Tomato + Shallot
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 583 recipes, and they share 211 flavor molecules: the top 12% of all ingredient pairs.
Do tomato and shallot go together?
Yes. 583 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 211 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 12% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything shallot carries, tomato has too: 211 of shallot's 223 flavor molecules also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are 2,4-decadienal (seaweed) and 2-octenal (fatty, green).
What each one brings
tomato
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for shallot. It carries 299 molecules shallot doesn't have.
shallot
The roast. Roasted notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for tomato. It carries 12 molecules tomato doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Capers: the best fit for both, top 8% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with shallot.
- Chanterelle: top 12% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with shallot.
- Chervil: top 12% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with shallot.
- Pasta: top 6% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with shallot.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with tomato and shallot
Almost always mains: 29 of the 35 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of shallot's flavor molecules (211 of 223) are also found in tomato, but tomato has 299 that shallot lacks. Shallot gives you part of tomato's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 211 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 299 only in tomato and the 12 only in shallot.
Tomato and shallot questions
Do tomato and shallot go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 583 recipes, and they share 211 flavor molecules: the top 12% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do tomato and shallot taste good together?
Almost everything shallot carries, tomato has too: 211 of shallot's 223 flavor molecules also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are 2,4-decadienal (seaweed) and 2-octenal (fatty, green).
What goes with tomato and shallot?
Capers is the best third ingredient: top 8% of pairs with tomato and top 1% with shallot. Chanterelle and chervil also fit both.
What can you make with tomato and shallot?
Almost always mains: 29 of the 35 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche, Panko and Chile‑Dusted Catfish with Tomato Chutney and Lemon Sauce, Peach and Tomato Gazpacho, Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette.
Can I use shallot instead of tomato?
Only partly. Almost all of shallot's flavor molecules (211 of 223) are also found in tomato, but tomato has 299 that shallot lacks. Shallot gives you part of tomato'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: Tomato vs Shallot. https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-shallot. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_tomato_vs_shallot_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Tomato vs Shallot},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-shallot},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.