Clove + Marjoram
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,075 recipes, and they share 235 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and marjoram go together?
Yes. 1,075 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 235 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 2% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of marjoram's flavor molecules (235 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and estragole (anise, licorice).
What each one brings
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for marjoram. It carries 76 molecules marjoram doesn't have.
marjoram
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 11% for clove. It carries 70 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with marjoram.
- Thyme: top 2% of pairs with clove, top 1% with marjoram.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with marjoram.
- Summer savory: top 3% of pairs with clove, top 1% with marjoram.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and marjoram
Almost always mains: 20 of the 24 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of clove's and 77% of marjoram's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 235 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 76 only in clove and the 70 only in marjoram.
Clove and marjoram questions
Do clove and marjoram go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,075 recipes, and they share 235 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and marjoram taste good together?
More than half of marjoram's flavor molecules (235 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin) and estragole (anise, licorice).
What goes with clove and marjoram?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 1% with marjoram. Thyme and winter savory also fit both.
What can you make with clove and marjoram?
Almost always mains: 20 of the 24 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include A Boned Turkey, Barbadian Seasoning, Beryl Cislier, Blanche Kammerer.
Can I use marjoram instead of clove?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of clove's and 77% of marjoram'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 Marjoram. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-marjoram. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_marjoram_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Marjoram},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-marjoram},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.