Mace + Allspice
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,189 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Do mace and allspice go together?
Yes. 3,189 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 21 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 7% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (21 of 34) also occur in allspice. Among the shared key aromas are methyleugenol (clove, spice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 16% for allspice. It carries 13 molecules allspice doesn't have.
allspice
The tartness. Sour notes make up 12% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 257 molecules mace doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 4% of pairs with mace, top 1% with allspice.
- Clove: top 6% of pairs with mace, top 1% with allspice.
- Cinnamon: top 10% of pairs with mace, top 1% with allspice.
- Winter savory: top 11% of pairs with mace, top 1% with allspice.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with mace and allspice
Mostly mains: 82 of the 163 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 13 molecules allspice doesn't, and allspice has 257 that mace 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 21 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 13 only in mace and the 257 only in allspice.
Mace and allspice questions
Do mace and allspice go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,189 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 7% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do mace and allspice taste good together?
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (21 of 34) also occur in allspice. Among the shared key aromas are methyleugenol (clove, spice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with mace and allspice?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 4% of pairs with mace and top 1% with allspice. Clove and cinnamon also fit both.
What can you make with mace and allspice?
Mostly mains: 82 of the 163 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include How We Cook in Tennessee, Chili Sauce, Black Bean Soup, Mince Meat.
Can I use allspice instead of mace?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 13 molecules allspice doesn't, and allspice has 257 that mace 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: Mace vs Allspice. https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-allspice. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_mace_vs_allspice_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Mace vs Allspice},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-allspice},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.