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Caraway Seeds vs. Fennel Seeds: Carvone, Anethole and When to Swap

By · Reviewed · 14 sources

Caraway Seeds Vs. Fennel Seeds

Both of these seeds get called “licorice-like,” and that’s where the confusion starts. Fennel is the sweeter, more licorice-like seed; caraway is the sharper one you taste in seeded rye. They come from two different plants in the carrot family, and each tastes mainly of a different compound: anethole in sweet fennel, the same compound that drives anise, and carvone in caraway. Either one can replace the other in savory cooking, but you’ll notice the change.

Side by side

CarawayFennel seed
SpeciesCarum carviFoeniculum vulgare
FamilyApiaceae (carrot/parsley family)Apiaceae
Native range (Kew)Temperate EurasiaMediterranean to Ethiopia and western Nepal
Part usedThe dried fruit, sold as “seed”The dried fruit, sold as “seed”
What it looks likeBrown, ribbed, often curved half-fruits, from a fruit 3–5 mm long (PROSEA); about 5 mm (Britannica)Greenish-brown to yellowish-brown oblong ovals about 6 mm long
Essential oil in the seedAbout 5% (Britannica)13–4% (Britannica)2
Main aroma compoundsd-carvone 45–60% and d-limonene 35–55% of the oil3Sweet fennel: anethole up to 70–80% of the oil; bitter fennel: fenchone is the character compound4
Aroma and taste (sourced)Reminiscent of anise, with a warm, slightly sharp tasteSweet fennel: anise fragrance and sweet taste; bitter fennel: pungent, camphor-like
FlavorSharper, slightly bitter, faintly minty; the taste of seeded ryeSweet, lighter licorice; the taste of Italian sausage
Typical usesMeat dishes, breads and cheese; rye bread and sauerkraut in Germany and AustriaPastries, sweet pickles and fish; sausage; one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice

Both chemistry rows come from PROSEA, but from separate entries that each sum up their own literature. They show which compound leads each oil, not a side-by-side measurement of the same samples.

The anise and licorice question

Both seeds get called “anise-like” or “licorice-like,” and that’s where most of the confusion starts. The compounds sort it out:

  • Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is a third member of the same family, Apiaceae. Its oil is 80–95% anethole, its character-impact compound.5 Fennel shares that compound. Caraway doesn’t lead with it.
  • Licorice isn’t a relative at all. The licorice plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra, is in the legume family, Fabaceae. PROSEA notes that people often confuse anise’s flavor with licorice’s.5

PROSEA adds that anise oil is traditionally used together with licorice in licorice candy.5 So when someone calls fennel licorice-like, the shared flavor is anethole, the compound fennel has in common with anise. Caraway’s anise note sits on top of carvone, a different compound entirely.

How the differences show up in cooking

Sweetness. The Spice House, comparing them in lasagna, says caraway has a similar effect but isn’t as sweet as fennel.6 That fits the chemistry: anethole is behind fennel’s sweet taste.

Where each is traditional. Katzer calls caraway the spice that gives Southern German and Austrian food, meat, vegetables and rye bread alike, its characteristic flavor, and says German sauerkraut is always flavored with it. He also says plain boiled cabbage without caraway lacks character.7 Fennel’s sourced uses run sweeter and more Mediterranean. Its uses include pastries, sweet pickles and fish, and it goes into sausage. Fennel, not caraway, is one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder, along with cassia, cloves, star anise and Sichuan pepper.

Pairing. Katzer finds that caraway’s aroma doesn’t harmonize with most other spices,7 which helps explain why it usually goes solo. Fennel mixes into blends more easily, as five-spice shows.

Bitter fennel. Labels rarely say which fennel is in the jar. Bitter fennel smells pungent and camphor-like, so a jar that tastes harsh instead of sweet may be the bitter type. That’s an educated guess, though, not a test.

Can one stand in for the other?

Yes, in most savory dishes. The amounts below come straight from our substitute pages.

Fennel in place of caraway. The Spice House calls fennel seeds the closest alternative to caraway, and the best substitute in sauerkraut.8 Ratio (Method): Start with three quarters of the caraway amount and taste, since fennel adds a sweetness caraway doesn’t have. See caraway seed substitutes.

Caraway in place of fennel. Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to use caraway 1 to 1 in place of fennel.6 You’ll get a rye-bread flavor with just a hint of anise, and less sweetness. In sweet baking, where fennel’s anethole is the main flavor, anise seed is the closer match. See fennel seed substitutes.

What isn’t known

  • Fennel jars don’t say whether they hold sweet or bitter fennel, and anethole content varies with type and sample.4
  • We found no dated, sourced retail price comparison.

Footnotes

  1. “Caraway”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

  2. “Fennel”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

  3. H. Toxopeus and J.H. Lubberts, Carum carvi, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩

  4. Purwaningsih, Harmida and M. Brink, Foeniculum vulgare, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  5. L.B. Cardenas and C.C. de Guzman, Pimpinella anisum, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. “12 Best Fennel Substitutes”, The Spice House, 2018. thespicehouse.com · Merchant ↩ ↩2

  7. Gernot Katzer, “Caraway (Carum carvi L.)”, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  8. “Caraway Seeds Substitute”, The Spice House, 2018. thespicehouse.com · Merchant ↩

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