Nutmeg + Marjoram
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 687 recipes, and they share 247 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and marjoram go together?
Yes. 687 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 247 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 1% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything nutmeg carries, marjoram has too: 247 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in marjoram. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What each one brings
nutmeg
Much the same character. It carries 54 molecules marjoram doesn't have.
marjoram
Much the same character. It carries 58 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Winter savory: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with marjoram.
- Thyme: top 3% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with marjoram.
- Summer savory: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with marjoram.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 1% with marjoram.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and marjoram
Almost always mains: 14 of the 14 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 (82% of nutmeg's and 81% of marjoram's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 247 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 54 only in nutmeg and the 58 only in marjoram.
Nutmeg and marjoram questions
Do nutmeg and marjoram go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 687 recipes, and they share 247 flavor molecules: the top 1% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and marjoram taste good together?
Almost everything nutmeg carries, marjoram has too: 247 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in marjoram. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
What goes with nutmeg and marjoram?
Winter savory is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 1% with marjoram. Thyme and summer savory also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and marjoram?
Almost always mains: 14 of the 14 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include A Boned Turkey, Asparagus Latkes, Collared Pork, G'hackknoedel.
Can I use marjoram instead of nutmeg?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (82% of nutmeg's and 81% of marjoram'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 Marjoram. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-marjoram. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_marjoram_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Marjoram},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-marjoram},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.