Lime + Cream cheese
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 127 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
Do lime and cream cheese go together?
They can. 127 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 37 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 26% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 37 flavor molecules: 32% of cream cheese's 117. Among the shared key aromas are myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous) and linalool (floral, citrus).
What each one brings
lime
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for cream cheese. It carries 262 molecules cream cheese doesn't have.
cream cheese
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for lime. It carries 80 molecules lime doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Feta cheese: the best fit for both, top 21% of pairs with lime, top 1% with cream cheese.
- Goat cheese: top 26% of pairs with lime, top 1% with cream cheese.
- Cottage cheese: top 27% of pairs with lime, top 1% with cream cheese.
- Avocado: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 17% with cream cheese.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with lime and cream cheese
Mostly desserts: 17 of the 28 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: lime has 262 molecules cream cheese doesn't, and cream cheese has 80 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 37 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 262 only in lime and the 80 only in cream cheese.
Lime and cream cheese questions
Do lime and cream cheese go together?
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 127 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
What do lime and cream cheese have in common?
They overlap on 37 flavor molecules: 32% of cream cheese's 117. Among the shared key aromas are myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous) and linalool (floral, citrus).
What goes with lime and cream cheese?
Feta cheese is the best third ingredient: top 21% of pairs with lime and top 1% with cream cheese. Goat cheese and cottage cheese also fit both.
What can you make with lime and cream cheese?
Mostly desserts: 17 of the 28 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Amish Lime Salad, Cat's Avocado Cream Pie, Great Key Lime Pie, Kiwifruit Lime Tarts.
Can I use cream cheese instead of lime?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: lime has 262 molecules cream cheese doesn't, and cream cheese has 80 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 Cream Cheese. https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-cream-cheese. Accessed 2026-11-06.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_lime_vs_cream_cheese_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Lime vs Cream Cheese},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-cream-cheese},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-06}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.