Ham + Cinnamon
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 66 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs.
Do ham and cinnamon go together?
Yes, in practice. 66 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 31 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 34% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 31 flavor molecules: 30% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are anethole (sweet, anise) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
ham
The floral side. Floral notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for cinnamon. It carries 73 molecules cinnamon doesn't have.
cinnamon
The tartness. Sour notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for ham. It carries 293 molecules ham doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Clove: the best fit for both, top 18% of pairs with ham, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Nutmeg: top 26% of pairs with ham, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Allspice: top 27% of pairs with ham, top 1% with cinnamon.
- Rice: top 17% of pairs with ham, top 4% with cinnamon.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with ham and cinnamon
We have no browsable recipe that lists both ham and cinnamon.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: ham has 73 molecules cinnamon doesn't, and cinnamon has 293 that ham 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 31 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 73 only in ham and the 293 only in cinnamon.
Ham and cinnamon questions
Do ham and cinnamon go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 66 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs.
What do ham and cinnamon have in common?
They overlap on 31 flavor molecules: 30% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are anethole (sweet, anise) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with ham and cinnamon?
Clove is the best third ingredient: top 18% of pairs with ham and top 1% with cinnamon. Nutmeg and allspice also fit both.
Can I use cinnamon instead of ham?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: ham has 73 molecules cinnamon doesn't, and cinnamon has 293 that ham 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: Ham vs Cinnamon. https://compkitchen.com/compare/ham-vs-cinnamon. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_ham_vs_cinnamon_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Ham vs Cinnamon},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/ham-vs-cinnamon},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.