63 Flavours That Go With Orange: The Best Ingredient Combinations

If you have fresh oranges to use up, you’ll be happy to know that oranges are one of the easiest ingredients to use in cooking. Oranges are a wonderfully versatile citrus that will go well with a host of different ingredients. We’ve put together over sixty flavours that go with orange perfectly. From herbs and spices, fruit and vegetables to other unexpected ingredients, you’re sure to find a way to use oranges in your cooking.

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Herbs that go with orange

Cooking with fresh herbs makes such a difference and can enhance the flavours of many dishes. Oranges – whether juice, rind or slices – go very well with a lot of different fresh herbs. Use oranges and herbs together in everything from marinades and dressings, to salads and even drinks.

• Basil – orange and basil goes particularly well in drinks and cocktails. It’s perfect with an orange Pimms or mojito. Or make some blood orange and basil ice cubes ahead of time.
• Chives – chives (or garlic chives) and orange are a great flavour match for seasoning chicken or seafood dishes.
• Coriander (Cilantro) – try coriander in a salad with orange and black beans. or to add a sophisticated flavour to carrot and orange soup.
• Marjoram – orange and marjoram are lovely to combine with lamb, pork or roast chicken. Or marinate olives in marjoram, orange rind and olive oil.
• Mint – mint and orange are a perfect in an orange salad, especially with some pan friend haloumi cheese. Mint is also a great addition to orange drinks and cocktails.
• Oregano – use this herb with oranges for a lovely Italian flavour combination in salads with olives, or to season meat and chicken dishes.
• Parsley – parsley and orange are the ideal salad match, even with just with these two ingredients and a simple olive oil dressing. Or use parsley to garnish any savoury orange dish.
• Rosemary – orange and rosemary are ideal seasoning for chicken or potatoes. Try our recipe for orange butter with rosemary and black pepper. Or use orange and rosemary to flavour your sparkling water, gin and tonic or a cocktail.
• Thyme – orange and thyme are another great combination for dishes like roast chicken, but also go surprisingly well in baked items like cakes too. Try this combination in our blood orange vinaigrette salad dressing with fresh thyme,

Spices that go with orange

Spices add wonderful flavour to cooking, and many of them work really well with orange. Indian and Moroccan dishes in particular are full of inspiration for using orange with different spices.

• Cardamom – a subtle spice to use with oranges in citrus fruit salad, stewed orange compote and Chai tea.
• Cinnamon – common in Moroccan cooking, and a popular combination for everything from spiced Chai tea to sweets and biscuits. You’ll love this combination in our orange and cinnamon oats with berries, honey and orange baked figs and orange candied almonds.
• Cloves – orange and cloves together is usually associated with making pomander balls. However cloves are also a lovely addition to orange cookies and marmalades and preserves.
• Ginger – works for sweet and savoury dishes. We love the orange and ginger in this vegan carrot cake recipe.
• Mustard – mustard goes well with orange in pork and fish dishes, or as an addition to orange salad dressing.
• Pepper – try glazing roast potatoes with orange juice, olive oil and black pepper for delicious results, or use our peppered orange butter.
• Star Anise – this spice adds a wonderful depth to orange sauces, and is perfect for glazing a festive ham. The fragrance of star anise also goes perfectly with orange in a fragrant simmer pot.
• Turmeric – add to orange juice for marinades and salad dressings for lovely colour and flavour, like in our mandarin orange salad with turmeric dressing.
• Vanilla – another lovely combination for sweet dishes. Add orange juice to vanilla cakes or vanilla icing/frosting. Or try our citrus fruit salad with vanilla cardamom syrup and orange candied almonds with vanilla.

Orange with nuts, seeds and berries

Sweet oranges and tart berries, or crunchy nuts and seeds, make wonderful flavour and texture combinations.

• Almonds – from flourless orange and almond cake to toasted almonds in an orange salad, this is a classic combination of citrus and nuts. Almonds feature in this mandarin orange and pearl couscous salad.
• Apple – apple and orange are perfect blended together for a tangy juice or used together in cakes and baking.
• Blueberries – the sweet and tart taste of blueberries is a perfect match for oranges in muffins, cakes and even porridge
• Blackberries – perfect for cakes, muffins, crumbles or even smoothies
• Cashew – use cashews in Chinese style orange chicken and stir fries, or add to orange salads for texture
• Coconut – a wonderful flavour combination with orange in cakes, muffins and macaroons
• Cranberry – sweet orange and tart cranberry work together well in everything from cakes and muffins to salads and homemade cranberry sauce.
• Hazelnut – like almonds, hazelnuts are wonderful with orange in cakes and biscuits. Hazelnut, chocolate and orange together is another favourite combination.
• Loganberries – a sweet combination ideal in baked items or our orange cinnamon oats with berries.
• Macadamia – a decadent combination with orange in cookies and baking.
• Pistachio – wonderful in cakes and pastries and Greek and Morrocan inspired dishes.
• Pomegranate – try the delicious combination of orange and pomegranate juice, or add pomegranate seeds to orange salads for a burst of colour and flavour.
• Poppy seeds – like lemon, orange goes beautifully with poppy seed in cakes, muffins and biscuits, like these vegan orange poppy seed muffins.
• Raspberries – like other berries. raspberries go perfectly with orange in cakes and baking.
• Sesame – use sesame seeds or oil in orange sesame chicken, orange salad dressings or marinades for a complimentary nutty flavour.
• Strawberries – sweet strawberries go well oranges in fruits salads and desserts as well as baked goods. Try them together for breakfast in a stewed orange compote with berries.
• Walnut – add chopped walnuts to salads with orange or orange desserts.

