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Spice up your meals (literally!) with this pickling spice blend with chili, celery seed, mustard seed, and other fragrant spices. It is an easy and speedy way to infuse your dishes with some spice and add some oomph back into homemade meals. 

Get creative in the kitchen and start pickling your favorite fruits and vegetables to add to sandwiches, salads, and as a side dish to hot meals with a spicy twist. You can even use the spice mix to infuse stews and soups. 

Here are our top picks for how to use this dynamic pickling spice blend. 

2 Ways To Use a Pickling Spice Blend

For Pickling Fresh Produce

1. Add approximately 500ml vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tbsp of the pickling spice blend to a saucepan. 
2. Heat on medium-high heat until the liquid begins to boil. 
3. Turn off the heat and leave covered to cool for at least 8 hours at room temperature. 
4. Add your chopped veggies of choice to the pan and leave to pickle for a minimum of 48 hours.  

TOP TIP

The thinner you slice the food, the softer they will be after pickling. You can also achieve a softer pickle by leaving the mixture to settle for longer than 2 days. 

What Can You Pickle? 

The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to what fruits and veggies you can pickle at home. 

These foods work well but feel free to experiment:

• Cucumbers 
• Onions
• Carrots
• Red cabbage
• Bell peppers 
• Zucchini 
• Jalapeños
• Radish
• Asparagus
• Beetroots
• Cauliflower
• Ginger
• Garlic

Infuse Your Dishes

1. To add the flavor of this spice blend into soups, stews or curries, simply palace a small handful of the spice mix in a cotton cloth.
2. Tie up the ends using a rubber band. 
3. Add the spice bag to the dish while simmering. 
4. Finally, remove the bag and discard the contents before serving. 

5 Ways To Use Pickling Spice Blend In Your Cooking

1.  Banh Mi with Pickled Carrot and Cucumber

Try the infamous Vietnamese sandwich with meat, pickled vegetables, and fresh cilantro in a fluffy, light baguette. 

Find a full recipe for a Banh Mi on All Recipes. 

1. Tacos with Pickled Cauliflower, Carrot, and Jalapeños

Add spicy picked vegetables to any Mexican dish. Our fav veggies to pair with tacos are cauliflower, carrots, jalapeños, onions, and bell peppers. 

Find a recipe for authentic tacos on Damn Delicious or try these vegan tacos from Minimalist Baker. 

1. Burger Topped with Pickled Red Onions 

Take a homemade beef burger to new heights with the addition of pickled red onions and chipotle cream. 

Find a delicious beef burger recipe on My Recipes. 

1. Sesame and Pickled Carrot Salad

Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: 3 picked finely sliced carrots  (go all out with orange and purple carrots to really impress your guests), 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, a large handful of chopped cilantro, a small squeeze of fresh ginger (chop fresh ginger then squeeze in your fingers for about a teaspoon of juice) and some salt and pepper, for good measure! 

1. Pickled Cucumber Salad 

Similar to the idea above, you can also make an Asian-inspired spicy pickled cucumber salad. Simply pickle 1 cucumber and half a red onion, all sliced. Then combine with 1-2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger, and salt and pepper. Top with fresh cilantro and serve. 

Serve numbers 4 and 5 alongside any Asian stir fry or as a tasty salad topper. 

Chili Hack

If you are cooking for kids or want flavorsome dishes but just can’t hack the heat from the chilis, they are large enough to remove from this spice mix. Then, simply pick out the chilis and save for another pickling session.