Pickling Spice Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Pickling Spice Recipe

This is a great, slightly leveled-up all-purpose homemade pickling spice. We tend to use it for our spicy refrigerator pickles, but it works equally well with a wide variety of vegetables. Makes enough for six quarts of pickles.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pickling spice ingredients, pickling spice recipe

Calories: 19kcal

Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes optional
2 tablespoons allspice berries
2 small cinnamon sticks crushed or broken into pieces
24 bay leaves crumbled
2 tablespoons whole cloves

Instructions

Place peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds into a small pan and set over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, adjusting heat as necessary to ensure spices don't burn. Keep lid handy in case seeds pop. Cool slightly before proceeding.
Pour pan contents into a mortar and crush a bit with the pestle.
Combine crushed seeds with other spices and mix thoroughly.
Store in a tightly sealed container for up to a few months.

Notes

Use this homemade pickling spice in our Spicy Refrigerator Pickles.
This recipe makes about ¾ cup of spice mix. I use two tablespoons of mix per quart of pickles, so this recipe makes six quarts. For cucumbers, that's about six pounds.
If you start with nice fresh spices and store the mixture in an airtight container, it will keep well for up to six months without much loss of flavor.

Adapted from Michael Ruhlman via The New York Times

Nutrition