25 Best Fennel Recipes

If you are unfamiliar with fennel, hopefully these 25 fennel recipes will pique your interest to explore cooking with this unique-tasting plant!

Imagine a vegetable in the carrot family that tastes like a more mild version of licorice with a crisp crunch like celery.

You may be wondering how you can incorporate fennel into your meals but believe it or not, there are so many uses for it that take advantage of its anise taste!

All parts of the plant are edible and depending on how you prepare and cook it, the fennel will take on new textures and tastes!

Once you familiarize yourself with this versatile vegetable, you will find uses for it in so many meals and dishes.

Try making a Roasted Carrot Fennel Soup or Sauteed Kale with Fennel to start your meal off with.

Add some fennel into your favorite recipes like Potato Fennel Gratin or Fresh Linguini with Roasted Fennel.

You can even keep it simple and make Pan Fried Fennel as a delicious side dish for your lunch or dinner.

You no longer have to wonder how to use fennel; all of these recipes are prime examples of how easy and tasty it can be to include it in your meals!

No fennel on hand? We have a few substitutes for fennel here!

1. Orange & Fennel Salad

Fresh fennel makes a great addition to a quick salad like this one.

The sweetness and tang from the fresh citrus fruit and dressing complements the light sweetness that fennel has before it is cooked.

Adding in some candied pecans or chopped walnuts gives you a little bit of an extra crunch in every bite!

If you want to make this a little bit more filling, grilled fish is a great choice for adding on to the salad.

2. Fennel & Lemon Bruschetta

This is one of the best recipes with fennel for winning over anyone who claims they aren’t a fan!

Start with a crisp piece of baguette, layer on whipped mascarpone, and top it with your lemon-fennel marmalade and frisee salad!

When you slow cook your fennel and shallots, they become softer and sweeter and make a great choice for adding to your lemon marmalade.

The frisee has a bit of bitterness which balances with the sweetness of the fennel-lemon marmalade!

3. Fennel Frond Pesto

If you love garlicky pesto, this is a recipe you have got to try out for yourself!

It takes only five minutes and a handful of ingredients for a homemade Whole30 friendly pesto sauce.

This goes great with pasta, tuna salad, rice, or spread onto roasted vegetables.

4. Roast Pork Loin With Fennel & Apples

If it is almost dinner time and you are wondering what to make with fennel, this roast pork loin is a winning choice!

There is very little prep time involved but there are so many flavors from the garlic-herb paste on the pork, the apples and fennel, as well as the onion, all baked together.

This recipe is perfect for beginners looking for something simple that will definitely impress all their guests.

Not to mention, it is dairy free, egg free, gluten free, and nut free so if you are cooking up dinner for someone with allergies, this is probably a safe bet!

5. Pasta With Roasted Fennel & Sausage

As mentioned, every part of the fennel is edible and deserves to play some part in your dinner menu lineup.

This is one of the best fennel bulb recipes for making good use of the crunchy yet sweet bulb.

This pasta dish does not add too much extra work by incorporating fennel into the recipe.

You just need to roast it in the oven while you prepare your Italian sausage, pasta, sauce and other ingredients.

By roasting the fennel you will unlock a sweeter flavor with a more tender texture which will make a great addition to your pasta dish.

6. Cheesy Cauliflower Fennel Casserole

Yes, this makes a great side dish for special occasions like the holidays but feel free to make it as part of a regular weeknight meal.

The addition of a fennel bulb into this casserole adds a touch of crispness and light freshness to the dish.

The crunchy crust is made of crackers crumbs and lightly fried shallots which make a perfect crust for this cheesy vegetarian casserole.

7. Roasted Carrot & Fennel Soup

This roasted fennel recipe will become the star of your wintertime soups.

This is a vegan soup with common household ingredients yet so much flavor in every spoonful!

Roasting the carrots and fennel will help unleash the sweetness they have inside.

