Chinese five spice powder substitute : recipes with 5 spice

Chinese Five Spice Powder is an incredibly flavorful blend of spices popular in Chinese cuisine. It’s complex in flavor and hits many notes including warm, sweet, tangy, and spicy. Including Chinese Five Spice can really make or break a dish, so having it on hand is always a good idea. Luckily, it is incredibly easy to get your hands on Chinese Five Spice powder these days. But in the event you run out or simply can’t find it, don’t worry, don’t panic! There are many options to swap out as a Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute! Continue reading to find out the perfect Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute that will work for you.

What is Chinese five spice

Chinese Five Spice is a spice blend that has been used for thousands of years to help restore balance in the body. Chinese Five Spice is based of the five elements fire, wood, earth, metal, and water. The spices vary from region to region, but Five Spice is mostly made from fennel seeds, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and Szechuan peppercorns.

This combination of spices is very complex in flavor and is incredibly delicious. Chinese Five Spice is slightly sweet, savory, spicy and can add a ton of flavor to a dish.

Where to buy Chinese five spice

You can buy Chinese Five Spice in the International isle of most grocery stores. You can also find Chinese Five Spice at your local Asian market or online.

How to make Chinese Five Spice from scratch

You can buy Chinese Five Spice at most grocery stores, Asian markets or online, but you can also easily make it from scratch!

To make this delicious spice blend from scratch all you need it a coffee grinder, and if you would like to go the extra mile, a pan to toast the spices in.

Ingredients for Chinese Five Spice Powder

• 1 cinnamon stick or 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns
• 6 whole star anise pods

Toast your spices for Chinese Five Spice Powder

When you make Chinese Five Spice powder, you can simply just blend all of the ingredients together. But for best results, toast your spices before blending. Toasting your spices on a skillet helps to release more flavor and make your Chinese Five Spice Powder even more aromatic and complex.

To toast spices, simply place the spices on a skillet over medium heat. Allow to toast for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when spices are slightly toasted and darker, but be sure not to over toast them and allow them to burn!

How to Make Chinese Five Spice Powder

Once you have toasted your spices or have chosen to skip the toasting step, place your five spices in a coffee grinder. Grind until your spices have been broken down into a fine powder.

• 1 cinnamon stick or 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns
• 5 whole star anise pods

How to store Chinese Five Spice Powder

Chinese Five Spice has a strong flavor. Although delicious, you only need a small amount to enhance a dish. Too much Chinese Five Spice can completely over power a dish if you aren’t careful. Because of this, the recipe above will last a while and you will most likely have left overs.

To properly store Chinese Five Spice Powder, simply place the spice blend in an air tight container, such as a mason jar. Make sure the lid is properly sealed.

Chinese five spice powder substitute

Chinese Five Spice powder is pretty easy to get your hands on these days. But if you can’t find Chinese Five Spice locally or are simply in a pinch and don’t want to leave your house, here are some excellent substitutes.

Cinnamon, Star Anise, Fennel, Cloves, Szechuan Peppercorn

There are many options if you need a Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute. But the best option is going right to the source. As mentioned above, Chinese Five Spice Powder is typically made from a blend of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, and Szechuan peppercorn. The best substitute for Chinese five spice is combining any of these spices that you happen to have. If you do not have these spices in your cabinet, keep reading for more options.

Chinese five spice powder substitutes

• Garam Masala
• Garam Masala and Star Anise
• Cinnamon and dried Dill
• Baharat
• Allspice
• Pumpkin Pie Spice with Fennel seeds and peppercorns
• Za’atar
• Ras El Hanout

Garam Masala makes an excellent Chinese five spice powder substitute

If you have recently made Indian cuisine, chances are you have Garam Masala in your spice cabinet. Garam Masala makes an excellent Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute. Like Chinese Five Spice, Garam Masala is a blend of spices! Garam Masala typically includes a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, cardamon, black pepper, coriander, and clove. Similar to Five Spice, Garam Masala has a complex flavor of sweet, savory, warm, and spicy, making is a perfect candidate for a Chinese Five Spice powder substitute.

Garam Masala and Star Anise make a great Chinese Five Spice Powder Substitute

Star Anise is one of the 5 spices typically used in Chinese Five Spice powder. If you are looking for a Chinese Five Spice powder substitute, combining 1/4 parts ground star anise with 3/4 parts garam masala, can get you pretty close to the flavor.

Combining Cinnamon and dried Dill will make an excellent Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute

Chinese five spice is, of course, made from five spices, but you can somewhat substitute its flavor with two. Combining dill, which has a flavor similar to star anise, and cinnamon can create a flavor similar to Chinese Five Spice. It of course won’t be quite as complex, but in a pinch, this combination is an excellent Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute.

Baharat can be used as a Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute

Baharat is a spice blend often used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Baharat is typically made from blending cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, and paprika. Similar to Chinese Five Spice Powder, this spice blend is complex in flavor, making it an excellent Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute.

Allspice makes an excellent Chinese Five Spice Powder Substitute

Allspice is a spice made from the dried berries of a plant called Pimenta dioica. Although Allspice is not actually a blend of spices, it tastes like one. Similar to Chinese Five Spice Powder, Allspice tastes like a blend of nutmeg, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. The flavor profile of Allspice makes it a perfect Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute.

Pumpkin Pie Spice with Fennel seeds and peppercorns makes a perfect Chinese five spice powder substitute

Pumpkin Pie spice is typically a combination of cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. This combination of spices covers a lot of the flavor of Chinese Five Spice powder, but it is missing the spice and black licorice elements. So combining pumpkin pie spice with Sichuan pepper corns (or black pepper) and fennel seeds can give you a spice mix that is a great Chinese five spice substitute!

Za’atar can be used as a Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute

Za’atar is a super complex, flavorful spice blend often used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Although the blend of spices used tends to vary, Za’atar often contains a blend of dried oregano, thyme, toasted sesame seeds, marjoram, dried orange zest, dill, salt, and wild herbs. Similar to Chinese Five Spice Powder, Za’atar has a complex flavor and makes an excellent option for a Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute.

Ras El Hanout makes a great Chinese Five Spice Powder substitute

Ras El Hanout is a spice blend often used in Moroccan cuisine. This spice blend contains cloves, cardamom, cumin, anise seeds, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, pepper, allspice, mace, and cinnamon. Yes, there are waaaay more than five ingredients in Raw El Hanout. But Raw El Hanout does in fact have a similar flavor as Chinese Five Spice and makes it an excellent substitute!

Recipes made with Chinese 5 spice

Now that you know what Chinese Five Spice is and perfect substitutes for it, it’s time to get cooking! Check out these delicious recipes using five spice!