Cinnamon + Thyme
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 369 recipes, and they share 246 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Do cinnamon and thyme go together?
Yes. 369 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 246 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 6% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything thyme carries, cinnamon has too: 246 of thyme's 303 flavor molecules also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What each one brings
cinnamon
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for thyme. It carries 78 molecules thyme doesn't have.
thyme
The floral side. Floral notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for cinnamon. It carries 57 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with thyme.
- Nutmeg: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 3% with thyme.
- Marjoram: top 5% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with thyme.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 2% with thyme.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with cinnamon and thyme
Almost always mains: 27 of the 33 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of cinnamon's and 81% of thyme's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 246 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 78 only in cinnamon and the 57 only in thyme.
Cinnamon and thyme questions
Do cinnamon and thyme go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 369 recipes, and they share 246 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do cinnamon and thyme taste good together?
Almost everything thyme carries, cinnamon has too: 246 of thyme's 303 flavor molecules also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What goes with cinnamon and thyme?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon and top 1% with thyme. Nutmeg and marjoram also fit both.
What can you make with cinnamon and thyme?
Almost always mains: 27 of the 33 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Nigerian Jollof Rice, Almond Rice Bundles, Autumn Vineyard Rolls, Breast, Stewed.
Can I use thyme instead of cinnamon?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of cinnamon's and 81% of thyme's are shared). 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: Cinnamon vs Thyme. https://compkitchen.com/compare/cinnamon-vs-thyme. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_cinnamon_vs_thyme_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Cinnamon vs Thyme},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/cinnamon-vs-thyme},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.