diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 9fe6075..869d507 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@
 		<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-test</artifactId>
 		<scope>test</scope>
 	</dependency>
+	<!--- Email -->
+	<dependency>
+    	<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
+    	<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-mail</artifactId>
+	</dependency>
 
 	<dependency>
 		<groupId>org.springframework.security</groupId>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/RecipeDemoApplication.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/RecipeDemoApplication.java
index de1e812..a583133 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/RecipeDemoApplication.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/RecipeDemoApplication.java
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ package com.example.demo;
 
 import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
+import org.springframework.scheduling.annotation.EnableScheduling;
 
 @SpringBootApplication
+@EnableScheduling
 public class RecipeDemoApplication {
 
 	public static void main(String[] args) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/EmailController.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/EmailController.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac02f78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/EmailController.java
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package com.example.demo.controller;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.*;
+
+import com.example.demo.service.EmailService;
+import com.example.demo.service.OtpStore;
+
+
+@RestController
+@RequestMapping("/api/email")
+public class EmailController {
+	
+	@Autowired
+	private OtpStore otpStore;
+
+	
+
+    @Autowired
+    private EmailService emailService;
+    
+
+    @PostMapping("/send")
+    public String send(@RequestParam String email) {
+        String otp = emailService.sendOtpEmail(email);
+        return "OTP sent to " + email + " (for demo, OTP: " + otp + ")";
+    }
+    
+    @PostMapping("/verify")
+    public ResponseEntity<String> verify(@RequestParam String email, @RequestParam String otp) {
+        if (otpStore.validate(email, otp)) {
+            otpStore.clear(email);
+
+            return ResponseEntity.ok("Verified!");
+        } else {
+            return ResponseEntity.status(400).body("Invalid or expired code.");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/SiteController.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/SiteController.java
index af2da6b..2ed12eb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/SiteController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/SiteController.java
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ public class SiteController {
 
         return "home";
     }
+    
+    @GetMapping("/verify")
+    public String verifyPage() {
+        return "verify";
+    }
 
     @GetMapping("/login")
     public String viewLoginPage(@RequestParam(required = false) String redirect, Model model) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/UserController.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/UserController.java
index 0250e33..30429aa 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/UserController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/controller/UserController.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import java.security.Principal;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/entity/User.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/entity/User.java
index 1597aeb..1959668 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/entity/User.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/entity/User.java
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ public class User implements UserDetails {
 
 	@Column(unique = true)
 	private String email;
-
+	
 	private String hashedpassword;
-
+	
 	@Column(name = "created_at")
 	private LocalDateTime createdAt;
 
@@ -202,4 +202,6 @@ public class User implements UserDetails {
 		}
 		return username;
 	}
+	
+	
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/EmailService.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/EmailService.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..630e9f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/EmailService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package com.example.demo.service;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.mail.SimpleMailMessage;
+import org.springframework.mail.javamail.JavaMailSender;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+
+@Service
+public class EmailService {
+
+    @Autowired
+    private JavaMailSender mailSender;
+    
+    @Autowired
+    private OtpStore otpStore;
+    
+    public String sendOtpEmail(String toEmail) {
+        String otp = OtpUtil.generateOtp(6);
+        otpStore.save(toEmail, otp);
+
+        SimpleMailMessage message = new SimpleMailMessage();
+        message.setTo(toEmail);
+        message.setSubject("Welcome to Thyme Crunch – Verify Your Account");
+        message.setText(
+            "Welcome to Thyme Crunch!\n\n" +
+            "Thank you for creating an account. To complete your registration, " +
+            "please enter the verification code below:\n\n" +
+            "Your verification code: " + otp + "\n\n" +
+            "This code will expire in 5 minutes. If you did not create an account " +
+            "with Thyme Crunch, you can safely ignore this email.\n\n" +
+            "Happy cooking,\n" +
+            "The Thyme Crunch Team"
+        );
+
+        mailSender.send(message);
+        return otp;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/Impl/RecipeServiceImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/Impl/RecipeServiceImpl.java
index 31bcc9d..7488b86 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/Impl/RecipeServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/Impl/RecipeServiceImpl.java
@@ -317,67 +317,45 @@ public class RecipeServiceImpl implements RecipeService {
 		List<Tag> tagsToRemove = new ArrayList<>();
 
