Nutmeg + Almond
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes, and they share 223 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and almond go together?
Yes. 2,115 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 223 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 4% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of almond's flavor molecules (223 of 281) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for almond. It carries 78 molecules almond doesn't have.
almond
The roast. Roasted notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for nutmeg. It carries 58 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with almond.
- Pistachio: top 3% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with almond.
- Chia: top 6% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with almond.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with almond.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and almond
Mostly desserts: 109 of the 153 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (74% of nutmeg's and 79% of almond's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 223 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 78 only in nutmeg and the 58 only in almond.
Nutmeg and almond questions
Do nutmeg and almond go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes, and they share 223 flavor molecules: the top 4% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and almond taste good together?
More than half of almond's flavor molecules (223 of 281) also occur in nutmeg. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with nutmeg and almond?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 1% with almond. Pistachio and chia also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and almond?
Mostly desserts: 109 of the 153 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Almond Cake, Almond Cookies, Almond Cheesecake, Almond Chocolate Pudding.
Can I use almond instead of nutmeg?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (74% of nutmeg's and 79% of almond's are shared). 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: Nutmeg vs Almond. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-almond. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_almond_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Almond},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-almond},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.