A simple authentic recipe for Chinese Five Spice that takes 5 minutes from start to finish! Use this recipe in Authentic Szechuan Sauce, Szechuan Eggplant, Szechuan Tofu, Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls and Lightning Speed Photon Soup! Video.
Origin of Chinese Five Spice
Interestingly, Chinese Five Spice is based on the five elements – fire, water, wood, earth and metal. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the five elements are manifested in different parts of the body and when there are imbalances in these elements, illness can result. For thousands of years, herbs and spices have been used to restore balance in the body and that is why Chinese five-spice powder came to be.
Chinese Five Spice | 30-second video!
What spices are in Chinese Five Spice?
The ingredients and amount of spices vary greatly from region to region and even from household to household depending on personal tastes and preference, but the most common ingredients are:
- Star Anise
- Fennel Seeds
- Szechuan Peppercorns ( or regular peppercorns)
- Whole Cloves
- Cinnamon Stick
How do you make Chinese Five Spice?
Place all the spices in a spice or coffee grinder and grind until smooth.
No need to toast the spices first if in a hurry, but of course if you have time, toasting will elevate! Place in an airtight spice jar and that is it!
So easy!
Enjoy the incredible aroma.
Store in an airtight spice jar for up to 6 months for the best flavor.
So easy and so much better than store-bought!
Use this authentic Chinese Five Spice in:
- Authentic Szechuan Sauce
- Szechuan Eggplant
- Five Spice Pulled Pork Tacos with Asian Slaw
- Tea Smoked Five Spice Salmon
- Szechuan Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry
- Burmese Chicken (or Tofu) and Veggies
- Lighting Speed Photon Soup
- Vietnamese Beef and Green Papaya Salad
- Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls
Chinese Five Spice Powder Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 2
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: ¼ cup 1x
- Category: Spice blend
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here’s a simple authentic recipe for Chinese Five Spice powder that can be made in 5 minutes flat. Fragrant and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 6 whole star anise pods
- 1 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves (or 1 1/4 teaspoon ground)
- 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long ) or two tablespoons ground
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns ( or sub 3 teaspoons regular peppercorns)
Instructions
Toast any dry whole spices in a dry skillet, until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
Place all ingredients in a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and grind until smooth.
Smell the goodness.
Store in a sealed, airtight spice jar -and for best flavor use within 6 months.
Makes ¼ cup.
Notes
Lightly toasting the whole seeds/pods in a dry skillet will create a more fragrant, intense flavor.
In a pinch you could sub 1 tablespoon anise seeds, but it won’t be quite the same flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 teaspoons
- Calories: 14
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 2.4 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Appreciate the good guidance to make an authentic version of the Chinese 5 Spice from scratch!
Thanks Liberia!
Excellent!
I remember not liking 5 spice as a kid but this is excellent. Warm, earthy, spicy… a little bit of bliss.
Glad you gave it a try Elaine!
So, I have green sichuan peppercorns at home, and I’m wondering which type is traditionally used? Would the tartness of the green peppercorns work well with the sweet profile of the rest of the spices?
Hi Ed, that is interesting! I have not tried the green ones, only the redish ones, so I am not sure!
My take-out Szechuan chicken was NOTHING like I remember from my childhood. I found a recipe for Szechuan sauce, but didn’t have Chinese 5 spice. This recipe helped me immensely!
I have to admit I didn’t have a few of these ingredients, either, so if you also do not, here are my substitutions:
Szechuan peppercorns–>Black peppercorns
Anise & Fennel–>Green cardamom pods and coriander
I roasted everything, then ground them down in my mortar and pestle. Just a note, cinnamon sticks DO NOT grind into a powder that way. They just turn into small bits of bark. BUT, in the sauce they softened entirely. I didn’t even notice them.
I want to try this recipe as written once I get my ingredients, but it was so good even with the substitutions that I imagine it’s PHENOMENAL with all the right stuff!
Thank you for the recipe!
Glad you were able to make this work!
What a fantastic recipe! I ran out of my usual Chinese five spice and stumbled upon this gem after a quick Google search. I had all the whole spices in my pantry except for Szechuan peppercorns, so I swapped in black peppercorn. From now on, I won’t bother buying Chinese five spice—this blend took my dish to a whole new level
Awesome to hear Winnie!
What quantities of the ingredients make one UK Cupful.
You indicate
“Makes 1/4 of a cup”
Which one of the
1/2x, 1x or 2X makes one cupful.
Hi John, you would have to multiply it by 4 (manually) to get one cup. 🙂