Licorice

Licorice is a chewy candy traditionally flavored with extract from the root of the licorice plant, though many US versions use anise oil instead. Black licorice is the classic, and Nordic versions are often salted.

How to choose Licorice

  • Licorice extract. Real licorice flavor comes from licorice root, from Glycyrrhiza glabra and related species. An ingredient list that names licorice extract or licorice root means the plant is in the candy.
  • Sweet or salty. Sweet licorice is soft and mellow. Salty licorice, common in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, is seasoned with salmiak for a sharp, salty and sour bite.
  • Coated or plain. A chocolate shell adds sweetness and fat around the root flavor and softens its bitter edge.
  • Red or black. Red twists come in fruit flavors such as strawberry and cherry. Black may carry licorice extract, anise oil or both, so only the ingredient list tells you.

About Licorice

Licorice is a confection named for the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra and its close relatives, long-lived plants grown across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. US rules allow licorice extract and glycyrrhizin, a compound from the root, as flavor enhancers and flavoring agents in foods from baked goods to hard candy.

Much licorice candy is made in a continuous process. Sweeteners such as corn syrup or molasses are mixed with wheat flour and licorice extract, often diluted with anise oil, then cooked and pushed through an extruder into ropes or tubes.

Keep licorice sealed so it stays soft. Pair it with strong coffee, or crumble salty pieces over vanilla ice cream.

At a glance

Made from
Licorice extract or anise oil, sugar, syrup, wheat flour
Main types
Sweet, salty salmiak, chocolate-coated, filled
Label terms
Licorice extract, salmiak, anise oil, glycyrrhiza

Licorice questions

Does black licorice candy always contain licorice root?

No. A fact sheet from the NIH, the federal medical research agency, notes that many licorice products sold in the United States contain no real licorice. Makers often use anise oil instead, which smells and tastes much the same, so a black color alone does not tell you which one you have.

What is salmiak?

Salmiak is ammonium chloride, a salt used to season Nordic and Dutch licorice. It tastes salty and sharply sour at once. A study in Nature Communications by researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Colorado found that it switches on OTOP1, a proton channel in the sour-sensing taste cells of mice. That helps explain its sour bite.

Why is wheat flour in licorice?

Flour gives licorice its body and its chew. The cooked mixture of sweetener, flour and extract has to hold its shape when it is pushed through an extruder into long ropes. Gluten, which forms when wheat flour meets water, is what lets it stretch without breaking. It also means licorice made this way contains wheat, so read the label if you avoid gluten.

Sources: NIH complementary medicine center (NCCIH); How Products Are Made; University of Southern California taste research.

Shop by brand

Guides and recipes

Related categories