Celery Seed Uses: Slaw, Pickles, Bloody Marys, Rubs and Chowder

Celery seed tastes like celery, only much stronger,¹ and it brings that flavor without the stringy, fibrous texture of the stalk.² It is also slightly bitter,¹ which is why recipes use it by the half teaspoon. Its natural homes are cold, tangy dishes: slaw, pickles, potato and macaroni salads, and tomato drinks. This page covers where to use it; for what it is, see celery seeds.

At a glance

Amounts are Attributed to those recipes. McCormick’s advice on its whole seed is that the pungent, somewhat bitter flavor goes a long way, so start with a pinch.¹²

Two notes before you cook

It holds up to heat. Katzer calls the seeds heat-resistant,¹ so they can go in at the start of a chowder or braise as well as into cold dressings.

Whole or ground. The seeds are tiny and can be used whole, but grinding spreads the flavor through a dressing or rub; Katzer notes that they can be ground and mixed with salt, which makes small doses easier to measure.¹ Pre-ground seed is sold too; Spices, Inc. describes its flavor as hay-like, grassy and slightly bitter.⁸

Coleslaw and creamy salads

Celery seed’s best-known use is in slaw. Saveur’s German coleslaw whisks 1/2 teaspoon of celery seeds and 1 teaspoon of dry mustard into 1/3 cup of distilled vinegar, then dissolves 1/3 cup of sugar and streams in 1/2 cup of oil, for 8 cups of shredded cabbage and carrot.³ The Spice House treats coleslaw as a standard celery seed dish, suggesting caraway as a stand-in there.²

Spices, Inc. calls celery seed a must-have in deviled eggs and macaroni salad.¹³ The same pinch works in potato salad and in creamy dressings such as ranch (our suggestion; no source here gives an amount).

Pickles

The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s bread-and-butter pickles use 1 1/2 tablespoons of celery seed with 2 tablespoons of mustard seed and 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric, boiled in the vinegar and sugar syrup, for about 8 pints.⁴ That tested recipe is a good model; for canned pickles, follow a tested recipe rather than improvising the brine (common food-safety practice). For quick refrigerator pickles of radishes, onions or cucumbers, a pinch of celery seed in the brine is common practice. See mustard seed uses for the other seed in that jar, and pickling spice.

Soups, chowders and cooked vegetables

Katzer calls celery seed a great addition to cooked vegetables.¹ In soups it reinforces fresh celery: John Fink’s New England clam chowder uses a teaspoon of celery seed alongside fresh celery.⁵ See clam chowder spices. Tomato soups and sauces take it too: Spices, Inc. lists tomato juices and sauces among its uses.⁸

The Spice House’s substitution figure, 2 tablespoons of minced celery tops for every 1/2 teaspoon of celery seed,² gives a sense of how concentrated the seed is.

Bloody Marys and tomato drinks

The International Bartenders Association’s official Bloody Mary lists celery salt among its seasonings, to taste.⁷ Spices, Inc. names ground celery seed for Bloody Marys and tomato juices.⁸ Using ground seed instead of celery salt lets you season the drink without adding salt; a celery salt rim is the usual garnish alternative (our suggestions). See celery seed vs. celery salt.

Celery salt and hot dogs

Celery salt is simply ground celery seed and salt: McCormick’s label lists “Salt & Celery Seed.”¹⁴ A Couple Cooks makes its own at 1 1/2 parts ground seed to 1 part kosher salt, and notes that purchased blends run between 1:1 and 2:1.⁶ Mind the salt: McCormick’s celery salt carries 270 mg of sodium per 1/4-teaspoon serving on its label,¹⁴ against an FDA Daily Value of less than 2,300 mg a day.¹⁵

Celery salt is the finishing seasoning on NPR’s Chicago-style hot dog with “the works.”¹⁶ See hot dog spices and celery salt.

Rubs and spice blends

Celery seed turns up in many commercial blends. USDA’s purchasing specification for barbecue seasoning includes celery seed with coriander, peppers, paprika, salt, onion, garlic, brown sugar and cumin;⁹ McCormick’s Cajun seasoning lists it with paprika, red pepper, thyme and black pepper;¹⁰ and Old Bay’s label lists celery salt first.¹¹ In a homemade rub, grind it first so it spreads evenly (common practice). See BBQ spices, Cajun seasoning and Old Bay seasoning.

Two less familiar uses: Katzer reports celery seed as an occasional curry powder ingredient, and as a working stand-in for radhuni, the Bengali seed used in some versions of panch phoron.¹ See panch phoran.

Baking

Celery seed in rolls, rye breads and savory crackers is a common home use, though no source checked here gives a recipe (our suggestion).

Celery seed is not lovage

A common claim says celery seed comes from “wild celery”, also called lovage. Celery seed is the fruit of celery, Apium graveolens,¹³¹⁷ and lovage is a different plant, the only member of the genus Levisticum.¹⁸ Lovage has a sweet, celery-like flavor of its own;¹⁸ see lovage.

Allergy note

Celery is one of the allergens EU food labels must declare.¹⁹ It is not among the nine major food allergens under US law.²⁰ Celery seed and celery salt hide in many blends, so check labels when cooking for someone with a celery allergy.

Not yet measured

• A tested per-serving amount for general use; the amounts above are single recipes.
• How quickly ground celery seed loses flavor compared with whole.
• Sodium in celery salt brands other than McCormick.

Related

• Celery seeds and celery seed substitutes
• Celery seed vs. celery salt and celery seed vs. celery powder
• Celery salt, celery powder and celery leaves
• Mustard seed uses and mustard powder uses