 		if (updatedIngredients != null) {
-			
-			for (int i = 0; i < updatedIngredients.size(); i++) {
-			    RecipeIngredientDto riDto = updatedIngredients.get(i);
+		    for (RecipeIngredient ri : existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients()) {
+		        boolean existsInUpdatedList = updatedIngredients.stream()
+		                .anyMatch(dto -> java.util.Objects.equals(
+		                        ri.getIngredient().getName().toLowerCase(),
+		                        dto.getIngredientName().toLowerCase()));
+		        if (!existsInUpdatedList)
+		            ingredientsToRemove.add(ri);
+		    }
+		    existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().removeAll(ingredientsToRemove);
 
-			    RecipeIngredient existingRI = existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().stream()
-			            .filter(ri -> java.util.Objects.equals(ri.getIngredient().getName(), riDto.getIngredientName()))
-			            .findFirst()
-			            .orElse(null);
+		    for (int i = 0; i < updatedIngredients.size(); i++) {
+		        RecipeIngredientDto riDto = updatedIngredients.get(i);
 
-			    if (existingRI != null) {
-			        existingRI.setQuantity(riDto.getQuantity());
-			        existingRI.setUnit(riDto.getUnit());
-			        existingRI.setNotes(riDto.getNotes());
-			        existingRI.setOrderIndex(i);
-			    } else {
-			        Ingredient ingredient = ingredientRepository.findByNameIgnoreCase(riDto.getIngredientName())
-			                .orElseGet(() -> new Ingredient(riDto.getIngredientName()));
+		        RecipeIngredient existingRI = existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().stream()
+		                .filter(ri -> java.util.Objects.equals(
+		                        ri.getIngredient().getName().toLowerCase(),
+		                        riDto.getIngredientName().toLowerCase()))
+		                .findFirst()
+		                .orElse(null);
 
-			        if (ingredient.getId() == null) {
-			            ingredientRepository.save(ingredient);
-			        }
+		        if (existingRI != null) {
+		            existingRI.setQuantity(riDto.getQuantity());
+		            existingRI.setUnit(riDto.getUnit());
+		            existingRI.setNotes(riDto.getNotes());
+		            existingRI.setOrderIndex(i);
+		        } else {
+		            Ingredient ingredient = ingredientRepository.findByNameIgnoreCase(riDto.getIngredientName())
+		                    .orElseGet(() -> new Ingredient(riDto.getIngredientName()));
 
-			        RecipeIngredient newRI = new RecipeIngredient(existingRecipe, ingredient, riDto.getQuantity(),
-			                riDto.getUnit(), riDto.getNotes());
-			        newRI.setOrderIndex(i);
+		            if (ingredient.getId() == null) {
+		                ingredientRepository.save(ingredient);
+		            }
 
-			        existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().add(newRI);
-			    }
-			}
-
-			existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().removeAll(ingredientsToRemove);
-
-			for (RecipeIngredientDto riDto : updatedIngredients) {
-
-				RecipeIngredient existingRI = existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().stream()
-						.filter(ri -> java.util.Objects.equals(ri.getIngredient().getName(), riDto.getIngredientName()))
-						.findFirst()
-						.orElse(null);
-
-				if (existingRI != null) {
-
-					existingRI.setQuantity(riDto.getQuantity());
-					existingRI.setUnit(riDto.getUnit());
-					existingRI.setNotes(riDto.getNotes());
-				}
-
-				else {
-
-					Ingredient ingredient = ingredientRepository.findByNameIgnoreCase(riDto.getIngredientName())
-							.orElseGet(() -> new Ingredient(riDto.getIngredientName()));
-
-					if (ingredient.getId() == null) {
-						ingredientRepository.save(ingredient);
-					}
-
-					RecipeIngredient newRI = new RecipeIngredient(existingRecipe, ingredient, riDto.getQuantity(),
-							riDto.getUnit(), riDto.getNotes());
-
-					existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().add(newRI);
-				}
-			}
+		            RecipeIngredient newRI = new RecipeIngredient(existingRecipe, ingredient,
+		                    riDto.getQuantity(), riDto.getUnit(), riDto.getNotes());
+		            newRI.setOrderIndex(i);
+		            existingRecipe.getRecipeIngredients().add(newRI);
+		        }
+		    }
 		}
 
 		if (updatedSteps != null) {
@@ -460,6 +438,8 @@ public class RecipeServiceImpl implements RecipeService {
 		recipeRepository.save(existingRecipe);
 		return convertToDto(existingRecipe);
 	}
+	
+	
 
