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 You'll Love This Recipe
- 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.
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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 everything but the bagel seasoning, 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
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.
Lisa says
So good! I used star anise because I didn’t have anise seeds. Just cut it in half.
I also put it in cheesecloth, because I don’t like the loose spices, but that just my preference. It was the best corned beef we’ve ever had.
Hilda Sterner says
I love the idea of using cheesecloth, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Kelly Methey says
This spice recipe is the best! It’s so much better than those tiny little packets that come with a corned beef. Your recipe adds so much more flavor! I highly recommend it!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, kelly! I couldn't agree more. 😉
Bill says
Coriander or coriander seeds?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your question, you'll need coriander seeds. I'm not sure if you looked at the post itself because I explain what you need under ingredients and substitutions and also include detailed pics of the recipe. However, I will update the recipe card to reflect the same. Thank you for pointing that out and have a great day!
Tom Stevens says
This is by far, the best corned beef seasoning I've ever tried! Will be bookmarking this one. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Tom,
Thank you for the review, enjoy!
Genevieve Persgard says
Some of the confusion for a few of us comes from the fact that when we think of "anise", we think of something different than fennel seed. But if you watch the video, it becomes clear. Anise seed = fennel. Much easier to find, and definitely much easier than trying to crack our stars for seeds! Thank you for the recipe; I only took a star off for the confusion of the directions. If it had let me only take a half, I would have.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Genevieve, Actually fennel and anise are two different plants with similar seeds. See this link on Master Class for more info: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fennel-vs-anise-guide. They can easily be purchased at most grocery stores and on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3HgFCWF
Jan Kennedy says
I made this St. Patrick’s day exactly to the recipe with one omission- the hot chili flakes- and it was truly amazing! My husband walked in after only 5 or 10 minutes of it simmering and exclaimed how good it smelled already. Coming from an Irish American family and 75+ years of corned beef, that was a huge compliment. I used the entire amount in for a 3 lb brisket . Will do that again. Thanks Hilda!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jan,
Wow, that is a compliment and I will take it! Thank you for your review. It is appreciated! 🙂
Patrick says
I forgot to rate my review! Definitely 5 Stars
Patrick Clancy says
Hi Hilda.
I made up your spice recipe for my first ever Corned Beef. The pre packed Brisket Joints with spice sachets, aren’t available here in the UK (if they are, I’ve never seen them) so I searched the internet and found your page.
It was the perfect blend and for a first time Corned Beef maker, it turned out and tasted great.
Thank you
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much, Patrick! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I just love hearing that. Take care!
Linda says
Such a perfect amount of seasoning spices that are well balanced. I added a wee bit of fennel and allspice as well. They smell divine. Tomorrow's corned beef will be fabulous because of this well thought out list. I appreciate it--thanks so much!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Linda, I'm looking forward to tomorrows corned beef too. Happy St. Patrick's day & thank you for the review!
Kathryn Gagné says
Thank you Hilda for following your curiosity and taking the time to figure the mix out. Like so many other pre-made things (i.e.. spaghetti sauce, mayo) I used up until my 40's I thought it was some great mystery or too expensive/difficult/complex to make. The amount of money I have saved over the past decade is amazing. Not to mention the awakening to true flavors, less salt & sugar and better health. -Kathryn in Quebec
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kathryn, I couldn't agree more! I consider it a challenge to deconstruct store-bought products and make my own, cheaper and usually better versions. Thank you for your review!