Raisin + Cardamom
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 69 recipes, and they share 105 flavor molecules: the top 8% of all ingredient pairs.
Do raisin and cardamom go together?
Yes. 69 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 105 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 8% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything raisin carries, cardamom has too: 105 of raisin's 129 flavor molecules also occur in cardamom. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
What each one brings
raisin
The tartness. Sour notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 15% for cardamom. It carries 24 molecules cardamom doesn't have.
cardamom
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for raisin. It carries 198 molecules raisin doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with raisin, top 1% with cardamom.
- Saffron: top 7% of pairs with raisin, top 1% with cardamom.
- Almond: top 2% of pairs with raisin, top 1% with cardamom.
- Nutmeg: top 6% of pairs with raisin, top 1% with cardamom.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with raisin and cardamom
Almost always desserts: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of raisin's flavor molecules (105 of 129) are also found in cardamom, but cardamom has 198 that raisin lacks. Raisin gives you part of cardamom'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 105 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 24 only in raisin and the 198 only in cardamom.
Raisin and cardamom questions
Do raisin and cardamom go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 69 recipes, and they share 105 flavor molecules: the top 8% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do raisin and cardamom taste good together?
Almost everything raisin carries, cardamom has too: 105 of raisin's 129 flavor molecules also occur in cardamom. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
What goes with raisin and cardamom?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with raisin and top 1% with cardamom. Saffron and almond also fit both.
What can you make with raisin and cardamom?
Almost always desserts: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Frances Bissell's Low-Fat Christmas Pudding.
Can I use cardamom instead of raisin?
Only partly. Most of raisin's flavor molecules (105 of 129) are also found in cardamom, but cardamom has 198 that raisin lacks. Raisin gives you part of cardamom'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: Raisin vs Cardamom. https://compkitchen.com/compare/raisin-vs-cardamom. Accessed 2026-11-05.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_raisin_vs_cardamom_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Raisin vs Cardamom},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/raisin-vs-cardamom},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-05}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.