Nutmeg + Allspice
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,331 recipes, and they share 229 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and allspice go together?
Yes. 3,331 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 229 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything allspice carries, nutmeg has too: 229 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The tartness. Sour notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for allspice. It carries 72 molecules allspice doesn't have.
allspice
The woody side. Woody notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for nutmeg. It carries 49 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with allspice.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with allspice.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with allspice.
- Marjoram: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with allspice.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and allspice
Mostly desserts: 129 of the 245 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of nutmeg's and 82% of allspice's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 229 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 72 only in nutmeg and the 49 only in allspice.
Nutmeg and allspice questions
Do nutmeg and allspice go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,331 recipes, and they share 229 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and allspice taste good together?
Almost everything allspice carries, nutmeg has too: 229 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What goes with nutmeg and allspice?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 1% with allspice. Clove and winter savory also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and allspice?
Mostly desserts: 129 of the 245 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include How We Cook in Tennessee, Mince Meat, Fruit Cake, Blackberry Cordial.
Can I use allspice instead of nutmeg?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of nutmeg's and 82% of allspice'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: Nutmeg vs Allspice. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-allspice. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_allspice_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Allspice},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-allspice},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.