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpStore.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpStore.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..417006a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpStore.java
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package com.example.demo.service;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.springframework.scheduling.annotation.Scheduled;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
+
+@Component
+public class OtpStore {
+    private final Map<String, String> otpMap = new HashMap<>();
+    private final Map<String, Long> expiryMap = new HashMap<>();
+    private static final long EXPIRY_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000;
+
+    public void save(String email, String otp) {
+        otpMap.put(email, otp);
+        expiryMap.put(email, System.currentTimeMillis() + EXPIRY_MS);
+    }
+
+    public boolean validate(String email, String otp) {
+        if (!expiryMap.containsKey(email) || System.currentTimeMillis() > expiryMap.get(email)) {
+            clear(email); // expired
+            return false;
+        }
+        return otp.equals(otpMap.get(email));
+    }
+
+    public void clear(String email) {
+        otpMap.remove(email);
+        expiryMap.remove(email);
+    }
+
+    @Scheduled(fixedRate = 120000)
+    public void clearExpired() {
+        long now = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        expiryMap.entrySet().removeIf(entry -> {
+            if (now > entry.getValue()) {
+                otpMap.remove(entry.getKey());
+                return true;
+            }
+            return false;
+        });
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpUtil.java b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpUtil.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f63f4bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/example/demo/service/OtpUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package com.example.demo.service;
+
+import java.security.SecureRandom;
+
+public class OtpUtil {
+    private static final SecureRandom random = new SecureRandom();
+    
+    public static String generateOtp(int length) {
+        StringBuilder otp = new StringBuilder();
+        for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+            otp.append(random.nextInt(10));
+        }
+        return otp.toString();
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/resources/application.properties b/src/main/resources/application.properties
index ee99327..5df447d 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/application.properties
+++ b/src/main/resources/application.properties
@@ -22,5 +22,12 @@ spring.servlet.multipart.max-request-size=20MB
 server.tomcat.max-swallow-size=-1
 server.tomcat.max-part-count=100
 
+spring.mail.host = smtp.gmail.com
+spring.mail.port = 587
+spring.mail.username = thymeverify@gmail.com
+spring.mail.password = bvzz gsdo zjxz ames
+spring.mail.properties.mail.smtp.auth = true
+spring.mail.properties.mail.smtp.starttls.enable = true
+
 # Stable upload directory for images
 app.upload.dir=${THYMECRUNCH_UPLOAD_DIR:${user.home}/thymecrunch/uploads}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/resources/templates/create-account.html b/src/main/resources/templates/create-account.html
index 6d5b4b5..1232a47 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/templates/create-account.html
+++ b/src/main/resources/templates/create-account.html
@@ -146,27 +146,25 @@ function isProfane(str) {
             const csrfHeader = document.querySelector('meta[name="_csrf_header"]').getAttribute('content');
 
             try {
-                const response = await fetch("/api/users", {
+                sessionStorage.setItem("pendingEmail", email);
+                sessionStorage.setItem("pendingUser", JSON.stringify({
+                    username: name,
+                    email: email,
+                    hashedpassword: password,
+                    role: "ROLE_USER"
+                }));
+
+                await fetch(`/api/email/send?email=${encodeURIComponent(email)}`, {
                     method: "POST",
-                    headers: {
-                        [csrfHeader]: csrfToken,
-                        "Content-Type": "application/json"
-                    },
-                    body: JSON.stringify(userData)
+                    headers: { [csrfHeader]: csrfToken }
                 });
 
