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.
Rob Normand says
I buy the pre brined and season corned beef brisket, and that little packet they give you is pointless. I made this recipe, but ground it to powder and just added 1 TBS to the water my beef was cooking in. Seems like a lot of spice at first but it flavors everything really well without being overpowering. LOVE IT.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Rob, so glad you enjoyed it! I accidentally overground the last batch of spices that I made. I actually liked that better. I'm glad you also enjoyed it, thank you so much for the review! 🙂
Monica says
I made corned beef for the first time a few weeks ago as a trial run for St. Patrick's day and am making it again for tomorrow. The spice packet that comes with the corned beef is so small so I did a search for spices for corned beef. It is too late for me to make my own spice blend for tomorrow's corned beef as I don't have all the spices on hand and want to get it started first thing tomorrow morning in the slow cooker before I head to work. I can't wait to make this spice blend for my next try. It looks perfect!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Monica,
The recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare so it's not too late. Make a quick run to the store to get what you need, good luck!
Jamie says
I only used 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, and had to sub powdered coriander for the seeds, but this is the BEST recipe for corned beef I've found, and I've tried about 20 since the packet got so absurdly small.
This tasted like my moms' and it was excellent, especially on this wet and nasty night.
Thank You for posting this recipe, I love it, and will keep it!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jamie, What a sweet review, thank you! I'm so happy that you finally found a recipe that matched your mom's recipe. Enjoy!
Cheryl T says
This is my go-to recipe for corned beef spices!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much, Cheryl.I appreciate the feedback and the review!
Frank Nelson says
What size brisket will this recipe flavor & can you recommend an online site to purchase spices at reasonable prices? Thanks for the recipe.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Frank,
When I make this recipe, I use a tablespoon or so to season an average-sized brined corned beef brisket. Just enough to give it a decent coating on both sides. If you are purchasing an unseasoned/brined brisket, it will have to be brined first. You can follow this recipe for the brining recipe then boil the meat instead of smoking it. https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/smoked-pastrami-a-beginners-guide/
Sherry says
I had to alter the recipe to fit what I had in stock so I can't give it 5 stars yet. I had to substitute star anise for anise seeds and used ground mustard in place of mustard seed. It was still wonderful! I'm very curious to try it again with the proper ingredients.
Mike says
You gave it 4 stars because you didn't make it as intended? Ok
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Mike, I get comments like this a lot. It comes with being a food blogger, I guess.
Edmund J Goodrow says
I've been doing this for years and I have to say, your spot on. Good eye.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Ed, sounds like you also have a good eye! 🙂
Darlene L Lenard says
Do you add salt to this recipe for corned beef email ldloma382@gmail.com
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Darlene,
I usually use this to add more flavor to corned beef that's already salted. I haven't made corned beef from scratch yet, but plan to soon. I will be adding salt at that point. I hope that helps.
Katherine says
Your recipe looks excellent! How much of each spice did you use? Sometimes with seasonings I can go by the seat of my pants, but most often I need the exact quantity. Thank you
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for the comment and the review! The exact measurements are on the bottom of the page in the recipe card. Does that earn me 5 stars instead of 4? 😉
Darren Stevens says
Tasted authentic enough for me! Great job.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Darren, I really appreciate the review!
Rachell says
I was in a hurry to get this in the crockpot and didnt read directions...i used all ingredients to my recipe, hope this turns out..ugh
Reba says
Oh my! The corned beef is cooking right now and the spice packet smells SOOOO good! I can hardly wait, thanks so much Hilda. This is definitely NOT pickling spices. Much better!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Reba, enjoy!!