Cinnamon + Clove
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes, and they share 246 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do cinnamon and clove go together?
Yes. 14,189 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 246 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of clove's flavor molecules (246 of 311) also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
What each one brings
cinnamon
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for clove. It carries 78 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for cinnamon. It carries 65 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with clove.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with clove.
- Star anise: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with clove.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon, top 1% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with cinnamon and clove
Mostly desserts: 583 of the 1,161 recipes with a course label are desserts (from a sample of 3,000 recipes that use both).
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of cinnamon's and 79% of clove's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 246 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 78 only in cinnamon and the 65 only in clove.
Cinnamon and clove questions
Do cinnamon and clove go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes, and they share 246 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do cinnamon and clove taste good together?
More than half of clove's flavor molecules (246 of 311) also occur in cinnamon. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
What goes with cinnamon and clove?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with cinnamon and top 1% with clove. Allspice and star anise also fit both.
What can you make with cinnamon and clove?
Mostly desserts: 583 of the 1,161 recipes with a course label are desserts (from a sample of 3,000 recipes that use both). Common dishes include Shish Kebabs with Cinnamon Clove Rub, Cincinnati-Style Chili, Cinnamon Angel Cake with Orange Compote, Cinnamon Chicken.
Can I use clove instead of cinnamon?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of cinnamon's and 79% of clove'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: Cinnamon vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/cinnamon-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_cinnamon_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Cinnamon vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/cinnamon-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.