Pear + Nutmeg
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 155 recipes, and they share 227 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Do pear and nutmeg go together?
Yes. 155 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 227 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 13% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (227 of 301) also occur in pear. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
pear
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 25% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 134 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
nutmeg
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for pear. It carries 74 molecules pear doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 4% of pairs with pear, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Clove: top 7% of pairs with pear, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Allspice: top 10% of pairs with pear, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Cardamom: top 9% of pairs with pear, top 1% with nutmeg.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with pear and nutmeg
Mostly desserts: 9 of the 12 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Most of nutmeg's flavor molecules (227 of 301) are also found in pear, but pear has 134 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of pear's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 227 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 134 only in pear and the 74 only in nutmeg.
Pear and nutmeg questions
Do pear and nutmeg go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 155 recipes, and they share 227 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do pear and nutmeg taste good together?
More than half of nutmeg's flavor molecules (227 of 301) also occur in pear. Among the shared key aromas are estragole (anise, licorice) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with pear and nutmeg?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 4% of pairs with pear and top 1% with nutmeg. Clove and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with pear and nutmeg?
Mostly desserts: 9 of the 12 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Apple and Pear Crumble, Apple-Pear Tart with Cornmeal Crust, Chilled Apricot-Pear Soup, Pear Chutney.
Can I use nutmeg instead of pear?
Only partly. Most of nutmeg's flavor molecules (227 of 301) are also found in pear, but pear has 134 that nutmeg lacks. Nutmeg gives you part of pear'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: Pear vs Nutmeg. https://compkitchen.com/compare/pear-vs-nutmeg. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_pear_vs_nutmeg_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Pear vs Nutmeg},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/pear-vs-nutmeg},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.