Thyme + Nutmeg
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,907 recipes, and they share 242 flavor molecules: the top 3% of all ingredient pairs.
Do thyme and nutmeg go together?
Yes. 1,907 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 242 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 3% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything nutmeg carries, thyme has too: 242 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in thyme. Among the shared key aromas are beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What each one brings
thyme
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 61 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
nutmeg
The spice. Spicy notes make up 5% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for thyme. It carries 59 molecules thyme doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Winter savory: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with thyme, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Marjoram: top 1% of pairs with thyme, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Allspice: top 1% of pairs with thyme, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Summer savory: top 1% of pairs with thyme, 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 thyme and nutmeg
Almost always mains: 70 of the 81 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 (80% of thyme's and 80% of nutmeg's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 242 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 61 only in thyme and the 59 only in nutmeg.
Thyme and nutmeg questions
Do thyme and nutmeg go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,907 recipes, and they share 242 flavor molecules: the top 3% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do thyme and nutmeg taste good together?
Almost everything nutmeg carries, thyme has too: 242 of nutmeg's 301 flavor molecules also occur in thyme. Among the shared key aromas are beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene) and eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
What goes with thyme and nutmeg?
Winter savory is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with thyme and top 1% with nutmeg. Marjoram and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with thyme and nutmeg?
Almost always mains: 70 of the 81 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Beef à la Mode, How We Cook in Tennessee, Mock Turtle Soup of Calf's Head, Veal Cutlets.
Can I use nutmeg instead of thyme?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (80% of thyme's and 80% of nutmeg'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: Thyme vs Nutmeg. https://compkitchen.com/compare/thyme-vs-nutmeg. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_thyme_vs_nutmeg_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Thyme vs Nutmeg},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/thyme-vs-nutmeg},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.