Clove + Shallot
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,677 recipes, and they share 204 flavor molecules: the top 5% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and shallot go together?
Yes. 1,677 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 204 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 5% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything shallot carries, clove has too: 204 of shallot's 223 flavor molecules also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and coumarin (sweet, hay).
What each one brings
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for shallot. It carries 107 molecules shallot doesn't have.
shallot
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for clove. It carries 19 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Capers: the best fit for both, top 8% of pairs with clove, top 1% with shallot.
- Chervil: top 8% of pairs with clove, top 1% with shallot.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 1% with shallot.
- Chanterelle: top 9% of pairs with clove, top 1% with shallot.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and shallot
Almost always mains: 15 of the 17 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of shallot's flavor molecules (204 of 223) are also found in clove, but clove has 107 that shallot lacks. Shallot gives you part of clove's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 204 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 107 only in clove and the 19 only in shallot.
Clove and shallot questions
Do clove and shallot go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,677 recipes, and they share 204 flavor molecules: the top 5% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and shallot taste good together?
Almost everything shallot carries, clove has too: 204 of shallot's 223 flavor molecules also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and coumarin (sweet, hay).
What goes with clove and shallot?
Capers is the best third ingredient: top 8% of pairs with clove and top 1% with shallot. Chervil and winter savory also fit both.
What can you make with clove and shallot?
Almost always mains: 15 of the 17 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Beet Soup with Sage and Shallots, Avocado Feroce, Banana Blossom Salad, Beef Laap.
Can I use shallot instead of clove?
Only partly. Almost all of shallot's flavor molecules (204 of 223) are also found in clove, but clove has 107 that shallot lacks. Shallot gives you part of clove's character without most of its fruit. 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 Shallot. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-shallot. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_shallot_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Shallot},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-shallot},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.