Allspice + Cinnamon
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes, and they share 232 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do allspice and cinnamon go together?
Yes. 5,536 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 232 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything allspice carries, cinnamon has too: 232 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What each one brings
allspice
The woody side. Woody notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for cinnamon. It carries 46 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
cinnamon
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for allspice. It carries 92 molecules allspice doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Cardamom: top 2% of pairs with allspice, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Star anise: top 3% of pairs with allspice, top 1% with cinnamon.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with allspice and cinnamon
Mostly desserts: 252 of the 477 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 (83% of allspice's and 72% of cinnamon's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 232 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 46 only in allspice and the 92 only in cinnamon.
Allspice and cinnamon questions
Do allspice and cinnamon go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes, and they share 232 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do allspice and cinnamon taste good together?
Almost everything allspice carries, cinnamon has too: 232 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What goes with allspice and cinnamon?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with allspice and top 1% with cinnamon. Clove and cardamom also fit both.
What can you make with allspice and cinnamon?
Mostly desserts: 252 of the 477 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Garifuna Backyard Oven Allspice Cinnamon Buns, Allspiced Cider, Cincinnati Chili, Cincinnati-Style Chili.
Can I use cinnamon instead of allspice?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (83% of allspice's and 72% of cinnamon'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: Allspice vs Cinnamon. https://compkitchen.com/compare/allspice-vs-cinnamon. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_allspice_vs_cinnamon_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Allspice vs Cinnamon},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/allspice-vs-cinnamon},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.