Dill + Thyme
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 164 recipes, and they share 252 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Do dill and thyme go together?
Yes. 164 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 252 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 2% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything thyme carries, dill has too: 252 of thyme's 303 flavor molecules also occur in dill. Among the shared key aromas are methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty) and cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
What each one brings
dill
The spice. Spicy notes make up 5% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for thyme. It carries 90 molecules thyme doesn't have.
thyme
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for dill. It carries 51 molecules dill doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Fennel: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with dill, top 1% with thyme.
- Marjoram: top 3% of pairs with dill, top 1% with thyme.
- Parsley: top 1% of pairs with dill, top 1% with thyme.
- Tarragon: top 1% of pairs with dill, top 1% with thyme.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with dill and thyme
Mostly mains: 22 of the 28 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 (74% of dill's and 83% of thyme's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 252 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 90 only in dill and the 51 only in thyme.
Dill and thyme questions
Do dill and thyme go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 164 recipes, and they share 252 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do dill and thyme taste good together?
Almost everything thyme carries, dill has too: 252 of thyme's 303 flavor molecules also occur in dill. Among the shared key aromas are methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty) and cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
What goes with dill and thyme?
Fennel is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with dill and top 1% with thyme. Marjoram and parsley also fit both.
What can you make with dill and thyme?
Mostly mains: 22 of the 28 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Curried Flatbread with Vegetables and Thyme, Barramundi Recipe, Blackened Salmon with Cucumber Salsa, Cheese-and-Herbs Stuffed Salmon Yrttijuustolla Täytetty Lohi.
Can I use thyme instead of dill?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (74% of dill's and 83% 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: Dill vs Thyme. https://compkitchen.com/compare/dill-vs-thyme. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_dill_vs_thyme_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Dill vs Thyme},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/dill-vs-thyme},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.