Does a reasonable substitute for Chinese Five Spice powder exist? And if so, what would you recommend?

Question

Does a reasonable substitute for Chinese Five Spice powder exist?  And if so, what would you recommend?

healthierkitchen · Answer

Penzey's has Sichuan peppercorns

pierino · Answer

I'm with healthierkitchen on this, it does include Sichuan peppercorns, which of course can be as hard to find as Five Spice itself.

askann · Answer

My boring supermarket stocks funny little tied bags of ground spices for pho broth in in their "ethnic" aisle. Comes in a little box not too far from the coconut milk. I think that might work for you.

healthierkitchen · Answer

I think it's got ground Sichuan peppercorns rather than ginger.  Also available at some Asian markets and spice shops!

Mr_Vittles · Answer

I too have found allspice to be okay in a pinch. But be aware there are other five spice powders out there. Tunisian Five spice powder is also a great, if not exotic option.

thirschfeld · Answer

aargersi is right but you might want to use star anise which is a little bit different from anise.  Star anise is easily found at asian groceries.

aargersi · Answer

it has cinnamon, anise, clove, ginger and fennel .... you could make your own or use a subset of those spices to your taste.  You might also consider allspice and/or mace

7 Comments

Popular on Food52

The Best Vanilla Extract Substitute Is Probably Hiding in Your Kitchen

11 Easy Dinner Recipes for When It's Been a Loooong Week

The 15 Best Pasta Salad Recipes to Make All Summer Long