Clove + Quince
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 164 recipes, and they share 219 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and quince go together?
Yes. 164 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 219 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 2% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of quince's flavor molecules (219 of 283) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
What each one brings
clove
The woody side. Woody notes make up 5% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for quince. It carries 92 molecules quince doesn't have.
quince
The tartness. Sour notes make up 17% 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 4% with quince.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 10% with quince.
- Nutmeg: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 10% with quince.
- Apple: top 6% of pairs with clove, top 1% with quince.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and quince
Almost always desserts: 4 of the 4 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 (70% of clove's and 77% of quince's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 219 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 92 only in clove and the 64 only in quince.
Clove and quince questions
Do clove and quince go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 164 recipes, and they share 219 flavor molecules: the top 2% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and quince taste good together?
More than half of quince's flavor molecules (219 of 283) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
What goes with clove and quince?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 4% with quince. Allspice and nutmeg also fit both.
What can you make with clove and quince?
Almost always desserts: 4 of the 4 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Poached Quinces with Whipped Cream, Mince Pie Meat I, Pennsylvania Sand Tarts, Spiced Grapes.
Can I use quince instead of clove?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (70% of clove's and 77% of quince'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 Quince. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-quince. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_quince_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Quince},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-quince},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.