Clove + Basil
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,437 recipes, and they share 249 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and basil go together?
Yes. 1,437 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 249 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 4% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything clove carries, basil has too: 249 of clove's 311 flavor molecules also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What each one brings
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for basil. It carries 62 molecules basil doesn't have.
basil
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 125 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Marjoram: the best fit for both, top 2% of pairs with clove, top 1% with basil.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 5% with basil.
- Oregano: top 4% of pairs with clove, top 1% with basil.
- Thyme: top 2% of pairs with clove, top 1% with basil.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and basil
Almost always mains: 85 of the 104 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of clove's flavor molecules (249 of 311) are also found in basil, but basil has 125 that clove lacks. Clove gives you part of basil's character without most of its herbal side. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 249 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 62 only in clove and the 125 only in basil.
Clove and basil questions
Do clove and basil go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,437 recipes, and they share 249 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and basil taste good together?
Almost everything clove carries, basil has too: 249 of clove's 311 flavor molecules also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What goes with clove and basil?
Marjoram is the best third ingredient: top 2% of pairs with clove and top 1% with basil. Allspice and oregano also fit both.
What can you make with clove and basil?
Almost always mains: 85 of the 104 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Angel Hair with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil, Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Sandwiches with Basil Olive Pesto, Mostly Egg White Frittata with Basil, Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes, Tomato Corn Basil Soup.
Can I use basil instead of clove?
Only partly. Most of clove's flavor molecules (249 of 311) are also found in basil, but basil has 125 that clove lacks. Clove gives you part of basil's character without most of its herbal side. 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: Clove vs Basil. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-basil. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_basil_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Basil},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-basil},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.