Onion + Raisin
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 328 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs.
Do onion and raisin go together?
They can. 328 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 109 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 28% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
Almost everything raisin carries, onion has too: 109 of raisin's 129 flavor molecules also occur in onion. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
What each one brings
onion
The sulfurous side. Sulfurous notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for raisin. It carries 256 molecules raisin doesn't have.
raisin
The tartness. Sour notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 15% for onion. It carries 20 molecules onion doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Flour: the best fit for both, top 17% of pairs with onion, top 1% with raisin.
- Almond: top 14% of pairs with onion, top 2% with raisin.
- Cinnamon: top 16% of pairs with onion, top 1% with raisin.
- Chestnut: top 10% of pairs with onion, top 6% with raisin.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with onion and raisin
Almost always mains: 3 of the 3 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of raisin's flavor molecules (109 of 129) are also found in onion, but onion has 256 that raisin lacks. Raisin gives you part of onion's character without most of its sulfurous side. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 109 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 256 only in onion and the 20 only in raisin.
Onion and raisin questions
Do onion and raisin go together?
An everyday combination rather than a standout: 328 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs.
What do onion and raisin have in common?
Almost everything raisin carries, onion has too: 109 of raisin's 129 flavor molecules also occur in onion. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
What goes with onion and raisin?
Flour is the best third ingredient: top 17% of pairs with onion and top 1% with raisin. Almond and cinnamon also fit both.
What can you make with onion and raisin?
Almost always mains: 3 of the 3 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Focaccia — Four Ways, Shplo, Stuffed Acorn Squash I.
Can I use raisin instead of onion?
Only partly. Most of raisin's flavor molecules (109 of 129) are also found in onion, but onion has 256 that raisin lacks. Raisin gives you part of onion's character without most of its sulfurous side. 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: Onion vs Raisin. https://compkitchen.com/compare/onion-vs-raisin. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_onion_vs_raisin_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Onion vs Raisin},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/onion-vs-raisin},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.