Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe

Never buy pickling spice from the store ever again with this incredibly easy-to-make and more delicious recipe that lasts months.

I believe that using spices and herbs can dramatically increase foods in the flavor department, especially when it comes to brining food.  Pickling spices can definitely be used in brine to help add flavor, but you do not always have to add it.  Regardless, you should definitely try my brined smoked turkey or Buffalo Wings.

Pickling Spice

Pickling spice is a combination of spices and herbs to help flavor food while pickling or brining it.  It was originally created to help preserve food before the invention of the refrigerator.  There is some disagreement on whether the preservation technique was founded in India or the Middle East.

If no spices were used when pickling or brining, you would essentially have sour tasting foods.  A pickling spice has a unique blend of flavors and one of the easiest things to use it in to enhance the flavor is in a shrimp cocktail.

What Is It Made Of?

Pickling Spice is a combination of seeds, spices, and pungent flavored berries, but in its simplest form, it only uses 8 common ingredients.  You can absolutely add more to my recipe, but here is what you most commonly will find in it:

• Peppercorns
• Bay Leaves
• All Spice Berries
• Mustard Seeds
• Coriander Seeds
• Ginger
• Cloves
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Cinnamon Stick
• Dill Seeds
• Cardamom
• Juniper Berries

How to Make Pickling Spice

Follow along with these very easy step-by-step procedures to make a homemade pickling spice from scratch:

Add all of the dry spices and herbs to a medium-size bowl.

Using a fork, combine all of the ingredients thoroughly and mash to break up the ingredients.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to several months ahead of time.

How to Store: Cover and keep in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.

Chef notes + tips

• Feel free to add additional ingredients from above into my recipe.
• A great way to store the seasoning blend is by keeping it in a mason jar with an airtight lid.

Recipes to Use It In

• Corned Beef
• Dill Pickles
• Bread and Butter Pickles
• Fried Chicken
• Pickled Onions in Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

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Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe

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Never buy pickling spice from the store ever again with this incredibly easy-to-make and more delicious recipe that lasts months.

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 tablespoons peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon allspice berries
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 5 bay leaves

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients to a medium-size bowl.
• Thoroughly mix together everything until well combined using a fork to mash the ingredients.
• Keep in a storage container and set aside until ready to use.

Notes

Chef Notes:

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to several months ahead of time.

How to Store: Cover and keep in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.

Feel free to add additional ingredients from above into my recipe.

A great way to store the seasoning blend is by keeping it in a mason jar with an airtight lid.

You may also use a mortar and pestle.

Nutrition

Calories: 17kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 61mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 137IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Course: accompaniment, Side Dish, spice rub

Cuisine: American, Indian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi