Pho spice blend substitutes
Pho spice blend substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Mix it yourself from whole spices
1 packet = 4-5 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 4-5 cloves, 1 tbsp coriander seed, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1 black cardamom
Exactly what is inside the packet, toasted dry and simmered in a bag.
Mix your own: for about 4 quarts of broth use 4 or 5 star anise, one 3-inch cinnamon stick, 4 or 5 whole cloves, 1 tablespoon coriander seed, 1 teaspoon fennel seed and 1 black cardamom pod if you have it. If you only have two of those, star anise plus a cinnamon stick gets you most of the way. Chinese five-spice powder at 1.5 to 2 teaspoons per 4 quarts also works but clouds the broth.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- pho bo
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of pho spice blend | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mix it yourself from whole spicespho bo | 1 packet = 4-5 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 4-5 cloves, 1 tbsp coriander seed, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1 black cardamomWorks | Works |
| 2 | Star anise plus a cinnamon stick aloneweeknight pho | 4 star anise and 1 stick per 4 quartsWorks | Works |
| 3 | Chinese five-spice powderquick broth | 1½-2 tsp per 4 quarts, added in the last 20 minutesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Mulling spice blend or chai masalaemergency broth | 1 tbsp per 4 quartsTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Instant pho base or pho bouillon cubesfast weeknight pho | Follow the package, then cut your fish sauce and salt hardTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | No substitute for star anise itselfpho bo | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
Mix it yourself from whole spices
similar taste and texture
Exactly what is inside the packet, toasted dry and simmered in a bag.
- Best for
- pho bo, pho ga, bo kho, beef broth
This is not an approximation, it is the same thing, and most of these spices are already in a Western pantry. Toast them dry in the empty pot until fragrant, then simmer them in a tea ball or muslin bag. Adjust the star anise up or down first, since it is the note people actually notice.
Star anise plus a cinnamon stick alone
similar taste and texture
The two dominant spices on their own, skipping the supporting cast.
- Best for
- weeknight pho, quick broth, beef noodle soup
Between them these two are most of what you smell in a bowl of pho, so this gets you a long way. What is missing is the citrus lift coriander seed gives and the smoky, camphor-like edge of black cardamom, so the broth smells right but slightly flat and one-dimensional.
Chinese five-spice powder
similar taste, different texture
The same core spices in ground form, stirred in near the end.
- Best for
- quick broth, pantry emergency, bo kho
The spices overlap heavily so the warmth lands, but ground spice turns a clear broth cloudy grey and gives it a faint grittiness, which matters in pho where clarity is part of the dish. Strain through a coffee filter if you care. It is also heavier on fennel and Sichuan pepper than pho wants.
Mulling spice blend or chai masala
different taste, similar texture
Western mulling spices or Indian chai spice, picked over to remove sweet-only additions.
- Best for
- emergency broth, beef soup, braises
Both are built on cassia, clove and cardamom so the warm backbone arrives. Chai masala brings ginger and green cardamom, which reads Indian rather than Vietnamese. Mulling blends often contain dried orange peel and allspice, which makes the broth taste faintly of Christmas. Remove any dried fruit or sugar.
Instant pho base or pho bouillon cubes
different taste, similar texture
Concentrated cubes or paste sold specifically for pho.
- Best for
- fast weeknight pho, single bowls, no whole spices on hand
Convenient and honestly decent, but these are mostly salt and MSG with the spice as a supporting note, so you must reduce or skip the fish sauce and salt you would otherwise add. The aroma is thinner and there is a distinct bouillon savoriness that real pho does not have.
No substitute for star anise itself
different taste, similar texture
The one spice in the blend that has no stand-in.
- Best for
- pho bo, pho ga
Without star anise you cannot make something that smells like pho, because that licorice-warm note is the signature. Anise seed or fennel seed only gestures at it, at maybe half the intensity and with a thinner, sweeter aroma. One jar of star anise lets you improvise the rest of the blend indefinitely.
Questions
5 questionsCan I just leave the pho spices out?
You would end up with a decent beef noodle soup rather than pho, because the aroma is the dish. The bones, fish sauce and charred onion supply the savory depth, but the spices supply the identity. At an absolute minimum use star anise and a cinnamon stick, which between them do most of the work.
What spices are actually in a pho spice packet?
Star anise, cassia or cinnamon bark, whole cloves, coriander seed and fennel seed are near universal. Black cardamom appears in most good blends and is what gives restaurant pho its smoky edge. Some add dried ginger, licorice root or a bay leaf. Star anise and cassia are roughly seventy percent of what you can actually smell in the bowl.
Can I use ground spices instead of whole?
Yes, and it will taste broadly right, but the broth turns cloudy and faintly gritty instead of clear, and clarity is part of what makes pho pho. Add ground spice only in the last twenty minutes so it does not go bitter, use about a third of the volume you would use whole, and strain through a coffee filter if it matters to you.
Do I really need black cardamom?
Not strictly, but it is the ingredient most likely to be missing when homemade pho tastes almost right. It is smoky and slightly medicinal, quite unlike green cardamom, and one pod per large pot is enough. If you cannot find it, the broth will simply taste a bit cleaner and less mysterious.
How long should the spices simmer?
Between 45 minutes and an hour, then remove them, even if the broth itself simmers for six more hours. Whole spices give up their aromatic oils quite quickly and then start releasing tannins and bitterness, so a long-cooked spice bag makes broth that tastes harsh and medicinal rather than more fragrant.
Tips for substituting pho spice blend
5 tips- Toast the whole spices dry in the empty pot for about a minute before the water goes in. Untoasted spices taste dusty and give up their aroma far more slowly, which is why some homemade pho smells of nothing.
- Put the spices in a tea ball, a muslin bag or a knotted coffee filter and pull them out after 45 to 60 minutes. Spices left in for a six-hour simmer turn the broth bitter and medicinal, and this is the single most common home-pho mistake.
- Do not skip charring the halved onion and the ginger, either under the broiler or directly on a gas burner until blackened. People blame a bland pho on the spice packet when the missing element is actually that sweet burnt-onion smell.
- Black cardamom is the mystery note in restaurant pho: smoky, cooling and slightly medicinal. One pod per large pot is plenty and two makes the broth taste like a cough drop. Green cardamom is a completely different spice and is not a substitute for it.
- If you are buying a packet, choose one that is visibly nothing but whole spices. Packets that list salt, MSG or beef flavor are really bouillon, and they take the seasoning decisions out of your hands.