Homemade Pickling Spice

Perfect your pickled creations with a rich DIY pickling spice blend.

Table of Contents

Forget potato chips and candy bars. Pickled products are the popular snack nowadays. Don’t believe me? Just check out your favorite social media sites, and you’ll find posts praising the virtues of these crunchy and tangy pickles. Some Gen Z TikTokers even go so far as to claim pickles are a part of their identity.

If you’re among the many passionate picklers out there, you’ve probably run across “pickling spice.” This traditional blend of ingredients gives pickles many distinctive notes, but you may want to pause before adding a pre-made product to your shopping cart.

Although buying bottles of pickling spice is easy, these sometimes lead to unsatisfactory results. Why? You can’t control the ratios of spices in these manufactured recipes. While you may find a brand you like, it’s much easier to tailor a spice recipe to your expectations by making it yourself. And even if you’re not into pickling, there are plenty of ways to put this spice mix to use!

Is Homemade Pickling Spice Healthy?

The benefit of using spice blends in a pickling brine is that they add extra dimensions of flavor without contributing sodium or calories. While you’ll need to add some salt and sugar to your brine, the pickling spice helps enhance your veggie’s final taste while bringing in some benefits like antioxidants.

If you want to make your pickling spice “healthier,” you could experiment with other combinations of herbs or spices with a reputation for supposed benefits. For example, ginger is well known for its positive role in digestive health, while turmeric has the anti-inflammatory compound curcumin. Feel free to mix and match the combinations of herbs and spices till you find the perfect mix.

Do I need to toast the spices before using them?

Heating your spices before sealing them in an airtight container will intensify their aromatics, but it’s optional. Feel free to mix your ingredients without toasting if you’re OK with mild flavors (and don’t want to run the risk of scorching your spices!). However, you could use a dry pan over medium heat to gently cook these spices until they become fragrant.

If you’re going to toast your spices, stay close by and constantly stir them. It should only take a few minutes for the fragrance of this blend to fill the air. Once you smell it, cut the heat and let the spices cool before storing. Waiting too long can burn your spices and create a bitter aroma that nobody likes.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 tablespoon allspice berries
2 crumbled bay leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix

Combine all spices in a bowl.

Store

Transfer to an airtight container.

Preserve

Keep in a cool, dry place.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Pickling spice is one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever follow. As long as you have all the ingredients ready, you just have to measure them correctly and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. To bust out the full aromatics, heat your spices in a dry pan over medium heat until they become fragrant, then store them in an airtight container when they’ve cooled.

While pickling spice may be “good” for years, it typically loses its peak flavor potency within a few months.

How much pickling spice should I use?

You’ll need to follow the specific recommendations on a pickling recipe, but a good rule of thumb is to use about 1 – 2 tablespoons of pickling spice for every quart of pickling brine. Again, you can play around with this average depending on what your recipe says and your taste preferences.

Can I use ground spices in pickling spice?

It’s OK to use ground spices in pickling spices, but they tend to be more powerful than whole spices. If you’re using ground spices, reduce the amount you put into your blend to avoid overwhelming your senses.

Serving Suggestions

Since “pickling” is the name of this spice blend, it makes sense that flavoring pickled vegetables is the top reason people make this blend. Whether you enjoy pickling cucumbers, asparagus, zucchini, or turnips, plenty of veggies absorb these flavors to create a satisfying snacking experience.

Beyond flavoring pickled veggies, you could use your pickling spice as a marinade for many meals, including pork, chicken, and fish. Some people also use their pickling spice as a seasoning on top of oven-roasted veggies, soups, or sauces. Once you get a first-hand sense of your pickling spice’s flavors, I bet you’ll find a ton of ways to start shaking it into recipes.