Adding in thyme and garlic will add a bit of earthy flavor to go with the sweetness in the soup.

8. Pan Fried Fennel

Sauteed fennel makes a great tasting vegetable side dish for any type of dinner or to bring to a party.

The fronds will become crispy from frying and it will release the sweet aroma contained inside.

All you need to season with is some salt and pepper but if you want to explore with other spices, have fun with it!

9. Roasted Fennel & Carrot Salad

Since fennel and carrots come from the same plant family, it is easy to combine them into a great tasting dish.

This recipe is vegan, easy to make, and tastes as good as it looks!

All you need to do is season and cook your vegetables until they are caramelized and you have a delicious hot and plant-based side salad.

10. Apple Fennel Slaw With Lemon Dressing

Fresh fennel can really transform a salad from simple to refreshing and flavorful.

Between the raw fennel bulbs and the crispy apples you get a sweetness in every bite but a touch of dijon mustard and spring onions you get a little tang.

The pecans on top add some crunchiness along with the crispness of the apples and fennel.

This takes no time to make and does not require any cooking!

11. Gorgonzola Stuffed Fennel

Creamy gorgonzola cheese filling up a fennel bulb and topped with a few pieces of walnut make an amazingly delicious vegetarian side dish.

If you know that you have a busy day coming up, you can prepare the four ingredients ahead of time so the day of you can assemble and put it in the oven to bake.

There is a strong flavor from the gorgonzola so if you prefer, go ahead and use blue cheese or any other strong tasting cheese.

Mixing in some cream cheese with the gorgonzola will make it a bit milder but add a lot more creaminess to your stuffed fennel.

12. Roasted Fennel Linguini

You may be wondering how the slightly sweet flavors of fennel will go in a pasta dish.

In this recipe, the fennel is baked at a high heat which will caramelize it and give it a more nutty flavor.

Pair that with a lemon sauce and a generous scoop of ricotta cheese and you have yourself a rich pasta dish unlike any you have tried before!

Remember to garnish with some fennel fronds for an extra dash of fennel flavor.

13. Salmon Burgers With Fennel Slaw

It may seem like a lot goes into this burger with the patties, spread, and slaw, but keep in mind that a lot of the ingredients are used in more than one part so this burger recipe is actually quite simple to follow!

The salmon patties and lemon-caper spread are delicious but the real star of this recipe is the fennel slaw.

It takes very little time to combine all the ingredients together and can be used for more than just this burger!

Once you make this recipe and have fallen in love with it, remember to make a big batch to freeze for next time you get a salmon and fennel craving!

14. Fennel & Sausage Breakfast Hash

This breakfast hash dish was made for campers and travelers but no one will hold you back from preparing this in the comfort of your own kitchen!

It takes only one skillet to cook everything in about half an hour.

The days where you wake up hungrier than usual and want your breakfast quick, keep in mind that dicing your potatoes and fennel smaller will allow them to cook faster meaning less waiting for you to eat your delicious breakfast.

15. Fennel & Kale Stuffing

If you haven’t found your tried and true Thanksgiving stuffing recipe, maybe this fennel and kale stuffing can take that spot.

Your stuffing will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with notes of flavor from the fennel, leeks, kale, and various spices and seasonings used.

Use vegetable broth if you want to make this completely vegetarian.

If you have a feeling your Thanksgiving morning will be hectic preparing all of the other parts of your feast, remember that this can be prepared ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator until about half an hour before you plan on serving.

16. Spring Veg Stew With Pesto & Roast Fennel

Stew may feel like a wintertime comfort dish but when you find one full of seasonal spring vegetables, you have to jump at the chance to make it for yourself.

This is equal parts fresh, from the various vegetables included, and comforting, from the hearty and filling nature of the stew.

This stew contains zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, cannoli beans, spinach, roast fennel, and pesto, to name a few ingredients.

