Clove + Laurel
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,516 recipes, and they share 131 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and laurel go together?
Yes. 3,516 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 131 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of laurel's flavor molecules (131 of 237) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What each one brings
clove
The roast. Roasted notes make up 6% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 2% for laurel. It carries 180 molecules laurel doesn't have.
laurel
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 26% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 106 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 4% with laurel.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 4% with laurel.
- Thyme: top 2% of pairs with clove, top 1% with laurel.
- Star anise: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 5% with laurel.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and laurel
Almost always mains: 7 of the 7 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clove has 180 molecules laurel doesn't, and laurel has 106 that clove doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 131 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 180 only in clove and the 106 only in laurel.
Clove and laurel questions
Do clove and laurel go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,516 recipes, and they share 131 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and laurel taste good together?
More than half of laurel's flavor molecules (131 of 237) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What goes with clove and laurel?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 4% with laurel. Allspice and thyme also fit both.
What can you make with clove and laurel?
Almost always mains: 7 of the 7 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Boiled Pork, Chicken Broth I, Eel Soup, Fish and Root Vegetables Broth.
Can I use laurel instead of clove?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clove has 180 molecules laurel doesn't, and laurel has 106 that clove doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. 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 Laurel. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-laurel. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_laurel_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Laurel},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-laurel},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.