Anise + Licorice
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 15 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs.
Do anise and licorice go together?
Yes, in practice. 15 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 8 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 28% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 8 flavor molecules: 23% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
anise
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for licorice. It carries 269 molecules licorice doesn't have.
licorice
The caramel side. Caramel notes make up 13% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for anise. It carries 27 molecules anise doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Fennel: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with anise, top 31% with licorice.
- Star anise: top 1% of pairs with anise, top 29% with licorice.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with anise, top 37% with licorice.
- Cinnamon: top 1% of pairs with anise, top 35% with licorice.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with anise and licorice
Almost always mains: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: anise has 269 molecules licorice doesn't, and licorice has 27 that anise doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 8 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 269 only in anise and the 27 only in licorice.
Anise and licorice questions
Do anise and licorice go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 15 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs.
What do anise and licorice have in common?
They overlap on 8 flavor molecules: 23% of licorice's 35. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral) and phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with anise and licorice?
Fennel is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with anise and top 31% with licorice. Star anise and cardamom also fit both.
What can you make with anise and licorice?
Almost always mains: 1 of the 1 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Bak Kut Teh.
Can I use licorice instead of anise?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: anise has 269 molecules licorice doesn't, and licorice has 27 that anise doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Anise vs Licorice. https://compkitchen.com/compare/anise-vs-licorice. Accessed 2026-11-07.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_anise_vs_licorice_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Anise vs Licorice},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/anise-vs-licorice},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-07}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.