Are you searching for anise recipes that bring out this ingredient’s sweet, fragrant characteristics?
Here’s a list of the many creative ways you can cook with anise!
Anise has a long history as one of the oldest spices known to man.
It traces its culinary roots to Ancient Rome, though it is native to the Eastern Mediterranean region, particularly Egypt.
Anise looks like fennel, tastes like licorice, and is often mistaken for star anise.
It has a distinctive sweetness, aromatic, and is highly soluble in ethanol.
It’s a versatile ingredient in meat, baked goods, sweets, and alcoholic beverages.
With a strong flavor and aroma, it’s an ingredient used sparingly and with care.
When done right, it adds a complex, savory layer to dishes.
There are plenty of ways to add anise to your cooking–toasting the seeds in a skillet, adding the stems and leaves in soups, or anise extract.
On the topic of anise vs. star anise, these are two entirely different plants unrelated to each other.
The star anise in the Chinese five-spice tastes more herbaceous and bitter.
Compared to star anise, anise seeds are smaller.
Now that you know the differences, let’s look at the recipes you can make with anise, anise seed, or anise extract.
Let’s start with baked goods like biscotti, cookies, and Classic Anise Pizzelle.
For a more savory palate, start with some soup like Sausage Soup or meat dishes that highlight this ingredient.
Make sure to read to the end and leave room for #19, a sweet way to cap your meals.
These chewy, sugar-coated cookies are traditional baked goods in Germany.
It’s famous around Christmas, bringing childhood memories and the festive holiday spirit.
The spice cookie uses anise to add a licorice touch to its peppery base.
It’s also a famous treat in the Netherlands and Denmark.
Best to enjoy these warm and fresh from the oven.
You can dip the cookies in a milk and confectioner’s sugar icing mixture for a glazed finish.
Anise-infused chocolate and strawberry enhance the fusion of flavors in this dessert.
There’s an aniseed essence in the cake mixture.
The strawberries are left to macerate in a bath of Anisette liqueur and a bit more of the essence.
The mashed strawberry mixture folded into soft ice cream adds a layer that bursts with flavor sandwiched in the middle of the cake.
It’s one to try if you want to avoid the stereotypical chocolate ice cream cake.
These thin wafer-like goodies transcend the generation gap for their feel-good taste.
The Italians make every pizzella lovingly with a special iron press.
It has all the usual, uncanny baker’s essentials–flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and baking powder.
Then it surprises you with the licorice flavors of anise extract–not that it’s overwhelming, as the point of using this element is to add a subtle flavor to the not-too-sweet treat.
A cup of hot drink will always pair well with a perfect toast.
Try an anise-based biscotti that’s nut-free.
This Italian treat is sure to be one of your favorites.
Serve it at breakfast, tea time, or as an after-school snack.
Because it’s not very sweet, you can entice kids and family members to enjoy this refreshment.
Its butter-free recipe manages to come out with a moist, spongy cake.
Twice baked, you’ll get toasty golden edges.
A cookbook author shared this recipe for a homemade loaf.
It’s a beautiful combination of spices that upgrades the taste of the regular dough.
Bite into a classic soft bread enhanced with the flavors of aniseed, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Serve this savory bread with almost any dish–from pasta and casseroles to roast beef and meat dishes.
Brush with an egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking for over half an hour.
You’ll soon have the scent of spices wafting through the kitchen, alluring family members to come together and enjoy.
6. Sazerac
The anise-flavored liqueur is famous mainly in Mediterranean countries.
It is sweet, potent, colorless, and with a sweet-spicy scent.
This cocktail is a creation of a coffee house of its namesake.
It has that nice peppery kick with anise, rye whiskey, bourbon, and bitters for a wholesome fusion.
7. Anise Tea
Anise seed is known for its versatility, and this recipe proves it!
Anise tea is a drink for those who are feeling under the weather.
Also, you won’t need sugar or artificial sweetener to enjoy this delicious drink.
It’s your go-to caramel flavor with a subtle hint of the lingering taste of licorice-like anise.
It aims to improve the taste of chocolate caramels and lure those who turn up their noses at black licorice.
When searching for the best-tasting anise to add to this sweet delicacy, opt for pure anise extract.
Finally, wrap each piece in wax paper and fill paper cones with a handful of these delightful sweets to give to little ones who visit over the holidays.
Love the look and taste of those golden brown crystals glistening on top of a cake or pastry?
Make toffee with this recipe.
It’s a versatile addition to most desserts, adding texture where you want to go nut-free.
The anise bit adds a distinctive taste to the candy bits, making it anything but a last-minute thought.
The recipe includes a gingerbread cake, although hardened toffee makes for a great topping on most desserts.
If you leave out most spices and let anise shine, you’ll see it’s a star on its own.
Pure anise extract has a commanding presence that doesn’t need other spices to bring out its best.
The flavor stands out in this recipe, having a humble base.
Envelop the dough with the potent scent and flavor of anise.
