Licorice + Vinegar
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 8 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 38% of all ingredient pairs.
Do licorice and vinegar go together?
Yes, in practice. 8 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 8 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 38% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 8 flavor molecules: 23% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey) and 2-phenylethanol (honey, floral). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
licorice
The roast. Roasted notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for vinegar. It carries 27 molecules vinegar doesn't have.
vinegar
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 21% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for licorice. It carries 135 molecules licorice doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Sugar: the best fit for both, top 22% of pairs with licorice, top 15% with vinegar.
- Honey: top 35% of pairs with licorice, top 10% with vinegar.
- Soybean sauce: top 44% of pairs with licorice, top 7% with vinegar.
- Peppermint: top 38% of pairs with licorice, top 10% with vinegar.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with licorice and vinegar
We have no browsable recipe that lists both licorice and vinegar.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: licorice has 27 molecules vinegar doesn't, and vinegar has 135 that licorice 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 8 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 27 only in licorice and the 135 only in vinegar.
Licorice and vinegar questions
Do licorice and vinegar go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 8 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 38% of all ingredient pairs.
What do licorice and vinegar have in common?
They overlap on 8 flavor molecules: 23% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey) and 2-phenylethanol (honey, floral). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with licorice and vinegar?
Sugar is the best third ingredient: top 22% of pairs with licorice and top 15% with vinegar. Honey and soybean sauce also fit both.
Can I use vinegar instead of licorice?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: licorice has 27 molecules vinegar doesn't, and vinegar has 135 that licorice 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: Licorice vs Vinegar. https://compkitchen.com/compare/licorice-vs-vinegar. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_licorice_vs_vinegar_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Licorice vs Vinegar},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/licorice-vs-vinegar},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.