-                if (response.ok) {
-                    passwordError.style.color = "green";
-                    passwordError.textContent = "Account created successfully. Redirecting to login...";
-                    setTimeout(function () {
-                        window.location.href = "/login";
-                    }, 1500);
-                } else {
-                    const errorText = await response.text();
-                    passwordError.style.color = "red";
-                    passwordError.textContent = "Account creation failed. Please try a different username or email.";
-                    console.error("Create account failed:", errorText);
-                }
+                passwordError.style.color = "green";
+                passwordError.textContent = "Check your email for a verification code...";
+                setTimeout(function () {
+                    window.location.href = "/verify";
+                }, 1500);
+
             } catch (error) {
                 passwordError.style.color = "red";
                 passwordError.textContent = "Could not connect to the server.";
diff --git a/src/main/resources/templates/update-recipe.html b/src/main/resources/templates/update-recipe.html
index 2c7e329..ce11e1c 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/templates/update-recipe.html
+++ b/src/main/resources/templates/update-recipe.html
@@ -559,8 +559,8 @@ document.querySelectorAll('#ingredients-container .dynamic-row').forEach((row, i
     const notes = row.querySelector('.ing-notes').value.trim();
 
     formData.append('ingredientQuantity', qty);
-    if (unit) formData.append('ingredientUnit', unit);
-    if (notes) formData.append('ingredientNotes', notes);
+    formData.append('ingredientUnit', row.querySelector('.ing-unit').value.trim());
+    formData.append('ingredientNotes', row.querySelector('.ing-notes').value.trim());
     formData.append('ingredientOrder', index);
 });
 
diff --git a/src/main/resources/templates/verify.html b/src/main/resources/templates/verify.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a00cacf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/resources/templates/verify.html
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+    <meta charset="UTF-8">
+    <meta name="_csrf_header" th:content="${_csrf.headerName}"/>
+    <meta name="_csrf" th:content="${_csrf.token}"/>
+    <title>Verify Your Thyme Crunch Account</title>
+    <link rel="stylesheet" th:href="@{css/create-account.css}">
+    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Delius+Swash+Caps&family=Mali:ital,wght@0,200;0,300;0,400;0,500;0,600;0,700;1,200;1,300;1,400;1,500;1,600;1,700" rel="stylesheet">
+</head>
+<body>
+
+<div class="header-wrap">
+    <a th:href="@{/explore}">
+        <header class="top-header">
+            <img th:src="@{/images/header_left.png}" alt="Violin f-hole shape to the left of header." class="swirl">
+            <h1 class="site-name">Thyme Crunch</h1>
+            <img th:src="@{/images/header_right.png}" alt="Violin f-hole shape to the right of header." class="swirl">
+        </header>
+    </a>
+</div>
+
+<div class="align-decor">
+    <img th:src="@{images/decor_left.png}" alt="" class="vert_swirl">
+
+    <main class="main-content">
+        <div class="login-box">
+            <h2>Verify Your Account</h2>
+            <p>Enter the 6-digit code sent to your email.</p>
+
+            <div class="rows">
+                <label for="otpInput">Verification Code</label>
+                <input type="text" id="otpInput" maxlength="6" placeholder="000000" required>
+            </div>
+            <p id="message"></p>
+            <button onclick="verifyOtp()">Verify</button>
+        </div>
+    </main>
+
+    <img th:src="@{images/decor_right.png}" alt="" class="vert_swirl">
+</div>
+
+<script>
+async function verifyOtp() {
+    const otp = document.getElementById("otpInput").value;
+    const email = sessionStorage.getItem("pendingEmail");
+    const pendingUser = JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem("pendingUser"));
+
+    const csrfToken = document.querySelector('meta[name="_csrf"]').getAttribute('content');
+    const csrfHeader = document.querySelector('meta[name="_csrf_header"]').getAttribute('content');
+
+    const response = await fetch(`/api/email/verify?email=${encodeURIComponent(email)}&otp=${encodeURIComponent(otp)}`, {
+        method: "POST",
+        headers: { [csrfHeader]: csrfToken }
+    });
+
+    if (response.ok) {
+
+        await fetch("/api/users", {
+            method: "POST",
+            headers: {
+                [csrfHeader]: csrfToken,
+                "Content-Type": "application/json"
+            },
+            body: JSON.stringify(pendingUser)
+        });
+
+        sessionStorage.removeItem("pendingEmail");
+        sessionStorage.removeItem("pendingUser");
+
+        message.style.color = "green";
+        message.textContent = "Account verified! Redirecting to login...";
+        setTimeout(() => window.location.href = "/login", 1500);
+    } else {
+        message.style.color = "red";
+        message.textContent = "Invalid or expired code. Please try again.";
+    }
+}
+</script>
+
+</body>
+</html>
\ No newline at end of file