Add a Custom Link in WordPress with the URL #allspice-search. This allows readers to open Allspice Search directly from the navigation.

Can I link to a specific search?

Yes. Use #allspice-search?q=chicken or replace chicken with another search term.

Why is AI Search only available to sites with more than 150 recipes?

AI Search works best when there is enough recipe depth to return meaningful results. Sites below this threshold can still use standard search by title, ingredients, description, and recipe metadata.

How often are search results updated?

Search statistics are refreshed regularly, generally weekly. Search pills are regenerated every few weeks. As audience behavior and the recipe archive change, the search experience can evolve too.

Does Allspice Search work on non-recipe pages?

Allspice Search can be opened from navigation links where the Allspice script is loaded. For best results, make sure the plugin is configured to load on the pages where readers should be able to access search.

What happens if a site has fewer than 150 recipes?

The site can still use standard Allspice Search. Standard search uses recipe title, ingredients, description, and metadata. AI Search becomes available once the site has enough indexed recipe coverage.

Can search results change over time?

Yes. Search statistics and ranking signals are refreshed over time, and pills are regenerated every few weeks. Results may change as new content is added, seasonal interests shift, or reader behavior changes.