Lime + Tamarind
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 133 recipes, and they share 237 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do lime and tamarind go together?
Yes. 133 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 237 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of lime's flavor molecules (237 of 299) also occur in tamarind. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
What each one brings
lime
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for tamarind. It carries 62 molecules tamarind doesn't have.
tamarind
The caramel side. Caramel notes make up 4% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for lime. It carries 68 molecules lime doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Lemon grass: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with lime, top 1% with tamarind.
- Cumin: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 1% with tamarind.
- Coriander: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 3% with tamarind.
- Pomegranate: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 2% with tamarind.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with lime and tamarind
Mostly mains: 9 of the 12 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (79% of lime's and 78% of tamarind's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 237 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 62 only in lime and the 68 only in tamarind.
Lime and tamarind questions
Do lime and tamarind go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 133 recipes, and they share 237 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do lime and tamarind taste good together?
More than half of lime's flavor molecules (237 of 299) also occur in tamarind. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
What goes with lime and tamarind?
Lemon grass is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with lime and top 1% with tamarind. Cumin and coriander also fit both.
What can you make with lime and tamarind?
Mostly mains: 9 of the 12 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Aromatic Black Tiger Shrimp, Balinese Spicy Fish, Bisi Bele Bath, Burmese-style Rice Salad.
Can I use tamarind instead of lime?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (79% of lime's and 78% of tamarind's are shared). 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 Tamarind. https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-tamarind. Accessed 2026-11-07.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_lime_vs_tamarind_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Lime vs Tamarind},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-tamarind},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-07}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.