Abstract: The working principles, applicable ranges and typical applications of instrumental analytical techniques for the identification of the authenticity of natural flavors were systematically reviewed. These techniques include chromatographic analysis (GC, LC and TLC), vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman), elemental analysis (ICP-MS and XRF) and isotopic analysis (IRMS, SNIF-NMR, CRDS and FT-ICR-MS). Additionally, progress in the research of emerging strategies such as metabolomics and data fusion in the authentication of natural flavors was discussed. By comparing the advantages and limitations of the various techniques, technical recommendations were made for different identification requirements and types of natural flavors. Furthermore, to provide a valuable reference for the quality and safety evaluation, as well as the standardization research, of natural flavors, the potential applications of spectroscopic techniques in the development of on-site/online detection systems were prospected, along with the development prospects of data fusion technology for improving traceability accuracy.