Although there are quite a few vegetables in this stew dish, it is pretty simple to make, even if you are roasting your fennel and making your own pesto!

17. Fennel Camu Camu Citrus Smoothie

This bright and beautiful smoothie is a ten minute way to start your busy morning with a refreshing and delicious drink to get you going for the day.

Camu camu powder is added to this smoothie but keep in mind that it will add some bitterness so watch how much you add into your smoothie.

The fennel adds some licorice-flavor to the smoothie which will make it taste like a sweet treat without adding unnecessary sugars or processed ingredients.

Feel free to add some yogurt, almond butter, or chia seeds for a little more fun in the smoothie.

18. Flageolet Beans With Fresh Fennel

This is one of many recipes using fennel that makes a great side dish for when you are preparing lamb as your main meal.

Although this recipe uses dried flageolet beans, you can use cannellini or any other white beans to make it.

Try to use Mediterranean bay leaves rather than California bay leaves for a milder flavor.

All of that combined with fresh fennel will give an explosion of flavor in every bite you take.

19. Spinach Fennel Pizza

I have yet to meet someone who isn’t in love with pizza.

However, if there is someone out there who isn’t a fan, I bet this spinach fennel pizza can win them over, easily.

This is an easy way to make a fresh wintertime pizza with flavors you might not see at your traditional pizza shop.

Remember to top this off with fresh fennel fronds for some extra green and fennel flavor to your pizza.

20. Orange Zest & Fennel Risotto

Risotto is a lot easier to cook than many would have you believe.

But the flavors of this fennel risotto will taste like you spent all day working hard in the kitchen to prepare it.

Between the orange zest and the sauteed fennel, you will have some extra tang and sweetness in your dish.

A pinch of saffron can also be added for some extra floral flavors but this just depends on your personal preference!

21. Potato-Fennel Gratin

Fennel dishes are a great way to easily switch up our favorite classic dishes.

Potato gratin is an amazing choice for a side dish for your ham or chicken meals but the addition of fennel elevates it to the next level!

Despite its naturally sweet flavors, fennel actually tastes amazing with potatoes and cheese so this dish is sure to come out amazing.

Go ahead and make this ahead of time, remembering to heat them up right before you plan on serving or taking it to a party.

22. Turmeric Rice Stuffed Fennel Bulbs

Fennel bulb recipes are a great choice when looking for something vegan or gluten free (like this recipe)!

The hollow fennel bulbs make a great edible bowl for your turmeric rice.

You can use all parts of the fennel for this recipe, the bulb, fronds, and even juice from baking the fennel bulbs!

The sun-dried tomato pesto adds some color and fresh flavors to this already delicious dish

23. Lemony Sauteed Kale With Fennel

Whether you are looking for a fresh snack or a light side dish for your meal, this recipe is a great choice with nearly everything!

When you cook your fennel, it becomes sweeter and balances out with the bitter taste of kale.

Add a splash of lemon juice for some extra freshness and enjoy this side dish after about ten minutes of cooking!

24. Caramelized Fennel & Onions

For your Mediterranean dinner nights, this simple and easy side dish will be a great addition!

Saute your fennel and onions until they are golden and caramelized.

Top it off with grated parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon zest, or even fennel fronds!

25. Vegan Fennel & Apple Breakfast Sausages

If you are vegan or simply just reducing how much meat you eat, you can rest assured that you can still enjoy delicious sausages for breakfast, just without the sausage!

It only takes about 20 minutes to cook these but it is so full of flavors from the fennel, apple, and sage leaves.

These can easily be changed up to incorporate whatever flavors are popular in the season.

The bottom line

Fennel is such a flexible plant that can add so much to whatever dish it is added to!

The sweetness and licorice flavor is not something to be afraid of, in fact, it often adds a nice balance to otherwise savory or bitter dishes.

Getting to use all parts of the plant is also another win, so feel free to take advantage of the bulb, stems, and fronds!