Pickling Spice Recipe (2024)

Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe

Are you pickling your peppers and other garden grown vegetables this year, my friends? I am! I pickle loads of chili peppers every year, along with several other veggies.

Pickling is a great way to preserve your peppers so you can use them throughout the year, but also because of the flavor.

Pickling uses a salty brine to preserve your foods, which imparts a tasty tart-vinegary punch, but you can really upgrade that flavor with a great Pickling Spice combination.

Pickling spices help give your preserved pickled peppers, pickled vegetables and other pickled foods an additional, multi-dimensional flavor. A typical pickled pepper recipe consists of chili peppers, of course, with a salty vinegar brine and pickling spices added in.

While you can certainly pickle your peppers and other foods without the pickling spice, it is that combination of spices that brings nuance and flavor to your final product.

There are many spice blends available to you, depending on your personal tastes, although some go better in combination with others. There is no right or wrong combination. It is up to you to choose which flavors mingle best and what suits your personal palate.

There are so many ingredients you can use to make your own. I've included a recipe for you, but feel free to adjust ratios and use your favorites to customize your own pickling spice to your own palate. Play around with ingredient mixtures. Experiment. You may just find the next best pickling spice recipe ever.

Homemade Pickling Spice Ingredients

Typically, pickling spices are used whole or coarsely chopped, and include any combination of some of the following spices:

• Allspice Berries
• Bay Leaves
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Cloves
• Coriander Seeds
• Dill Seeds
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Mace
• Mustard Seeds
• Peppercorns (black peppercorns, white, pink)
• Dill Seeds
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

This is not an exhaustive list. Again, it depends on your own palate and preferred flavors. You'll get a stronger flavoring with a pickling spice combination, and of course vary up the ratios to your liking.

There are also pre-packaged pickling spice mixes available in many grocery stores as well, or you can order one online.

However, it is so much more fun and interesting to make on your own. You'll never get that combination anywhere else.

How to Make Pickling Spice - the Recipe Method

Grind or Crush Larger Ingredients. If using cinnamon sticks or bay leaves, crush them up with a mortar and pestle into small pieces or use a spice grinder.

Combine. Mix to combine your chosen ingredients in a small bowl.

Store in an Airtight Container. Store your pickling spice mix in a sealed, airtight container like a glass jar and keep in a cool, dark place. Makes about 1/2 cup.

How Long Does Pickling Spice Last? Storage Information

Your homemade pickling spice blend will last for a year or longer, though it is best when used within the first month. After a month, the seasonings begin to lose potency and flavor. I usually only make just enough that I need for the batch that I am making.

How Much Pickling Spice Should I Use?

Use 1-2 teaspoons per 1 quart batch of pickled foods, such as pickled peppers, pickles, pickled radishes, or others. You can use more for a more pronounced flavor of spices.

• Refrigerator Pickled Peppers Recipe
• Pickled Jalapenos
• Hot Pepper Relish
• Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
• Pickled Carrots
• Pickled Banana Peppers
• Pickled Red Onions
• Quick Pickled Okra
• See all of my Pickling Recipes

Additional Resources for Pickling Your Peppers or Other Foods

• How to Pickle Chili Peppers - A Guide
• Pickled Chili Peppers - Further Information

Additional Resources for Preserving Chili Peppers

• How to Preserve Chili Peppers
• Preserving Chili Peppers - Section