Maple syrup + Apple
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 272 recipes, and they share 19 flavor molecules: the top 12% of all ingredient pairs.
Do maple syrup and apple go together?
Yes. 272 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 19 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 12% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of maple syrup's flavor molecules (19 of 28) also occur in apple. Among the shared key aromas are beta-damascenone (apple, rose) and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
maple syrup
The caramel side. Caramel notes make up 29% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for apple. It carries 9 molecules apple doesn't have.
apple
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 27% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for maple syrup. It carries 503 molecules maple syrup doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Pear: the best fit for both, top 18% of pairs with maple syrup, top 1% with apple.
- Grape: top 17% of pairs with maple syrup, top 1% with apple.
- Banana: top 16% of pairs with maple syrup, top 2% with apple.
- Fig: top 16% of pairs with maple syrup, top 4% with apple.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with maple syrup and apple
Mostly desserts: 26 of the 39 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: maple syrup has 9 molecules apple doesn't, and apple has 503 that maple syrup 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 19 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 9 only in maple syrup and the 503 only in apple.
Maple syrup and apple questions
Do maple syrup and apple go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 272 recipes, and they share 19 flavor molecules: the top 12% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do maple syrup and apple taste good together?
More than half of maple syrup's flavor molecules (19 of 28) also occur in apple. Among the shared key aromas are beta-damascenone (apple, rose) and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with maple syrup and apple?
Pear is the best third ingredient: top 18% of pairs with maple syrup and top 1% with apple. Grape and banana also fit both.
What can you make with maple syrup and apple?
Mostly desserts: 26 of the 39 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Apples in Maple Syrup, Maple Rice Pudding with Apple and Pecans, Maple-Baked Apples, Maple-Spiced Apple.
Can I use apple instead of maple syrup?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: maple syrup has 9 molecules apple doesn't, and apple has 503 that maple syrup 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: Maple Syrup vs Apple. https://compkitchen.com/compare/maple-syrup-vs-apple. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_maple_syrup_vs_apple_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Maple Syrup vs Apple},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/maple-syrup-vs-apple},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.