Nutmeg + Maple syrup
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 306 recipes, and they share 14 flavor molecules: the top 23% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and maple syrup go together?
Yes. 306 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 14 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 23% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of maple syrup's flavor molecules (14 of 28) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and maltol (caramel, sweet). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for maple syrup. It carries 287 molecules maple syrup doesn't have.
maple syrup
The caramel side. Caramel notes make up 29% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 2% for nutmeg. It carries 14 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 16% with maple syrup.
- Butternut squash: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 12% with maple syrup.
- Sweet potato: top 4% of pairs with nutmeg, top 10% with maple syrup.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 24% with maple syrup.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and maple syrup
Mostly desserts: 24 of the 35 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: nutmeg has 287 molecules maple syrup doesn't, and maple syrup has 14 that nutmeg 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 14 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 287 only in nutmeg and the 14 only in maple syrup.
Nutmeg and maple syrup questions
Do nutmeg and maple syrup go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 306 recipes, and they share 14 flavor molecules: the top 23% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and maple syrup taste good together?
More than half of maple syrup's flavor molecules (14 of 28) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and maltol (caramel, sweet). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with nutmeg and maple syrup?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 16% with maple syrup. Butternut squash and sweet potato also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and maple syrup?
Mostly desserts: 24 of the 35 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Banana-Maple Smoothie, Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake, Maple Rice Pudding with Apple and Pecans, Maple Sugar Cakes.
Can I use maple syrup instead of nutmeg?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: nutmeg has 287 molecules maple syrup doesn't, and maple syrup has 14 that nutmeg 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: Nutmeg vs Maple Syrup. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-maple-syrup. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_maple_syrup_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Maple Syrup},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-maple-syrup},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.