Lime + Rice
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,014 recipes, and they share 243 flavor molecules: the top 9% of all ingredient pairs.
Do lime and rice go together?
Yes. 1,014 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 243 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 9% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything lime carries, rice has too: 243 of lime's 299 flavor molecules also occur in rice. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
lime
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for rice. It carries 56 molecules rice doesn't have.
rice
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for lime. It carries 185 molecules lime doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Lemon grass: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with lime, top 8% with rice.
- Coriander: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 7% with rice.
- Avocado: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 7% with rice.
- Mung bean: top 1% of pairs with lime, top 2% with rice.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with lime and rice
Mostly mains: 111 of the 153 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of lime's flavor molecules (243 of 299) are also found in rice, but rice has 185 that lime lacks. Lime gives you part of rice's character without most of its fresh, green side. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 243 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 56 only in lime and the 185 only in rice.
Lime and rice questions
Do lime and rice go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,014 recipes, and they share 243 flavor molecules: the top 9% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do lime and rice taste good together?
Almost everything lime carries, rice has too: 243 of lime's 299 flavor molecules also occur in rice. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with lime and rice?
Lemon grass is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with lime and top 8% with rice. Coriander and avocado also fit both.
What can you make with lime and rice?
Mostly mains: 111 of the 153 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Chili and Lime‑Grilled Shrimp with Seasoned White Beans and Rice, Lime Rice and Black-eyed Peas, Lime Saffron Rice, Tangy Lime Rice Pudding Squares.
Can I use rice instead of lime?
Only partly. Most of lime's flavor molecules (243 of 299) are also found in rice, but rice has 185 that lime lacks. Lime gives you part of rice's character without most of its fresh, green side. 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: Lime vs Rice. https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-rice. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_lime_vs_rice_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Lime vs Rice},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/lime-vs-rice},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.