Marjoram + Clove
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,075 recipes, and they share 235 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Do marjoram and clove go together?
Yes. 1,075 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 235 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 2% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of marjoram's flavor molecules (235 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and estragole (anise, licorice).
What each one brings
marjoram
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 70 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for marjoram. It carries 76 molecules marjoram doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with marjoram, top 1% with clove.
- Thyme: top 1% of pairs with marjoram, top 2% with clove.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with marjoram, top 1% with clove.
- Summer savory: top 1% of pairs with marjoram, top 3% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with marjoram and clove
Almost always mains: 20 of the 24 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 (77% of marjoram's and 76% of clove's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 235 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 70 only in marjoram and the 76 only in clove.
Marjoram and clove questions
Do marjoram and clove go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,075 recipes, and they share 235 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do marjoram and clove taste good together?
More than half of marjoram's flavor molecules (235 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and estragole (anise, licorice).
What goes with marjoram and clove?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with marjoram and top 1% with clove. Thyme and winter savory also fit both.
What can you make with marjoram and clove?
Almost always mains: 20 of the 24 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include A Boned Turkey, Barbadian Seasoning, Beryl Cislier, Blanche Kammerer.
Can I use clove instead of marjoram?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (77% of marjoram's and 76% of clove'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: Marjoram vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/marjoram-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_marjoram_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Marjoram vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/marjoram-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.