Star Anise Substitutes: Anise Seed, Five-Spice, Fennel and How Much to Use

Out of star anise? Anise seed is the closest swap, at about 1/2 teaspoon per whole star, and fennel seed works too. All three share the same main licorice compound, though America’s Test Kitchen’s tasters could still tell them apart in pho. Which swap to reach for depends on whether the star anise is simmering whole in a liquid, going into a ground blend, or adding warmth to something sweet.

Before you buy a replacement, one safety point. Japanese star anise is a different, toxic plant. Here’s what to look for when buying star anise.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

The star anise ratios we found come from a merchant and a food writer. Neither says how they got their numbers.

Why anise seed and fennel work, and where they fall short

Star anise, anise seed and fennel seed come from unrelated plants, but they share their main aroma compound.

America’s Test Kitchen explains that all three get their licorice character from trans-anethole, but each plant has its own secondary compounds, and its tasters noticed.¹ When ATK swapped fennel and then anise seed into pho, tasters quickly picked up the change, and the magazine advises against treating them as interchangeable.¹ The Spice House takes the opposite view and calls anise seed “a great substitute for star anise.”² Both can be true. In a dish where star anise is the flavor you’d name, a careful taster will notice. In a crowded spice mix, they may not.

If star anise is simmering in a broth or braise

Here star anise is a whole spice steeped in liquid. NPR’s pho recipe adds it with cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns,³ and Kew notes that in China it generally goes into pork and chicken dishes.⁴

1. Anise seed

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says star anise is the stronger of the two and that 1/2 teaspoon of anise seed replaces one whole star.² A Couple Cooks gives the same figure.⁵ Two sources agree, but neither says where the number came from.

Put the loose seeds in a tea ball or a knotted square of cheesecloth so you can lift them out with the other whole spices.

2. Fennel seed

PROSEA says the anethole in sweet fennel oil is behind its anise fragrance and sweet taste. Bitter or common fennel, on the other hand, smells and tastes pungent and camphor-like.⁶ Use sweet fennel seed if you have the choice.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed for each whole star anise.⁵ The Spice House lists fennel seed as a substitute without an amount.² Taste the broth near the end and add more if the licorice note is faint.

If star anise is part of a ground blend or rub

Chinese five-spice powder

Britannica lists the usual five-spice components as fennel seed, cassia, cloves, star anise and Sichuan pepper, and describes the blend as licorice base notes with sweet top notes.⁷ Star anise is just one part among several. The Woks of Life’s recipe uses 2 parts fennel, 1 part cassia, 1 part Sichuan pepper, 1 part star anise (four stars) and 1/3 part cloves.⁸ That’s one recipe, not a standard, and store-bought blends vary. Swapping in five-spice also adds cinnamon, clove and the numbing tingle of Sichuan pepper,⁷ so make sure those suit the dish.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder for each whole star anise.⁵ The Spice House lists five-spice without an amount.²

Whole star anise, ground

Ratio (Computed): McCormick’s conversion is 1 whole star = 1/2 teaspoon ground.⁹ A Couple Cooks gives the same figure both ways.⁵ It’s a volume conversion, not a strength figure.

If star anise is adding sweet warmth

Sometimes star anise is one warm spice among cinnamon and cloves, and the licorice isn’t the point. Cloves and allspice can fill that role, but both taste of clove, not licorice.

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says cloves work because they also bring sweetness and bitter flavors, and advises using less clove than star anise because clove is stronger.² A Couple Cooks suggests “a small pinch” of ground cloves, or a small pinch of allspice.⁵ Neither gives a measured amount.

Weaker options

Tarragon. PROSEA describes tarragon as having a sweet, anise-like scent and a bittersweet flavor.¹⁰ It’s a leafy herb, so it suits a sauce or braise finished with fresh herbs better than a long-simmered broth.

Caraway. Britannica says caraway smells a bit like anise and tastes warm and slightly sharp.¹¹ It’ll taste like caraway first.

Ratio (Method): For tarragon, add a little chopped fresh leaf near the end and taste. For caraway, start with 1/4 teaspoon of seed per star anise.

Buying star anise safely

Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, is a separate species in the same genus as star anise.¹² Kew’s star anise profile calls it highly toxic.⁴ In September 2003, the US Food and Drug Administration advised the public not to drink teas brewed from star anise, after illnesses affecting about 40 people, including about 15 infants. FDA said Japanese star anise “has long been recognized as toxic in many countries.”¹³ The two fruits look alike.¹⁴ Buy star anise sold as a food spice from a supplier you trust, and never cook with star anise sold for decoration or potpourri.

What isn’t known

• Five-spice blends have no fixed recipe, so the amount of star anise in a jar varies.
• You’ll often read that anise essential oil is about eight times stronger than whole anise seed. No source we reviewed supports that.
• No source supports a combined caraway-and-tarragon substitute, or adding sugar to allspice to imitate star anise.

Related

• Star anise, cooking with star anise, star anise uses
• Star anise vs anise seed, cloves vs star anise, fennel seed vs anise seed
• Anise seed, fennel seed, Chinese five-spice powder, allspice, cloves, tarragon, caraway seeds
• Anise seed substitutes, Chinese five-spice substitutes, fennel seed substitutes