Sugar + Raisin
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes, and they share 33 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Do sugar and raisin go together?
Yes. 12,481 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 33 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 13% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of sugar's flavor molecules (33 of 65) also occur in raisin. Among the shared key aromas are beta-damascenone (apple, rose) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
What each one brings
sugar
The tartness. Sour notes make up 24% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 18% for raisin. It carries 32 molecules raisin doesn't have.
raisin
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 6% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for sugar. It carries 96 molecules sugar doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 10% of pairs with sugar, top 1% with raisin.
- Flour: top 15% of pairs with sugar, top 1% with raisin.
- Almond: top 18% of pairs with sugar, top 2% with raisin.
- Vanilla: top 8% of pairs with sugar, top 12% with raisin.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with sugar and raisin
Mostly desserts: 20 of the 26 recipes with a course label are desserts.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: sugar has 32 molecules raisin doesn't, and raisin has 96 that sugar 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 33 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 32 only in sugar and the 96 only in raisin.
Sugar and raisin questions
Do sugar and raisin go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes, and they share 33 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do sugar and raisin taste good together?
More than half of sugar's flavor molecules (33 of 65) also occur in raisin. Among the shared key aromas are beta-damascenone (apple, rose) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
What goes with sugar and raisin?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 10% of pairs with sugar and top 1% with raisin. Flour and almond also fit both.
What can you make with sugar and raisin?
Mostly desserts: 20 of the 26 recipes with a course label are desserts. Common dishes include Raisin Bran Muffins, Raisin Rolled Strudel, 6-Week Muffins, Belizean Carrot Cake.
Can I use raisin instead of sugar?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: sugar has 32 molecules raisin doesn't, and raisin has 96 that sugar 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: Sugar vs Raisin. https://compkitchen.com/compare/sugar-vs-raisin. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_sugar_vs_raisin_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Sugar vs Raisin},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/sugar-vs-raisin},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.