M
API Matrix

Nutritionix API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Health / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)
72 Score
Grade B
Visit Official Site Compare Alternatives

Overview

Nutritionix gives you access to the world's largest verified nutrition database, allowing you to look up calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients for branded and restaurant foods. It supports natural language queries like "2 eggs and toast" making it easy to build calorie trackers and diet apps. An API key is required, available after registering on their developer portal.

💡

Beginner Tip

Use the /v2/natural/nutrients endpoint with plain English food descriptions — you do not need to search for exact product names, which makes integration much faster.

Available Data

recipe name and ingredients
nutritional values
calorie count
serving size
preparation time

Example Response

JSON Response 
{
  "recipe": "Chicken Stir Fry",
  "calories": 380,
  "protein_g": 32,
  "carbs_g": 28,
  "fat_g": 14,
  "ingredients": [
    "chicken breast",
    "bell pepper",
    "soy sauce",
    "garlic"
  ],
  "prep_time_minutes": 20
}

Field Reference

foods List of food items parsed from the natural language query.
food_name Standardized name of the identified food item.
nf_calories Total calorie count for the specified serving size.
nf_total_fat Total fat content in grams.
nf_total_carbohydrate Total carbohydrate content in grams.
nf_protein Protein content in grams.

Implementation Example 

const url = "https://developer.nutritionix.com/";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized Missing or invalid x-app-id or x-app-key headers
✓ Register at developer.nutritionix.com to get your App ID and API Key, then include both as request headers.
Food item not recognized The natural language query uses brand names not in the generic database
✓ Try the /v2/search/instant endpoint for branded food search, or simplify the description.
429 Too Many Requests Free tier has a daily request limit
✓ Cache results for common queries locally and upgrade to a paid plan if your usage is high.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Health
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

Recipes Using Nutritionix

Build something with this API. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions and code outlines.

Beginner 2-3 hours

Build a Food Explorer

3 APIs

Similar APIs

View All →

CMS.gov

77

The CMS.gov Provider Data API gives access to Medicare and healthcare provider quality data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

API Key Intermediate HTTPS

FoodData Central

⭐ Beginner's Pick
72

FoodData Central is the USDA's authoritative nutritional database API, giving access to detailed nutrient profiles for hundreds of thousands of foods including branded products, raw ingredients, and restaurant items.

API Key Intermediate HTTPS

Infermedica

87

Infermedica is an AI-powered health API that analyzes symptom descriptions in plain text and suggests possible conditions or next steps.

API Key Intermediate HTTPS

Lexigram

72

Lexigram is a clinical NLP API that reads medical text and identifies clinical concepts like diagnoses, medications, and procedures using standardized ontologies.

API Key Intermediate HTTPS

openFDA

⭐ Beginner's Pick
72

openFDA provides free public access to FDA datasets covering drug adverse events, product recalls, medical device reports, and food safety alerts.

API Key Intermediate HTTPS