Allspice + Mace
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,189 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Do allspice and mace go together?
Yes. 3,189 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 21 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 7% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (21 of 34) also occur in allspice. Among the shared key aromas are methyleugenol (clove, spice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
allspice
The tartness. Sour notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 257 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 16% for allspice. It carries 13 molecules allspice doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 4% with mace.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 6% with mace.
- Cinnamon: top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 10% with mace.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with allspice, top 11% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with allspice and mace
Mostly mains: 82 of the 163 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: allspice has 257 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 13 that allspice doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 21 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 257 only in allspice and the 13 only in mace.
Allspice and mace questions
Do allspice and mace go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,189 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do allspice and mace taste good together?
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (21 of 34) also occur in allspice. Among the shared key aromas are methyleugenol (clove, spice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with allspice and mace?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with allspice and top 4% with mace. Clove and cinnamon also fit both.
What can you make with allspice and mace?
Mostly mains: 82 of the 163 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include How We Cook in Tennessee, Chili Sauce, Black Bean Soup, Mince Meat.
Can I use mace instead of allspice?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: allspice has 257 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 13 that allspice doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. 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 Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/allspice-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_allspice_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Allspice vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/allspice-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.