Mint + Clove
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 576 recipes, and they share 104 flavor molecules: the top 9% of all ingredient pairs.
Do mint and clove go together?
Yes. 576 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 104 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 9% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of mint's flavor molecules (104 of 166) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
mint
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 19% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 62 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The tartness. Sour notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for mint. It carries 207 molecules mint doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 9% of pairs with mint, top 1% with clove.
- Cinnamon: top 11% of pairs with mint, top 1% with clove.
- Ginger: top 5% of pairs with mint, top 1% with clove.
- Cardamom: top 6% of pairs with mint, top 1% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with mint and clove
Mostly mains: 9 of the 13 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mint has 62 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 207 that mint 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 104 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 62 only in mint and the 207 only in clove.
Mint and clove questions
Do mint and clove go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 576 recipes, and they share 104 flavor molecules: the top 9% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do mint and clove taste good together?
More than half of mint's flavor molecules (104 of 166) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with mint and clove?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 9% of pairs with mint and top 1% with clove. Cinnamon and ginger also fit both.
What can you make with mint and clove?
Mostly mains: 9 of the 13 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Chicken Koftas with Mint Yogurt, Mint Flavored Tofu Dip, Rice with Potatoes, Cilantro and Mint, Aloo Biryani.
Can I use clove instead of mint?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mint has 62 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 207 that mint 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: Mint vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/mint-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_mint_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Mint vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/mint-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.