Apple + Cinnamon
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes, and they share 253 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Do apple and cinnamon go together?
Yes. 5,598 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 253 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 4% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of cinnamon's flavor molecules (253 of 324) also occur in apple. Among the shared key aromas are methyl cinnamate (strawberry) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
What each one brings
apple
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 27% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for cinnamon. It carries 269 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
cinnamon
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for apple. It carries 71 molecules apple doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Clove: the best fit for both, top 6% of pairs with apple, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Nutmeg: top 12% of pairs with apple, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Pear: top 1% of pairs with apple, top 4% with cinnamon.
- Quince: top 1% of pairs with apple, top 4% with cinnamon.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with apple and cinnamon
Mostly desserts: 374 of the 531 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of cinnamon's flavor molecules (253 of 324) are also found in apple, but apple has 269 that cinnamon lacks. Cinnamon gives you part of apple's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 253 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 269 only in apple and the 71 only in cinnamon.
Apple and cinnamon questions
Do apple and cinnamon go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes, and they share 253 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do apple and cinnamon taste good together?
More than half of cinnamon's flavor molecules (253 of 324) also occur in apple. Among the shared key aromas are methyl cinnamate (strawberry) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
What goes with apple and cinnamon?
Clove is the best third ingredient: top 6% of pairs with apple and top 1% with cinnamon. Nutmeg and pear also fit both.
What can you make with apple and cinnamon?
Mostly desserts: 374 of the 531 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Apple Blintzes with Caramel Sauce and Cinnamon, Apple Cheddar Strudel with Pecans and Cinnamon, Apple Cinnamon Couscous.
Can I use cinnamon instead of apple?
Only partly. Most of cinnamon's flavor molecules (253 of 324) are also found in apple, but apple has 269 that cinnamon lacks. Cinnamon gives you part of apple'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: Apple vs Cinnamon. https://compkitchen.com/compare/apple-vs-cinnamon. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_apple_vs_cinnamon_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Apple vs Cinnamon},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/apple-vs-cinnamon},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.