This corned beef spices recipe will come in handy the next time you are cooking corned beef and find that it's missing a spice packet. Corned beef seasoning can also be used to make the BEST pastrami!
If you've come here to learn how to make spices for corned beef and cabbage, welcome! My corned beef spice mix includes coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and other herbs and spices to add amazing flavor to your tender corned beef brisket and so many other dishes!
Or maybe like me, you just want to add more corned beef seasoning to your brisket than the tiny little corned beef spice packet that's included with your roast. I mean really, why is that packet so tiny? What part of the brisket are you supposed to season with it?!
Either way, you'll want to keep this recipe handy the next time you make an Instant pot corned beef or run out of pickling spices, yes, it's good for that too!
So, whether you cook your corned beef in a Dutch oven with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, or smoking a smoked corned beef brisket on your pellet grill, be sure to use my corned beef seasoning mix to make it extra delectable!
Jump to:
🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- Making your own corned beef seasoning couldn't be simpler, so why would you use that tiny spice packet included with your roast?
- When you make your own corned beef spice blend, you can use as much of it as you want and the flavor is fantastic!
- The spice mix can be prepared ahead of time so you always have it on hand when you need it.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coriander Seeds: Be sure to use coriander seeds and not coriander powder.
- Peppercorns: Peppercorns come in various colors, I used black peppercorns.
- Mustard Seeds: You'll need mustard seeds, don't substitute mustard powder.
- Anise Seeds: Anise can be bought whole in the form of star anise or as anise seeds. For this recipe, you'll need anise seeds. Don't confuse anise seeds with fennel seeds. Fennel seeds are larger and taste more savory and earthy, while anise seeds are tiny and have a sweet taste similar to licorice.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Crushed red pepper adds a little spice to the mix. It can be left out if you prefer mild flavors.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves come crushed and whole. I used whole leaves and ground them in my spice mill with the other spices. If you decide to use crushed bay leaves, just add them to the ground spices.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔪 Helpful Tools
- cast-iron skillet
- spice grinder or a small food processor
- spice jar
- funnel
🧂How To Make Corned Beef Seasoning
Step 1: Toast coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and anise seeds in a hot cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
Step 2: Add bay leaves and red pepper flakes during the last 30 seconds. You basically want to wake up their flavors.
Pro Tip: Keep a close eye on the spices because they can easily burn.
Step 3: Pour the contents of the pan into a spice mill, coffee grinder, or a Ninja blender. Pulse a few times, just enough to release the flavors.
Pro Tip: Don't over-blend the spices into a powder. You should still be able to distinguish between the various ingredients.
Step 4: Store the corned beef seasoning in an airtight container until needed. Use as much of the spice mix as you'd like to season your corned beef prior to cooking.
Corned Beef Spices
Besides the spices listed in the recipe, there are other spices that you can add to your corned beef seasoning if you're feeling a little adventurous. Any of the following spices would go great in a corned beef spice mix:
- whole cloves
- allspice berries
- cardamom pods
- cinnamon stick
- fennel seeds
- juniper berries
- mace
If you do decide to add the spices mentioned above, I would caution you to go easy at first. This is one of those cases where less is more.
These spices all have intense flavors, so start off with small amounts and adjust the quantity if necessary. I would start with no more than a ¼ teaspoon of each.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Corned beef seasoning is made of a mixture of spices including crushed bay leaf, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and anise seeds.
You can easily make your own corned beef spice packet by combining any of the following spices: black peppercorns, crushed bay leaves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dill seed, cloves, and crushed red pepper flakes.
If you don’t have all these spices, you can also use pickling spices which already has most of these spices already!
Most store-bough corned beef comes either pre-seasoned or with a tiny spice packet. If it comes pre-seasoned, you don’t need to add anything else to the water.
When a spice packet is included, use it to either season the corned beef or sprinkle it into the cooking liquid. If your corned beef did not come with a spice packet, you can make your own or add pickling spices which contain many of the same ingredients used in corned beef seasoning.
If you don’t rinse corned beef before you cook it, it will taste very salty due to the salty brine used to “corn” the brisket. For this reason, it’s better to rinse the corned beef with cold water before cooking it. This will result in a less salty and a much tastier corned beef brisket.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- This recipe makes enough corned beef seasoning to fill a regular-sized spice jar. You will not use the entire amount to season your corned beef recipe.
- Store leftover corned beef spices in an air-tight spice jar.
- If you decide to make extra corned beef seasoning, you can freeze what you don't plan on using right away.
- If you prefer milder recipes, you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes, or leave it out entirely.
- If you don't have the spices mentioned above, you can use pickling spices to season your corned beef brisket.
