Nutmeg + Orange
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,746 recipes, and they share 258 flavor molecules: the top 8% of all ingredient pairs.
Do nutmeg and orange go together?
Yes. 2,746 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 258 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 8% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything nutmeg carries, orange has too: 258 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in orange. Among the shared key aromas are 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
nutmeg
The tartness. Sour notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for orange. It carries 43 molecules orange doesn't have.
orange
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 208 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 3% with orange.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 4% with orange.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 2% with orange.
- Clove: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg, top 6% with orange.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with nutmeg and orange
Mostly desserts: 95 of the 171 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of nutmeg's flavor molecules (258 of 301) are also found in orange, but orange has 208 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of orange's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 258 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 43 only in nutmeg and the 208 only in orange.
Nutmeg and orange questions
Do nutmeg and orange go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,746 recipes, and they share 258 flavor molecules: the top 8% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do nutmeg and orange taste good together?
Almost everything nutmeg carries, orange has too: 258 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in orange. Among the shared key aromas are 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with nutmeg and orange?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with nutmeg and top 3% with orange. Allspice and cardamom also fit both.
What can you make with nutmeg and orange?
Mostly desserts: 95 of the 171 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Carrot Orange Soup with a Toasted Cashew Garnish, Dainty Orange Diamonds, Microwave Cranberry Orange Relish, Orange Cream.
Can I use orange instead of nutmeg?
Only partly. Almost all of nutmeg's flavor molecules (258 of 301) are also found in orange, but orange has 208 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of orange's character without most of its fruit. 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 Orange. https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-orange. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_nutmeg_vs_orange_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Nutmeg vs Orange},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/nutmeg-vs-orange},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.