Nutmeg + Syrup
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 523 recipes, and they share 43 flavor molecules: the top 23% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and syrup go together?
Yes. 523 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 43 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 23% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything syrup carries, nutmeg has too: 43 of syrup's 47 flavor molecules also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal) and decanoic acid (soapy, waxy). 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 2% for syrup. It carries 258 molecules syrup doesn't have.
syrup
The tartness. Sour notes make up 33% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 16% for nutmeg. It carries 4 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 14% with syrup.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 18% with syrup.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 28% with syrup.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 26% with syrup.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and syrup
Mostly desserts: 51 of the 77 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of syrup's flavor molecules (43 of 47) are also found in nutmeg, but nutmeg has 258 that syrup lacks. Syrup gives you part of nutmeg's character without most of its herbal side. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 43 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 258 only in nutmeg and the 4 only in syrup.
Nutmeg and syrup questions
Do nutmeg and syrup go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 523 recipes, and they share 43 flavor molecules: the top 23% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and syrup taste good together?
Almost everything syrup carries, nutmeg has too: 43 of syrup's 47 flavor molecules also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal) and decanoic acid (soapy, waxy). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with nutmeg and syrup?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 14% with syrup. Cardamom and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and syrup?
Mostly desserts: 51 of the 77 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Pumpkin Pie with Maple Syrup, Sweet Pumpkin Scones, Amazing Bread Pudding, An Admirable Cool Cup.
Can I use syrup instead of nutmeg?
Only partly. Almost all of syrup's flavor molecules (43 of 47) are also found in nutmeg, but nutmeg has 258 that syrup lacks. Syrup gives you part of nutmeg's character without most of its herbal side. 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 Syrup. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-syrup. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_syrup_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Syrup},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-syrup},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.