Nutmeg + Fig
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 510 recipes, and they share 238 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and fig go together?
Yes. 510 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 238 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 7% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (238 of 301) also occur in fig. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for fig. It carries 63 molecules fig doesn't have.
fig
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 20% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 104 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 4% with fig.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 6% with fig.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 8% with fig.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 5% with fig.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and fig
Almost always desserts: 28 of the 34 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of nutmeg's flavor molecules (238 of 301) are also found in fig, but fig has 104 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of fig's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 238 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 63 only in nutmeg and the 104 only in fig.
Nutmeg and fig questions
Do nutmeg and fig go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 510 recipes, and they share 238 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and fig taste good together?
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (238 of 301) also occur in fig. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
What goes with nutmeg and fig?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 4% with fig. Clove and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and fig?
Almost always desserts: 28 of the 34 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Fig Pudding, Fig Cake, Fig Puddings, Figgy Pudding.
Can I use fig instead of nutmeg?
Only partly. Most of nutmeg's flavor molecules (238 of 301) are also found in fig, but fig has 104 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of fig's character without most of its fruit. 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 Fig. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-fig. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_fig_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Fig},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-fig},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.