Clove + Nutmeg
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes, and they share 237 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and nutmeg go together?
Yes. 8,686 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 237 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (237 of 301) 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 10% for nutmeg. It carries 74 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
nutmeg
The tartness. Sour notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for clove. It carries 64 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with nutmeg.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and nutmeg
Mostly desserts: 271 of the 525 recipes with a course label are desserts.
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 79% of nutmeg's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 237 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 74 only in clove and the 64 only in nutmeg.
Clove and nutmeg questions
Do clove and nutmeg go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes, and they share 237 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and nutmeg taste good together?
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (237 of 301) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and methyleugenol (clove, spice).
What goes with clove and nutmeg?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 1% with nutmeg. Allspice and cardamom also fit both.
What can you make with clove and nutmeg?
Mostly desserts: 271 of the 525 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Fruit Cake, How We Cook in Tennessee, Mince Meat, Spice Cake.
Can I use nutmeg instead of clove?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (76% of clove's and 79% of nutmeg'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 Nutmeg. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-nutmeg. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_nutmeg_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Nutmeg},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-nutmeg},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.