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Five-Spice Powder
We tested six brands of five-spice powder to determine which really delivered an authentic Asian flavor.
Top Pick
WinnerFrontier Natural Products Co-op Five Spice Powder
Buy at AmazonWarmed in milk, this blend had a “rounded,” “licorice” flavor that was “woodsy,” “sweet,” and “aromatic.” In braised beef, its “harmonious flavor” had a “nice kick” and was “heaviest on anise, but with cinnamon coming through, too.”
Anethole: 1.43 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper
Volatile Oils: 4.28 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $4.69 for 1.92 oz ($2.44 per oz)
Warmed in milk, this blend had a “rounded,” “licorice” flavor that was “woodsy,” “sweet,” and “aromatic.” In braised beef, its “harmonious flavor” had a “nice kick” and was “heaviest on anise, but with cinnamon coming through, too.”
Anethole: 1.43 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper
Volatile Oils: 4.28 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $4.69 for 1.92 oz ($2.44 per oz)
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What You Need to Know
Chinese five-spice powder adds a kick that offsets richness in both sweet and savory recipes. In traditional Chinese cooking, the five elements of the cosmos—earth, fire, metal, water, and wood—are represented by five-spice powder. Most blends from China include cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel, and Sichuan pepper. (Companies selling five-spice powder in America substitute white or black pepper for Sichuan because for many years its import was banned due to a citrus canker.)
We tried the updated version of our former favorite, as well as five additional brands, in warm sweetened milk (where its flavors would stand out) and in Chinese Braised Beef. We also had an independent lab test the overall potency of each sample by measuring the total volatile oils. And since the piney, licorice notes and tangy heat of star anise make it a key player, we also had the lab analyze levels of anethole, the compound that supplies its flavors and aromas.
The winner and runner-up from our tastings were in the middle range for overall potency and high in anethole; for tasters, this translated into complex flavor in which star anise predominated but still allowed other spices to come to the fore. Our favorite won for “lots of licorice” and “anise notes,” plus a “piney,” “woodsy” taste and an “aromatic” flavor that contributed a “nice kick” of heat. A spokesman said that for some of the spices, the manufacturer uses cryogenic grinding, in which liquid nitrogen cools the ground spices, to preserve volatile oils. Our runner-up is also a supermarket brand, and while this company said it does not use cryogenic grinding, its “five-spice” actually contains seven spices, lending it plenty of “earthy,” “complex” flavors. For an aromatic kick in our Chinese Braised Beef, or any sweet or rich dish, our winner will be our go-to five-spice blend.
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Everything We Tested
Recommended
WinnerFrontier Natural Products Co-op Five Spice Powder
Warmed in milk, this blend had a “rounded,” “licorice” flavor that was “woodsy,” “sweet,” and “aromatic.” In braised beef, its “harmonious flavor” had a “nice kick” and was “heaviest on anise, but with cinnamon coming through, too.”
Anethole: 1.43 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper
Volatile Oils: 4.28 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $4.69 for 1.92 oz ($2.44 per oz)
Warmed in milk, this blend had a “rounded,” “licorice” flavor that was “woodsy,” “sweet,” and “aromatic.” In braised beef, its “harmonious flavor” had a “nice kick” and was “heaviest on anise, but with cinnamon coming through, too.”
Anethole: 1.43 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper
Volatile Oils: 4.28 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $4.69 for 1.92 oz ($2.44 per oz)
Dynasty Chinese Five Spices
The “savory” and “slightly woodsy” flavor of this blend—which contains seven spices—also had an “assertively licorice” aspect in the warmed milk. In braised beef, it was “earthy” and “complex,” with hints of “allspice” and “star anise.”
Anethole: 1.97 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper, licorice root
Volatile Oils: 4.56 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $2.79 for 2 oz ($1.40 per oz)
The “savory” and “slightly woodsy” flavor of this blend—which contains seven spices—also had an “assertively licorice” aspect in the warmed milk. In braised beef, it was “earthy” and “complex,” with hints of “allspice” and “star anise.”
Anethole: 1.97 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper, licorice root
Volatile Oils: 4.56 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $2.79 for 2 oz ($1.40 per oz)
McCormick Gourmet Collection Chinese Five Spice
With an “earthy” and “floral” taste in warmed milk, this blend provided “pungency” in braised beef, along with a “woodsy” flavor. But some tasters picked up on an odd “curry” taste. It was the only blend to use sulfites, which preserve spice color and prevent bacterial growth (but impart no flavor).
Anethole: 1.90 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, ginger, sulfiting agents
Volatile Oils: 5.18 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $6.99 for 1.75 oz ($3.99 per oz)
With an “earthy” and “floral” taste in warmed milk, this blend provided “pungency” in braised beef, along with a “woodsy” flavor. But some tasters picked up on an odd “curry” taste. It was the only blend to use sulfites, which preserve spice color and prevent bacterial growth (but impart no flavor).
Anethole: 1.90 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, ginger, sulfiting agents
Volatile Oils: 5.18 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $6.99 for 1.75 oz ($3.99 per oz)
Dean & DeLuca Five Spice Blend
This mail-order blend, with the lowest levels of both volatile oils and anethole, seemed “sweet” and “licorice-y” but otherwise “mild” in warmed milk. In braised beef, it “begins sweet [and] ends with a tiny bit of heat.” “I’d find myself adding more,” one taster said.
Anethole: 0.68 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel, black pepper
Volatile Oils: 1.33 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $6.50 for 1.4 oz ($4.64 per oz), plus shipping
This mail-order blend, with the lowest levels of both volatile oils and anethole, seemed “sweet” and “licorice-y” but otherwise “mild” in warmed milk. In braised beef, it “begins sweet [and] ends with a tiny bit of heat.” “I’d find myself adding more,” one taster said.
Anethole: 0.68 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel, black pepper
Volatile Oils: 1.33 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $6.50 for 1.4 oz ($4.64 per oz), plus shipping
Morton & Bassett Chinese Five Spice
Warmed in milk, this “sweet,” “anise-y” blend—with the second-lowest levels of volatile oils and anethole—was “too faint” for some tasters. In braised beef it had a “smoky, sweet pungent flavor,” though some tasters found it lacking “heat.”
Anethole: 0.86 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, fennel
Volatile Oils: 2.15 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $5.49 for 1.9 oz ($2.89 per oz)
Warmed in milk, this “sweet,” “anise-y” blend—with the second-lowest levels of volatile oils and anethole—was “too faint” for some tasters. In braised beef it had a “smoky, sweet pungent flavor,” though some tasters found it lacking “heat.”
Anethole: 0.86 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, fennel
Volatile Oils: 2.15 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $5.49 for 1.9 oz ($2.89 per oz)
Recommended with reservations
Penzeys Chinese Five Spice Powder
The “gingerbread” flavor of this mail-order blend came across as “mostly cinnamon” and “clove” in warmed milk. In braised beef, its “cinnamon” flavor predominated again. Despite having the most volatile oils in the lineup, it had one of the lowest levels of anethole, so that the key flavors of star anise were missing.
Anethole: 0.91 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger, cloves
Volatile Oils: 6.43 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $7.55 for 2.1 oz ($3.60 per oz), plus shipping
The “gingerbread” flavor of this mail-order blend came across as “mostly cinnamon” and “clove” in warmed milk. In braised beef, its “cinnamon” flavor predominated again. Despite having the most volatile oils in the lineup, it had one of the lowest levels of anethole, so that the key flavors of star anise were missing.
Anethole: 0.91 g in 100 g
Ingredients: Cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger, cloves
Volatile Oils: 6.43 ml in 100 g
Price at Time of Testing: $7.55 for 2.1 oz ($3.60 per oz), plus shipping
*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.
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