Lime + Butter
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 1,339 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 30% of all ingredient pairs.
Do lime and butter go together?
They can. 1,339 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 88 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 30% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 88 flavor molecules: 45% of butter's 196. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
lime
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 2% for butter. It carries 211 molecules butter doesn't have.
butter
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 24% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for lime. It carries 108 molecules lime doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Avocado: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with lime, top 20% with butter.
- Coriander: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 29% with butter.
- Lemon grass: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 33% with butter.
- Coconut: top 3% of pairs with lime, top 12% with butter.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with lime and butter
Mostly mains: 83 of the 140 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: lime has 211 molecules butter doesn't, and butter has 108 that lime 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 88 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 211 only in lime and the 108 only in butter.
Lime and butter questions
Do lime and butter go together?
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 1,339 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 30% of all ingredient pairs.
What do lime and butter have in common?
They overlap on 88 flavor molecules: 45% of butter's 196. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with lime and butter?
Avocado is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with lime and top 20% with butter. Coriander and lemon grass also fit both.
What can you make with lime and butter?
Mostly mains: 83 of the 140 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Chili Lime Butter, Green Pancakes with Lime Butter, Grilled Corn with Lime Butter, Avocado Lime Soup with Crème Fraiche and Roasted Pimientos.
Can I use butter instead of lime?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: lime has 211 molecules butter doesn't, and butter has 108 that lime 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: Lime vs Butter. https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-butter. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_lime_vs_butter_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Lime vs Butter},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-butter},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.