A good alternative option: Cinnamon and star anise.
Both cassia and ginger are acceptable substitutes for cinnamon. Some cooks consider allspice as a sweeter spice, so you may want to consider replacing it with that if you find the aftertaste of star anise too bitter. These two spices can also make a suitable substitute on their own, as they dominate the flavor in most common five-spice blends.
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You should feel free to play around with different proportions and adjust the taste to your liking while mixing equal amounts of ingredients. Ginger ground and black pepper are two spices that are featured in many blends. In addition, you can consider including popular additions such as orange peel from China, especially in equal amounts with these spices in the grinder. To make your own five-spice blend using a spice grinder, simply combine anise, fennel, clove, cinnamon, and Szechuan peppercorns.
Other alternatives.
You can use spices to represent different flavors. For example, pungent and sweet, salty, bitter, and sour: these ingredients encompass the five flavors that Chinese five-spice powder is meant to remember as key things.
Another option is to completely remove powdered spices. Sambuca is a liqueur with anise-flavored that can provide some associated flavor with five-spice. Instead of adding a splash of sambuca to your dish, you can use a combination of ground cloves, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. This combination can be a viable substitute for the powder five-spice, which covers most of it.