Almond + Dates
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 217 recipes, and they share 92 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Do almond and dates go together?
Yes. 217 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 92 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 7% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything dates carries, almond has too: 92 of dates's 110 flavor molecules also occur in almond. Among the shared key aromas are coumarin (sweet, hay) and 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
What each one brings
almond
The tartness. Sour notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for dates. It carries 189 molecules dates doesn't have.
dates
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 21% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for almond. It carries 18 molecules almond doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Fig: the best fit for both, top 3% of pairs with almond, top 2% with dates.
- Brazil nut: top 1% of pairs with almond, top 10% with dates.
- Cinnamon: top 1% of pairs with almond, top 7% with dates.
- Mixed nuts: top 1% of pairs with almond, top 9% with dates.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with almond and dates
Mostly desserts: 39 of the 56 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of dates's flavor molecules (92 of 110) are also found in almond, but almond has 189 that dates lacks. Dates gives you part of almond's character without most of its tartness. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 92 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 189 only in almond and the 18 only in dates.
Almond and dates questions
Do almond and dates go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 217 recipes, and they share 92 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do almond and dates taste good together?
Almost everything dates carries, almond has too: 92 of dates's 110 flavor molecules also occur in almond. Among the shared key aromas are coumarin (sweet, hay) and 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
What goes with almond and dates?
Fig is the best third ingredient: top 3% of pairs with almond and top 2% with dates. Brazil nut and cinnamon also fit both.
What can you make with almond and dates?
Mostly desserts: 39 of the 56 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Rice with Almonds and Dates, Spice Braised Chicken with Dates and Almonds, Almond Milk I, Almond Wafers.
Can I use dates instead of almond?
Only partly. Most of dates's flavor molecules (92 of 110) are also found in almond, but almond has 189 that dates lacks. Dates gives you part of almond's character without most of its tartness. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Almond vs Dates. https://compkitchen.com/compare/almond-vs-dates. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_almond_vs_dates_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Almond vs Dates},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/almond-vs-dates},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.