Laurel + Cinnamon
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 691 recipes, and they share 146 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Do laurel and cinnamon go together?
Yes. 691 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 146 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 4% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of laurel's flavor molecules (146 of 237) also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are cinnamyl acetate (sweet aromatic, cinnamon) and methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
What each one brings
laurel
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 26% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for cinnamon. It carries 91 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
cinnamon
The tartness. Sour notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for laurel. It carries 178 molecules laurel doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Clove: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with laurel, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Star anise: top 5% of pairs with laurel, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Nutmeg: top 8% of pairs with laurel, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Allspice: top 4% of pairs with laurel, top 1% with cinnamon.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with laurel and cinnamon
Mostly desserts: 1 of the 2 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: laurel has 91 molecules cinnamon doesn't, and cinnamon has 178 that laurel 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 146 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 91 only in laurel and the 178 only in cinnamon.
Laurel and cinnamon questions
Do laurel and cinnamon go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 691 recipes, and they share 146 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do laurel and cinnamon taste good together?
More than half of laurel's flavor molecules (146 of 237) also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are cinnamyl acetate (sweet aromatic, cinnamon) and methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
What goes with laurel and cinnamon?
Clove is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with laurel and top 1% with cinnamon. Star anise and nutmeg also fit both.
What can you make with laurel and cinnamon?
Mostly desserts: 1 of the 2 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include A Trifle, Burmese Curry.
Can I use cinnamon instead of laurel?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: laurel has 91 molecules cinnamon doesn't, and cinnamon has 178 that laurel 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: Laurel vs Cinnamon. https://compkitchen.com/compare/laurel-vs-cinnamon. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_laurel_vs_cinnamon_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Laurel vs Cinnamon},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/laurel-vs-cinnamon},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.