Clove + Allspice
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes, and they share 231 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and allspice go together?
Yes. 7,874 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 231 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything allspice carries, clove has too: 231 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What each one brings
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for allspice. It carries 80 molecules allspice doesn't have.
allspice
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 47 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with allspice.
- Nutmeg: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with allspice.
- Ginger: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with allspice.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with allspice.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and allspice
Spread across courses: mains lead with 222 of the 505 recipes with a course label, then desserts (178).
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (74% of clove's and 83% of allspice's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 231 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 80 only in clove and the 47 only in allspice.
Clove and allspice questions
Do clove and allspice go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes, and they share 231 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and allspice taste good together?
Almost everything allspice carries, clove has too: 231 of allspice's 278 flavor molecules also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What goes with clove and allspice?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 1% with allspice. Nutmeg and ginger also fit both.
What can you make with clove and allspice?
Spread across courses: mains lead with 222 of the 505 recipes with a course label, then desserts (178). Common dishes include Chili Sauce, Tomato Catsup, Mince Meat, Grape Catsup.
Can I use allspice instead of clove?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (74% of clove's and 83% of allspice'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: Clove vs Allspice. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-allspice. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_allspice_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Allspice},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-allspice},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.