Miseall ingredients
substitutes

Star Anise substitutes

Out of star anise? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Anise seed is the top pick.

  1. 01
    Anise seedbest pick

    Different plant, same licorice compound (anethole) — the closest flavor match.

    1 star = 1/2 tsp crushed anise seed

  2. 02
    Chinese five spice

    Star anise is its lead ingredient, plus supporting warm spices.

    1 star = 1/2 tsp

  3. 03
    Fennel seed

    Milder sweet-licorice note; use a bit more.

    1 star = 1 tsp fennel seed

  4. 04
    Tarragon

    For a fresh anise note in braises and broths where a whole spice isn't needed.

    to taste

Cooking with star anise?

Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like star anise, for the closest match in stock.

Turn a recipe into a basket →

How we choose these

These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.

Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.
© 2026 MyBranz, Inc. · Mise is a product of MyBranz, Inc.