Currant + Clove
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,038 recipes, and they share 13 flavor molecules: the top 15% of all ingredient pairs.
Do currant and clove go together?
Yes. 3,038 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 13 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 15% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 13 flavor molecules: 30% of currant's 43. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
currant
The floral side. Floral notes make up 20% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for clove. It carries 30 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The roast. Roasted notes make up 6% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for currant. It carries 298 molecules currant doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 10% of pairs with currant, top 1% with clove.
- Cinnamon: top 15% of pairs with currant, top 1% with clove.
- Nutmeg: top 16% of pairs with currant, top 1% with clove.
- Red currant: top 5% of pairs with currant, top 11% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with currant and clove
Spread across courses: desserts lead with 4 of the 12 recipes with a course label, then mains (4).
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: currant has 30 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 298 that currant 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 13 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 30 only in currant and the 298 only in clove.
Currant and clove questions
Do currant and clove go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,038 recipes, and they share 13 flavor molecules: the top 15% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do currant and clove taste good together?
They overlap on 13 flavor molecules: 30% of currant's 43. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with currant and clove?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 10% of pairs with currant and top 1% with clove. Cinnamon and nutmeg also fit both.
What can you make with currant and clove?
Spread across courses: desserts lead with 4 of the 12 recipes with a course label, then mains (4). Common dishes include Black Currant Cordial, Black Currant Wine, Currant Soy, Baked Plum Pudding.
Can I use clove instead of currant?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: currant has 30 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 298 that currant 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: Currant vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/currant-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_currant_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Currant vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/currant-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.