Sprinkle with decorator’s sugar or edible glitter for a fun twist.
Anise is popular in Eurasian cuisines, from savory dishes to delectable desserts.
This classic Italian treat folds anise in a batter with citruses and nuts.
It’s a reminder of Sundays with a cup of demitasse coffee in hand, pouring over the latest gossip with a friend.
Italians also like to serve it during parties, inviting guests to have more than one slice.
Squash has a sweet, versatile taste that offers many possibilities when cooking.
Inspired by a cookbook in the late 90s, the author of this recipe put together a delectable side dish that will inspire you to get cooking.
Though available year-round, there are plenty of acorn squashes come wintertime.
Make the most of this ingredient to fill or stuff the vegetable with corn, milk, scallions, and a kick of anise seed.
Finish off with cheddar cheese toppings for a bubbly, brown melt-in-your-mouth flavor.
Here’s a recipe for delicious soup with the richness of butter, cream, and crème fraîche.
Start with toasting the anise seeds to bring out their fragrance.
Use a spice grinder to bring it down to a slightly coarse texture.
Then infuse this ingredient with the carrot purée.
Adding anise-enhanced liqueur towards the end ties the flavors together, so you start and finish the recipe with the same notes.
A warm bowl of this comfort food will surely make you feel better in no time.
14. Sausage Soup
This Portuguese-style soup is quick to prepare, making it suitable for weekday evenings.
First, bring out your Dutch oven to cook and brown the hot and sweet-style Italian sausages.
For a wholesome combination, toss some vegetables with white potatoes, zucchini, celery, whole tomatoes, and sliced olives.
Kidney beans help to thicken the soup and fill you up quickly.
Season the soup with onions, garlic, and aniseed for a memorable, heartwarming appetizer.
Roll up your sleeves and bring out a delectable dish come dinner time.
It’s a one-pot slow-cooked meat dish that packs a lot of savory flavors.
First, sear the meat, then cook the lean beef in vegetable broth.
Season the meat with aromatic anise seed, ginger, garlic, and sugar.
Leave in the slow cooker for up to 7 hours to tenderize the meat and allow the flavors to develop.
Reduce the sauce and slice the juicy meat, serve and enjoy.
Exotic spices bring a new delight to your favorites, like white meat.
Bring more unique flavors to your game from the usual garlic-and-pepper combo.
Season the cavity of the chicken with rosemary, sage, and anise seed.
A side of potatoes and onions circles around the whole chicken, later boiled in vegetable broth.
Midway through baking, add some more herbs, dry white wine, and a few tablespoons of anisette.
It’s a fantastic recipe that will bring something new to the table.
Are you in the mood for seafood?
This hotpot won’t disappoint you!
The process is not at all complicated, and preparation is a breeze.
The ingredients are simple–carrots, onions, ginger, and anise.
Shoot for a spicy base with dried chili, pepper, and ginger to kick things up a notch.
Serve with the umami taste of prawn paste.
It takes five ingredients and 5 minutes to put together this vegan side dish.
Liven up sweet potatoes with the aromatic combination of aniseed and star anise.
These spices, olive oil, and salt flakes are all you need to prepare this delicious one-pan side.
Roasting results in caramelizing the starch in the root crop, bringing out more of its sweetness, complemented very well by anise.
Lastly is a unique dessert to end your meal in style.
Toasted anise seeds flavor the ice cream at the onset of the process.
Mix, chill, and churn with some honey to add that last touch of sweetness and make the mixture easier to scoop.
If you like vanilla ice cream, you’ll love this alternative.
Enjoy it with some biscotti, or use it as a cream puff filling.
The bottom line
Versatile, aromatic, not-too-sweet, yet potent–these describe the excellent ingredient that is anise.
Start with the seeds which are best for soups and toasting.
For something easier to work with, go for anise extract or anisette (anise liqueur) when cooking and mixing cocktails.
Find the recipe you love and grow to enjoy this fun element in your dishes, desserts, and drinks.
19 Best Anise Recipe Collection
Are you searching for anise recipes that bring out this ingredient's fragrant characteristics? This list is for you!
Ingredients
- Pfeffernüsse Cookies
- Chocolate Aniseed Ice Cream Cake
- Classic Anise Pizzelle
- Authentic Italian Anise Biscotti
- Aniseed Bread
- Sazerac
- Anise Tea
- Licorice Caramel
- Crunchy Anise Seed Toffee Bits
- Twinkling Anise Stars
- Chombolini (Italian Anise Cake)
- Roasted Corn Pudding In Acorn Squash
- Carrot Soup With Anise
- Sausage Soup
- Spiced Anise & Ginger Beef
- Anise-Braised Chicken
- Spicy Hotpot With Prawn Paste
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Aniseed
- Anise & Honey Ice Cream
Instructions
- Have a look at our list of Anise Recipes.
- Choose the dish you want to recreate.
- Start making your newly found recipe.
- Share your insights on our Facebook page!