Licorice + Lime
Not a natural pairing: they share little aroma and few recipes use both, which puts them in the bottom 47% of all ingredient pairs.
Do licorice and lime go together?
Not really. 2 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 11 flavor molecules. That places them in the bottom 47% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 11 flavor molecules: 31% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
licorice
The caramel side. Caramel notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for lime. It carries 24 molecules lime doesn't have.
lime
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for licorice. It carries 288 molecules licorice doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Coriander: the best fit for both, top 43% of pairs with licorice, top 1% with lime.
- Cardamom: top 37% of pairs with licorice, top 1% with lime.
- Star anise: top 29% of pairs with licorice, top 2% with lime.
- Fennel: top 31% of pairs with licorice, top 1% with lime.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with licorice and lime
Almost always drinks: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are drinks.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: licorice has 24 molecules lime doesn't, and lime has 288 that licorice 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 11 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 24 only in licorice and the 288 only in lime.
Licorice and lime questions
Do licorice and lime go together?
Not a natural pairing: they share little aroma and few recipes use both, which puts them in the bottom 47% of all ingredient pairs.
What do licorice and lime have in common?
They overlap on 11 flavor molecules: 31% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with licorice and lime?
Coriander is the best third ingredient: top 43% of pairs with licorice and top 1% with lime. Cardamom and star anise also fit both.
What can you make with licorice and lime?
Almost always drinks: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are drinks. Common dishes include Commando Cocktail.
Can I use lime instead of licorice?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: licorice has 24 molecules lime doesn't, and lime has 288 that licorice 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: Licorice vs Lime. https://compkitchen.com/compare/licorice-vs-lime. Accessed 2026-11-06.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_licorice_vs_lime_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Licorice vs Lime},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/licorice-vs-lime},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-06}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.