Orange with fruit and vegetables

Oranges combine well with many other fruits in drinks, fruit salads and baking. Use orange juice or zest to add flavour to roasted or steamed vegetables or as part of a refreshing salad. Here are just some of the fruits and vegetables that go with orange:

• Arugula/Rocket – this peppery green leaf vegetable goes beautifully with orange in a salad, like our orange salad with turmeric.
• Beetroot – add orange just and zest to beetroots while roasting for a delicious flavour, or add sliced beetroot to an orange salad with some crumbled feta.
• Carrots – add a little grated orange zest, juice and olive oil to roast carrots, or use orange juice and rind in carrot cake. Carrot and orange soup is another great way to combine these two ingredients.
• Cherries – from juice to preserves, salads to pies, the tartness of cherries and the sweetness of orange juice are a perfect match.
• Fennel – brilliant with orange slices in a salad.
• Figs – sweet, fragrant figs go beautifully with orange, like in our honey and orange baked fig recipe.
• Garlic – garlic and orange are a perfect pair in salad dressings or marinades for meats, poultry or vegetarian dishes.
• Lemon – bitter lemon and sweet orange can be used together in all sorts of citrus dishes, especially cakes and puddings, or marmalades and jams.
• Mango – a classic combination in orange and mango juice.
• Olives – try olives marinated in orange juice and zest or oranges and olives in a salad. Oranges also pair beautifully with olive oil in everything from orange vinaigrette salad dressing to orange and olive oil cake.
• Potato – roast potatoes taste even better when brushed with with a little orange juice, olive oil and rosemary.
• Pineapple – pineapple and orange are the perfect smoothie or juice pair, also go well together in baking and desserts.
• Sweet potato/yam – much like standard white potatoes, sweet potato and orange flavours go beautifully together.

Sweet ingredients that go with orange

Being naturally sweet, oranges are ideal to combine with other sweet ingredients. Don’t just keep these combinations for desserts, as a sweet orange glaze is also delicious with savoury dishes.

• Brown sugar – brown sugar and orange make s a wonderful glaze for salmon or ham. I also use this glaze with lots of olive oil and cracked black pepper to glaze my hasselback potatoes.
• Chocolate – just like a classic Terry’s Chocolate Orange. the sweetness of oranges makes it the perfect addition to chocolate cakes and desserts. Or try dried dried orange slices dipped in dark chocolate.
• Honey – honey is an ideal sweetener to combine with orange in salad dressings, sweet fruit salads or for glazing vegetables or meats.
• Maple Syrup – if you don’t eat honey, or just prefer the taste, maple syrup is another perfect addition to orange juice for dressings, sauces or glazes. Try maple syrup and orange zest with roast carrots.

Orange with meat, poultry, fish, cheese and other proteins

Whatever protein you chose, orange can add flavour to a marinade or glaze. This includes vegetarian, plant based or vegan options too.

• Bacon – bacon tastes wonderful glazed with orange juice and maple syrup. Or add crispy bacon pieces to an orange salad.
• Chicken – from Chinese style orange chicken to marinated chicken drumsticks, orange works perfectly with chicken and other poultry dishes.
• Crab – orange and crab are wonderful together in a salad, especially with fennel. Use orange segments or an orange vinaigrette.
• Duck – Duck a la Orange is a classic French dish (duck with orange sauce).
• Feta – crumbled feta cheese is the perfect way to top an orange salad.
• Fish – sweet and acidic orange goes very well with seafood, especially with white fish. Try baking or fish with orange juice or wrapped in paper with orange slices.
• Goat’s Cheese – just like feta, a creamy goats cheese goes beautifully with sweet orange flavours.
• Haloumi – salty pan fried haloumi tastes wonderful with a squeeze of orange juice and pepper while cooking, or add haloumi slices to an orange salad.
• Ham – try glazing your festive ham with orange juice and brown sugar, and add some spice with star anise or cloves.
• Mascarpone – add orange to this creamy Italian cheese to make a delicious orange Mascarpone cream for desserts,
• Pork – a simple orange juice and brown sugar glaze is prefect for pork chops or pork roasts.
• Prosciutto – try slices of salty prosciutto and orange segments in a salad.
• Tofu – substitute tofu for chicken in Chinese style orange dishes for a vegan version of this popular dish.

Other ingredients and flavours that go with oranges

Still need more inspiration? Here are some other interesting flavours that go with oranges.:

• Coffee – yes, some people like to add a dash of orange juice to their espresso coffee or enjoy an orange spiced latte. For a more subtle way to combine these two ingredients, orange and coffee cake is a tasty flavour combination.
• Olive oil – rich and sometime fruity, extra virgin olive oil works very well with sweet acid orange flavours. This combination is ideal in an orange vinaigrette salad dressing or even in a cake, like our Cara Cara orange olive oil cake.
• Polenta – orange polenta cake is another delicious Italian speciality.
• Whiskey – enjoy a whiskey sour cocktail made with orange juice. Whiskey is also a popular addition to orange marmalade.

More about cooking with oranges

Inspired to cook with oranges? You’ll love our collection of orange salad recipes or our unique marmalade recipes with oranges. And find out which essential citrus tools you’ll need to help juice, zest, peel, slice and segment oranges for your favourite dishes.

Looking for more citrus flavour combinations? DIsocver which flavours go best with lemon, lime and grapefruit. For more tips for cooking with citrus, or growing your own, we’d love you to subscribe.