Group · Herbs & spices
Five-spice (Chinese)
Chinese five-spice follows a logic, not a recipe: covering the five flavours of traditional cooking with five spices. Star anise, clove, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds make up the most common version. Some producers use six or seven, without changing the name.
On nutrition facts: 327 kcal per 100 g, 37.8 g of carbohydrate, 27.7 g of fibre, 12.6 g of protein and 7.85 g of fat. These figures are those of the Ciqual line « Spice (average food) », which no blend replaces in the table.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 327 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 1370 kJ |
| Protein | 12,6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37,8 g |
| Fat | 7,9 g |
| Fibre | 27,7 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Manganese13,6 mg680 %
- Vitamin K1116 µg155 %
- Iron18 mg129 %
- Copper0,93 mg93 %
- Potassium1430 mg72 %
- Calcium479 mg60 %
- Magnesium186 mg50 %
- Vitamin E4,76 mg40 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents26,3 µg
See the other 14 nutrients
- Vitamin B51,65 mg28 %
- Phosphorus190 mg27 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,53 g27 %
- Vitamin B60,31 mg22 %
- Selenium9,18 µg17 %
- Zinc1,63 mg16 %
- Omega-6 LA1,49 g15 %
- Vitamin B10,12 mg11 %
- Vitamin B31,52 mg10 %
- Vitamin B20,09 mg6 %
- Iodine9,12 µg6 %
- Vitamin A46,1 µg6 %
- Vitamin C4,29 mg5 %
- Vitamin D0,09 µg2 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
It is powerful: half a teaspoon is enough. That is about 1 g for four people. It is the easiest blend of the whole family to overdo: star anise and clove quickly dominate and give a medicinal taste. Start below what the recipe says.
Its territory is fat. Belly of pork, duck, glazed ribs: five-spice cuts the greasy feel better than acidity does. That is why it traditionally goes with the richest meats in the Meat family.
In a marinade, it works with salt. A level spoonful, soy sauce, ginger and a little honey: that is the base of glazed pork. Remember that the soy sauce already provides most of the salt in the dish.
A little-known sweet use. A pinch in a apple compote or a gingerbread batter works remarkably well: cinnamon and star anise are at home there.
Storage. Ground, it loses the fennel and Sichuan pepper within a few months, and only the star anise remains. A pot opened a year ago is of little use.
Sources
Average nutrition values per 100 g, given for guidance (spices and condiments are eaten in small amounts; values vary by brand and preparation).