Replate

Landing Page
Features
Impact
Dashboard Part 1
Dashboard Part 2
Recipe Generator

Inspiration

Food waste is one of the biggest invisible problems in the modern world—especially in households. Every year, the average American throws away over $1,500 worth of food. We thought: what if we could build something that helps people reduce waste, save money, and still enjoy creative, delicious meals?

What it does

Replate is a web app that lets users input leftover ingredients and instantly get recipe suggestions powered by AI. Users can save recipes, share them with others, and track how much money and food they’ve saved over time. It also features a public “Replate Feed” where people can browse meals made from scraps, sparking creativity and community.

How we built it

We built Replate using Next.js with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui for styling and component design. The AI recipe generation is powered by Perplexity's Sonar API, which turns ingredient lists into creative and culturally diverse meals. We store data using Supabase for authentication, user storage, and saved recipes. The UI includes animations, mobile responsiveness, and dark mode to keep things polished and modern.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was generating accurate images for AI-created recipes—what the model gave us often didn’t match the actual dish at all. Time was another big constraint, especially when balancing feature ideas with execution. Lastly, building a sleek and aesthetic UI took longer than expected as we experimented with animations, layout, and design systems to keep it both functional and beautiful.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of building Replate in under 8 hours with a clean, modern UI that stands out. From concept to execution, we moved quickly and iterated based on real-time feedback from other hackers, which helped us refine both the design and user experience. We're especially proud of how cohesive and polished the final product looks given the limited time.

What we learned

Throughout this project, we gained valuable experience using shadcn/ui effectively with Next.js, which helped us build a smooth and consistent user experience for a multifunctional app. We also learned how to prototype rapidly while still creating beautiful and user-friendly designs. Beyond the technical skills, we saw how small ideas—such as encouraging people to use leftovers—can have a tangible impact on real-world sustainability.

What's next for Replate

Moving forward, we plan to add OCR capabilities that will allow users to snap photos of their fridge and automatically read the ingredients inside. We want to introduce social “challenges” that motivate people to cook creatively with what they have on hand. Additionally, we aim to launch a mobile app version to increase accessibility. Finally, we hope to partner with food organizations and schools to promote sustainable cooking habits on a larger scale.