Basil + Mace
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 398 recipes, and they share 26 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Do basil and mace go together?
Yes. 398 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 26 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 17% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (26 of 34) also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are myristicin (spice, warm) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What each one brings
basil
The tartness. Sour notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 348 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 17% for basil. It carries 8 molecules basil doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Marjoram: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with basil, top 12% with mace.
- Nutmeg: top 6% of pairs with basil, top 4% with mace.
- Thyme: top 1% of pairs with basil, top 14% with mace.
- Clove: top 4% of pairs with basil, top 6% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with basil and mace
Almost always mains: 3 of the 3 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of mace's flavor molecules (26 of 34) are also found in basil, but basil has 348 that mace lacks. Mace gives you part of basil's character without most of its tartness. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 26 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 348 only in basil and the 8 only in mace.
Basil and mace questions
Do basil and mace go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 398 recipes, and they share 26 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do basil and mace taste good together?
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (26 of 34) also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are myristicin (spice, warm) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What goes with basil and mace?
Marjoram is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with basil and top 12% with mace. Nutmeg and thyme also fit both.
What can you make with basil and mace?
Almost always mains: 3 of the 3 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include A Boned Turkey, Collared Pork, Teriyaki Smoked Salmon.
Can I use mace instead of basil?
Only partly. Most of mace's flavor molecules (26 of 34) are also found in basil, but basil has 348 that mace lacks. Mace gives you part of basil's character without most of its tartness. 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: Basil vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/basil-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-06.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_basil_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Basil vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/basil-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-06}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.