Mace + Sugar
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 6,096 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs.
Do mace and sugar go together?
Yes, in practice. 6,096 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 0 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 34% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
Mace and sugar share no flavor molecules we know of. So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for sugar. It carries 34 molecules sugar doesn't have.
sugar
The tartness. Sour notes make up 24% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 65 molecules mace doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 10% of pairs with mace, top 10% with sugar.
- Nutmeg: top 4% of pairs with mace, top 20% with sugar.
- Allspice: top 7% of pairs with mace, top 24% with sugar.
- Clove: top 6% of pairs with mace, top 26% with sugar.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with mace and sugar
Mostly desserts: 162 of the 321 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 34 molecules sugar doesn't, and sugar has 65 that mace 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 0 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 34 only in mace and the 65 only in sugar.
Mace and sugar questions
Do mace and sugar go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 6,096 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs.
What do mace and sugar have in common?
Mace and sugar share no flavor molecules we know of. So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with mace and sugar?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 10% of pairs with mace and top 10% with sugar. Nutmeg and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with mace and sugar?
Mostly desserts: 162 of the 321 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Roasted Nuts with Mace and Cinnamon, Sugar Candy, Sugar-Free Fruitcake, Blackberry Cordial.
Can I use sugar instead of mace?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 34 molecules sugar doesn't, and sugar has 65 that mace 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: Mace vs Sugar. https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-sugar. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_mace_vs_sugar_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Mace vs Sugar},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-sugar},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.