Nutmeg + Cider
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 884 recipes, and they share 26 flavor molecules: the top 20% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and cider go together?
Yes. 884 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 26 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 20% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 26 flavor molecules: 24% of cider's 108. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and acetic acid (sour, vinegar). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for cider. It carries 275 molecules cider doesn't have.
cider
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 55% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 82 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 16% with cider.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 14% with cider.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 14% with cider.
- Apple: top 12% of pairs with nutmeg, top 2% with cider.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and cider
Spread across courses: desserts lead with 29 of the 63 recipes with a course label, then mains (24).
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: nutmeg has 275 molecules cider doesn't, and cider has 82 that nutmeg 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 26 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 275 only in nutmeg and the 82 only in cider.
Nutmeg and cider questions
Do nutmeg and cider go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 884 recipes, and they share 26 flavor molecules: the top 20% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and cider taste good together?
They overlap on 26 flavor molecules: 24% of cider's 108. Among the shared key aromas are linalool (floral, citrus) and acetic acid (sour, vinegar). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with nutmeg and cider?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 16% with cider. Allspice and clove also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and cider?
Spread across courses: desserts lead with 29 of the 63 recipes with a course label, then mains (24). Common dishes include Boiled Cider Pie, Cider Cake, Cider Doughnuts, Ciderkrydderikage.
Can I use cider instead of nutmeg?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: nutmeg has 275 molecules cider doesn't, and cider has 82 that nutmeg 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: Nutmeg vs Cider. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-cider. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_cider_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Cider},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-cider},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.