diff --git a/backend/app/schemas/ingredient.py b/backend/app/schemas/ingredient.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6381ca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/schemas/ingredient.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from decimal import Decimal
+from typing import List, Optional
+from uuid import UUID
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, field_validator
+
+
+class IngredientBase(BaseModel):
+    name: str = Field(min_length=1, max_length=200)
+    aliases: List[str] = Field(default_factory=list)
+    aisle: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, max_length=100)
+    unit: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, max_length=50)
+    typical_price: Optional[Decimal] = None
+
+    @field_validator("aliases")
+    @classmethod
+    def _strip_and_drop_empty(cls, v: List[str]) -> List[str]:
+        return [s.strip() for s in v if s and s.strip()]
+
+
+class IngredientCreate(IngredientBase):
+    pass
+
+
+class IngredientUpdate(BaseModel):
+    name: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, min_length=1, max_length=200)
+    aliases: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    aisle: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, max_length=100)
+    unit: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, max_length=50)
+    typical_price: Optional[Decimal] = None
+
+    @field_validator("aliases")
+    @classmethod
+    def _strip_and_drop_empty(cls, v: Optional[List[str]]) -> Optional[List[str]]:
+        if v is None:
+            return None
+        return [s.strip() for s in v if s and s.strip()]
+
+
+class IngredientRead(IngredientBase):
+    id: UUID
+
+    model_config = {"from_attributes": True}
+
+
+class IngredientGroceryMatchRead(BaseModel):
+    id: UUID
+    ingredient_id: UUID
+    grocery_item_id: UUID
+    confidence: Decimal
+    source: str
+    grocery_item_name: Optional[str] = None
+    current_price: Optional[Decimal] = None
+    regular_price: Optional[Decimal] = None
+    is_on_sale: Optional[bool] = None
+
+    model_config = {"from_attributes": True}
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_ingredient_schema.py b/backend/tests/test_ingredient_schema.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..047251f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_ingredient_schema.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+from decimal import Decimal
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+from app.schemas.ingredient import IngredientCreate, IngredientRead, IngredientGroceryMatchRead
+
+
+def test_ingredient_create_normalizes_aliases() -> None:
+    payload = IngredientCreate(
+        name="Chicken Thighs",
+        aliases=["  chicken thigh  ", "BSL chicken thighs", ""],
+        aisle="meat_seafood",
+        unit="lb",
+    )
+    assert payload.name == "Chicken Thighs"
+    assert payload.aliases == ["chicken thigh", "BSL chicken thighs"]
+
+
+def test_ingredient_match_read_round_trip() -> None:
+    iid = uuid4()
+    gid = uuid4()
+    raw = {
+        "id": uuid4(),
+        "ingredient_id": iid,
+        "grocery_item_id": gid,
+        "confidence": Decimal("0.875"),
+        "source": "auto",
+        "grocery_item_name": "Foster Farms Chicken Thighs Family Pack",
+        "current_price": Decimal("3.99"),
+        "regular_price": Decimal("5.49"),
+        "is_on_sale": True,
+    }
+    parsed = IngredientGroceryMatchRead.model_validate(raw)
+    assert parsed.confidence == Decimal("0.875")
+    assert parsed.is_on_sale is True