Import Recipes

Import recipes into Brewfather from BeerXML, BeerJSON, and Brewfather JSON files.

Brewfather supports importing recipes via BeerXML, BeerJSON, and Brewfather JSON. BeerXML and BeerJSON are interoperability formats used by brewing software. Brewfather JSON preserves Brewfather-specific recipe or batch data when moving data between Brewfather accounts or restoring backups. Importing is a Premium feature.

Import from Beersmith

1. Export all of your recipes in one go by selecting the folders you want to export, right-click and select "Export Selected".

Export recipes from Beersmith

2. Select BeerXML as the file type when saving the exported file

3. In the Recipes page of Brewfather, click the import icon in the top right

Click import on the recipes page

4. Select BeerXML as import format

Select BeerXML

5. Choose the BeerXML file you exported. It will then start importing all the recipes in the file. You will be prompted to add a tag to the imported recipes if there is more than one in the file.

Importing from Other Software

The BeerXML format (.xml) is supported by most brewing applications. If your source application supports BeerJSON, export BeerJSON and choose BeerJSON in Brewfather. Brewfather detects BeerJSON files with a top-level beerjson object and can import one or more recipes from the file.

Brewfather also supports importing its own Brewfather JSON format, which preserves all Brewfather-specific data. This is useful for transferring recipes between Brewfather accounts or restoring from a backup.

When importing a BeerXML file exported by Brewfather, Brewfather can also read back Brewfather-specific mash planning fields such as manual infusion amount, infusion water temperature, decoction amount mode, decoction thickness, decoction rest, and decoction boil-off rate. Other brewing apps may ignore those custom BeerXML fields.

BeerJSON is an interchange format, so some Brewfather-specific fields may not round-trip exactly between brewing apps. Brewfather preserves Juice and Honey fermentable types when importing and exporting BeerJSON. BeerJSON fruit fermentables import as Other because Brewfather does not currently have a separate Fruit fermentable type.

Organizing recipes in Brewfather

After import, you can organize your recipes using both Recipe Folders and tags:

• Use Recipe Folders to move imported recipes into a folder structure

• Use tags during import to label imported recipes by source, style, or migration batch

• If you prefer a tag-based workflow, you can still sort recipes by First Tag on the Recipes page

Import troubleshooting checklist

If an import fails or keeps spinning:

1. Verify the file format is BeerXML, BeerJSON, or Brewfather JSON.

2. Re-export the file from the source app, then import again.

3. Try importing in the web app at web.brewfather.app for clearer error feedback.

4. If the file still fails, open it in a text editor and check for obviously broken/empty fields.

Common Grainfather BeerXML issue

Some Grainfather exports can contain invalid BeerXML values (for example batch size fields not matching BeerXML spec expectations). In that case, Brewfather import may fail or import incorrect values.

If that happens:

1. Re-export from Grainfather after verifying units/recipe settings.

2. Import again and verify batch size and gravity values.

3. If needed, correct the recipe values manually after import.

See also FAQ: Import fails or keeps spinning.

Next Steps

• Creating a New Recipe — Learn to build recipes from scratch in the Recipe Designer

• Your First Batch — Start brewing with one of your imported recipes

• Setting Up Your Equipment Profile — Make sure your equipment is configured for accurate calculations with your imported recipes