Basil + Summer savory
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 22 recipes, and they share 226 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Do basil and summer savory go together?
Yes. 22 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 226 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 6% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything summer savory carries, basil has too: 226 of summer savory's 231 flavor molecules also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
basil
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for summer savory. It carries 148 molecules summer savory doesn't have.
summer savory
The roast. Roasted notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for basil. It carries 5 molecules basil doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Marjoram: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with basil, top 1% with summer savory.
- Thyme: top 1% of pairs with basil, top 1% with summer savory.
- Sage: top 2% of pairs with basil, top 1% with summer savory.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with basil, top 1% with summer savory.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with basil and summer savory
Almost always salads: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are salads.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of summer savory's flavor molecules (226 of 231) are also found in basil, but basil has 148 that summer savory lacks. Summer savory gives you part of basil's character without most of its herbal side. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 226 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 148 only in basil and the 5 only in summer savory.
Basil and summer savory questions
Do basil and summer savory go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 22 recipes, and they share 226 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do basil and summer savory taste good together?
Almost everything summer savory carries, basil has too: 226 of summer savory's 231 flavor molecules also occur in basil. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with basil and summer savory?
Marjoram is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with basil and top 1% with summer savory. Thyme and sage also fit both.
What can you make with basil and summer savory?
Almost always salads: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are salads. Common dishes include Homemade Herbes de Provence.
Can I use summer savory instead of basil?
Only partly. Almost all of summer savory's flavor molecules (226 of 231) are also found in basil, but basil has 148 that summer savory lacks. Summer savory gives you part of basil's character without most of its herbal side. 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 Summer Savory. https://compkitchen.com/compare/basil-vs-summer-savory. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_basil_vs_summer_savory_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Basil vs Summer Savory},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/basil-vs-summer-savory},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.