Hops + Clove
Not a natural pairing: they share little aroma and few recipes use both, which puts them in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs.
Do hops and clove go together?
Not really. 2 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 26 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 33% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 26 flavor molecules: 23% of hops's 115. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
hops
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 35% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 17% for clove. It carries 89 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The roast. Roasted notes make up 6% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for hops. It carries 285 molecules hops doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 33% of pairs with hops, top 1% with clove.
- Ginger: top 24% of pairs with hops, top 1% with clove.
- Nutmeg: top 37% of pairs with hops, top 1% with clove.
- Cardamom: top 45% of pairs with hops, top 1% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with hops and clove
Mostly drinks: 2 of the 3 recipes with a course label are drinks.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: hops has 89 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 285 that hops doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 26 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 89 only in hops and the 285 only in clove.
Hops and clove questions
Do hops and clove go together?
Not a natural pairing: they share little aroma and few recipes use both, which puts them in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs.
What do hops and clove have in common?
They overlap on 26 flavor molecules: 23% of hops's 115. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with hops and clove?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 33% of pairs with hops and top 1% with clove. Ginger and nutmeg also fit both.
What can you make with hops and clove?
Mostly drinks: 2 of the 3 recipes with a course label are drinks. Common dishes include Black Pudding from Scratch, Elder Wine, Methelin, or Honey Wine.
Can I use clove instead of hops?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: hops has 89 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 285 that hops doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. 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: Hops vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/hops-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_hops_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Hops vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/hops-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.