🍋 Related Recipes
If you enjoy making your own spices and seasonings, you may be interested in learning how to make your own biryani spice, pork rub, and shawarma spice recipe.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe
Corned Beef Spice Packet Seasoning
Equipment
- 1 Cast-iron Skillet
- 1 spice mill
- 1 funnel
- 1 spice jar
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 4 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Toast coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and anise seeds in a hot cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Add bay leaves and red pepper flakes during the last 30 seconds. You basically want to wake up their flavors.
- Pour the contents of the pan into a spice mill, coffee grinder, or a Ninja blender. Pulse a few times, just enough to release the flavors.
- Store the corned beef seasoning in an airtight container until needed. Use as much of the spice mix as you'd like to season your corned beef prior to cooking.
Notes
-
- Be extra careful not to burn the spices!
- Don't over-blend the spices into a powder. You should still be able to distinguish between the various ingredients.
- This recipe makes enough corned beef seasoning to fill a regular-sized spice jar. You will not use the entire amount to season your corned beef recipe.
- Store leftover corned beef spices in an air-tight spice jar.
- If you decide to make extra corned beef seasoning, you can freeze what you don't plan on using right away.
- If you prefer milder recipes, you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes, or leave it out entirely.
- If you don't have the spices mentioned above, you can use pickling spices to season your corned beef brisket.
Amber Lane says
Awesome flavor in my corned beef. The allspice was an extra. Yummy yummy
Heidi says
How many ounces are in a spice packet?
Hilda Sterner says
I've never weighed the spice packet, but I weighed an approximate amount of my corned beef spices and it weighed 1/2 an ounce. It might be even less. This is why I make my own and am generous with it.
Heidi says
Thank you! So more spice is better - this is my first time making corned beef and would like my family to love it. 😉
Ray says
Excellent prep notes, releasing the herb oils is
essential !
Ed Steenhorst says
Hi, can I use a mortar and pestle instead of an electric grinder?
TIA
Hilda Sterner says
Definitely!
Brenda Randall says
This is great -especially if the corned beef you find is not seasoned ! you can make your own and brine for a couple days ahead or you can grind these into a powder and rub the brisket down and let soak in a day ahead if possible then cook as needed- in pressure cooker in beef broth.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you Brenda, I really appreciate your review. Enjoy & Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️
Rob says
Great recipe. I like to take my corned beef a step farther after boiling by slathering with honey mustard and broiling till a nice crust develops....yum!
Hilda Sterner says
That actually sounds amazing! I'm going to have to give that a try!
Jan says
We spread a real maple syrup and prepared mustard mix on top and caramelize it under a carefully watched broiler setting. Same idea. Definitely the best part of the meal!
Spice recipe sounds great. Making it now!
Hilda Sterner says
That sounds amazing! I hope you the spices take it over the top!
Jan says
Can you use star anise pods chopped up rather than anise seeds? I have pods left from Christmas apple cider but no seeds. The chopped anise is smelling very strong and I wonder if the seeds are a much more mild flavor. One pod is making 1 teaspoon chopped.
Hilda Sterner says
I wouldn't do since star anise has such a hard outer shell. I'd just leave it out.
Gloria says
Can I also use dill seasoning or dill pickle juice with the packet?
Hilda Sterner says
Although I've never tried it, I imagine dill would go great with any corned beef recipe. I'd love to hear how it goes!
Patty Hickman says
Can the packet of spices be used for anything other than pickling or the corned beef?
HildaSterner says
Hi Patty,
Yes, I've used it to pickle vegetables before and they came out great.
Liya says
I came across Hilda’s blog while browsing for a great corned beef recipe. I have always wanted to make homemade corned beef but never had the time coz work has been so demandingly busy ( always a great excuse). After moving to a new home last Christmas, I have discovered that I have a slow cooker that has been sitting in the garage for a long time. I have decided to make corned beef and tried the spice recipe of Hilda and oh my gosh!!!!! It was the best home made corned beef I ever had. My husband liked it so much that he even asked me to make it again. Thanks again Hilda for sharing your recipe.
HildaSterner says
Hi Liya,
Thank you so much for coming back and rating/reviewing the recipe. I really appreciate it and I'm glad that both you and your husband like the recipe so much. See you on Instagram! 🤗
Jennifer says
I'm making a corned beef today and I measured the spice packet. 1/2 tbsp. I like a bit more spiciness to my beef, so I always added a few extra peppercorns and whole cloves to it. This recipe sounds great. A side note: if you don't want to purchase the ingredients separately, Ball (the canning people) makes a pickling spice that's identical to the packet. I found it in the canning section at Walmart.
HildaSterner says
Thanks, Jennifer! I hope you enjoy your corned beef. Which reminds me that I still have one somewhere deep in my freezer. I might have to dig it up today. Take care and stay safe!