Nutmeg + Cardamom
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 249 recipes, and they share 242 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and cardamom go together?
Yes. 249 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 242 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything nutmeg carries, cardamom has too: 242 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in cardamom. Among the shared key aromas are beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The spice. Spicy notes make up 5% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for cardamom. It carries 59 molecules cardamom doesn't have.
cardamom
The woody side. Woody notes make up 6% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for nutmeg. It carries 61 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with cardamom.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with cardamom.
- Saffron: top 5% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with cardamom.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 2% with cardamom.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and cardamom
Mostly mains: 34 of the 55 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (80% of nutmeg's and 80% of cardamom's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 242 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 59 only in nutmeg and the 61 only in cardamom.
Nutmeg and cardamom questions
Do nutmeg and cardamom go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 249 recipes, and they share 242 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and cardamom taste good together?
Almost everything nutmeg carries, cardamom has too: 242 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in cardamom. Among the shared key aromas are beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with nutmeg and cardamom?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 1% with cardamom. Clove and saffron also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and cardamom?
Mostly mains: 34 of the 55 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Doro Wat, Afghani Lamb with Spinach, Autumn Quinoa, Baharat Bjar.
Can I use cardamom instead of nutmeg?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (80% of nutmeg's and 80% of cardamom'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 Cardamom. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-cardamom. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_cardamom_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Cardamom},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-cardamom},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.