Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Plant-based Mince

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers plant-based mince's optimal flavour pairings.

Plant-based mince is marked by the unmistakable flavour of glutamate and bean, but beneath its umami surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: malt, pea, and even hints of iron that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for plant-based mince is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the spicy, herbal apiol in celery can carry plant-based mince, and how thyme's thymic notes forge a beautiful synergy with its savoury richness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, earthy, or vegetal, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

Flavour Pairing Method

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Glutamic Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between glutamate and thyme flavours. Since plant-based mince has a distinct glutamic flavour, try pairing it with the thyme-like flavours of thyme.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing plant-based mince with thyme.

Harmonious Flavours Of Plant-based Mince

Just as our analysis indicated that glutamate and bay leaf notes are often combined, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in plant-based mince. Similarly, the beany notes of plant-based mince frequently pair with celery-like and pencil-lead flavours.

The accents complementing the various accents of plant-based mince can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of celery offers many of the aroma notes complementary to plant-based mince, including celery and leafy aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of celery has many of the of the features that are complementary to plant-based mince, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of celery across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with plant-based mince.

Recipes That Pair Plant-based Mince With Celery

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of plant-based mince, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of plant-based mince, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to plant-based mince.

What To Drink With Plant-based Mince

The thyme notes in côtes catalanes make it a perfect pairing with plant-based mince. Likewise, the celery flavours in virgin mary create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of plant-based mince below.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Plant-based mince), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.