Nutmeg + Quince
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 118 recipes, and they share 221 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and quince go together?
Yes. 118 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 221 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 10% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of quince's flavor molecules (221 of 283) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for quince. It carries 80 molecules quince doesn't have.
quince
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 20% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 62 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 4% with quince.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 2% with quince.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 10% with quince.
- Almond: top 4% of pairs with nutmeg, top 5% with quince.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and quince
Almost always desserts: 4 of the 5 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 (73% of nutmeg's and 78% of quince's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 221 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 80 only in nutmeg and the 62 only in quince.
Nutmeg and quince questions
Do nutmeg and quince go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 118 recipes, and they share 221 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and quince taste good together?
More than half of quince's flavor molecules (221 of 283) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
What goes with nutmeg and quince?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 4% with quince. Clove and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and quince?
Almost always desserts: 4 of the 5 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Ellen’s Pudding, or Rhubarb Tart, Mince Pie Meat I, Pennsylvania Sand Tarts, Plain Custards.
Can I use quince instead of nutmeg?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (73% of nutmeg's and 78% of quince'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 Quince. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-quince. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_quince_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Quince},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-quince},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.