This simple pickling spice recipe is great for making pickled peppers or other pickled foods, perfect for quick pickles and canning pickled vegetables.
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.
Let's talk about how to make pickling spices, shall we?
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.
Aside from pickling vegetables, try this combination to make corned beef! See my corned beef seasonings recipe.
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.
How to Use Pickling Spices
Learn how to use pickling spices with the following pickling recipes.
Additional Resources for Pickling Your Peppers or Other Foods
Additional Resources for Preserving Chili Peppers
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cinnamon Stick ground or coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Allspice berries
- 2 Bay Leaves crushed
- 1 tablespoon Cardamom
- 4 Cloves coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Dill Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional, for heat)
Instructions
- 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. Use in any pickling recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/29/23 to include new photos, video and information. It was originally published on 10/15/15.
Bama says
love this site, easy to navigate for delicious recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Bama! I appreciate it.
Nicole says
Hi Mike,
Love this site…go to it and consult it often. Thank you for all of your info and wonderful recipes!
I have a question about pickling. We’re at the end of growing season here in PA, so I’ve been pickling my peppers so I don’t waste them. I always do a mixture of jalapeños, mini-sweets, cowhorns, etc. I just pulled up two poblano and one Anaheim plant and thanks to the mild temps we’ve had lately, they still had a bunch of very small peppers on them (ranging from about 2-4”). I’ve never tried it, but can I slice them up and add them to another batch of pickled peppers? I assume they’re okay to eat, even though they’re so small and not anywhere near maturity.
I also have a bunch of still green Habaneros on the plant which I hate to throw away. I put some on my windowsill a couple weeks ago, but only one has ripened so far an they’re getting soft. Would green Habaneros pickle okay?
Please advise.
Thanks again!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nicole. Yep, you can pickle unripe peppers. No problem at all! Also, you can toss them into another pickled batch, but it's usually better to pickle a new batch. No biggie if you toss them into one, though.
Restaurants Nashville says
Going to give this a go with some pickled eggs and beats. Great site Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Enjoy!
Rick Price says
Hey Mike, thanks for all the great ideas and recipes! I have a "Chili Pepper Madness" category in Paprika, the recipe app I use.
I've done a little pickling and enjoy doing it and the results, always better than you can buy at the grocer. Question: why the sugar in pickling recipes? I generally don't care for sweet tasting foods.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Rick. You can easily skip the sugar. I like a touch of sweet with mine, but in the post, I mention how you can easily edit and make it your own way. Omit what you don't like, emphasize what you do. Enjoy!!!
f. B. says
thanks so much, this is relly tasty...sauce
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thank you!!
JoeJoe says
Hey Mike, have constructed mine today, using you original Homemade Pickling Spice Recipe as a baseline, get to know the flavor! Tomorrow pickling jalapeno, onion carrot cauliflower, and bell pepper.
Mike, any tips on the venture?
Thank you for an awesome inspirational site... 🙂
JoeJoe - South Africa
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, JoeJoe! My biggest tip would be to enjoy the heck out of those pickled veggies! I love it! Give it all a taste, then make notes for adjustments for the next batches.