What Are Celery seeds and How Can I Use Them?

Here's everything worth knowing about celery seeds and how to pick them, what they are, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 283 recipes to cook tonight.

What are celery seeds?

Celery seeds are the tiny tan-brown seeds of the celery plant, used as a spice rather than a vegetable. Each one is barely the size of a poppy seed, but the flavor is concentrated: the green, savory taste of a celery stalk dialed up, with a bitter, slightly peppery edge.

Botanically these are the dried fruit of wild celery, a close relative of the celery you eat in stalks. A little goes a long way, which is the single most important thing to know about them.

How to Use Celery Seeds

Celery seed lives in the brine. It is a backbone flavor in pickles, relishes, slaws, and coleslaw dressings, where its savory bitterness cuts through vinegar and sugar.

You will find it doing exactly that in Favourite Bread & Butter Pickles and a quick batch of Betty Carter's Refrigerator Pickles. In a Hot Dog Relish it is the note that tastes unmistakably "deli."

Beyond the jar, it seasons potato salad, dressings, tomato juice, and savory rubs. Ground and mixed with salt it becomes celery salt, the seasoning behind a Bloody Mary rim and a Chicago dog.

Toasting the whole seeds in a dry pan for a minute deepens their aroma before you grind or add them. Keep the heat moderate; these small seeds scorch and turn harsh quickly.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Celery seed pairs with vinegar, mustard, dill, onion, tomato, cabbage, and potato. It belongs in cool, tangy dishes more than rich ones, and it loves anything pickled or creamy-crunchy like a slaw.

The mistake almost everyone makes once is using too much.

Celery seed carries real bitterness, and a heaping spoon where the recipe meant a pinch turns a slaw medicinal and sour. Start with about a quarter teaspoon for a batch and taste up from there.

It is also not interchangeable with celery the vegetable. A teaspoon of seed cannot replace a cup of diced stalk in a mirepoix, since it brings the aroma but no bulk or crunch.

Substitutes

Celery salt is the natural stand-in, but it is mostly salt, so cut the other salt in the recipe when you swap it in. Use roughly a tablespoon of celery salt for a teaspoon of seed, then adjust seasoning.

Chopped celery leaves or a little diced stalk give the fresh green note in soups and stews, though without the concentrated punch.

Dill seed brings a similar savory-bitter quality to a pickle brine. In a pinch, a little ground lovage seed is the closest match of all, since lovage and celery taste almost the same.

Buying and Storing Celery Seeds

Buy whole seeds rather than pre-ground; whole spices keep their oils far longer, and you can grind or toast them as needed. They are sold cheaply in the spice aisle and a small jar lasts a long time given how little you use at once.

Store the jar somewhere cool and dark with the lid tight, away from the heat and steam of the stove. Whole celery seeds hold good flavor for about two to three years, longer than most ground spices.

Check potency by crushing a few between your fingers. If the smell is faint, the seeds are tired, so reach for a heavier hand or a fresh jar.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find celery seeds: Celery seeds are usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Celery seeds are a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

芹菜种子

British (UK) term

Celery seeds

en français

graines de céleri

en español

semillas de apio

How much do celery seeds weigh?

Related

Spices and Herbs

Recipes using celery seeds

There are 283 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Eggs Florentine Ham & Cheese Cups

These Eggs Florentine Cheese Cups are a satisfying, savory breakfast treat that combines the richness of cheddar and cottage cheese with the hearty flavors of spinach and ham. Freeze and reheat for a quick breakfast during the week.

Cornish Hens & Plums on Baby Spinach

Grilled Cornish hens with a honey-cumin plum rub tucked under the skin, served on baby spinach with grilled plums and balsamic vinaigrette. A showstopping summer grill dinner.

Favourite Pot Luck Sweet & Sour Slaw

A great little salad is perfect to be aside with grilled sausages.

Betty Carter's Refrigerator Pickles

Betty Carter's refrigerator pickles use a no-cook cold brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed, and turmeric. Five days in the fridge and they're ready. Last a year in the jar.

Baked Potato Salad

Hot potato salad layered with a tangy mustard-vinegar sauce, green peppers, carrots, and melted cheese. A warm, vegetarian twist on classic potato salad.

Chunky Pickles

Chunky pickles brine cucumbers overnight, cook in vinegar, then steep in a brown sugar pickling syrup with cinnamon, allspice, mustard, and celery seeds. Sweet old-fashioned bread-and-butter style.

Broccoli Mushroom Bulgur Salad

A Broccoli Mushroom Bulgur Salad with a hint of sweet and sour essence is a delightful and healthy dish that combines the earthy flavors of broccoli and mushrooms with the nutty taste of bulgur. The salad is then elevated with a tantalizing sweet and sour dressing that adds a burst of flavor to every bite.

Crispy Cabbage Slaw

Very crispy like the name, celery seeds worked deliciously well in the coleslaw, and it tasted very refreshing with a bit sweetness and sourness. A great side dish with many main courses.

Loaded Spicy Chili with Italian Sausage & Ground Beef

Loaded chili built on three meats, ground beef, hot Italian sausage, and smoked sausage, with kidney beans, a layered hit of serrano and habanero heat, and a splash of red wine. Thickened with cornmeal and tastes even better the next day.

Bonnie's Potato Salad

Use any your favorite salad dressing to make this potato salad. We love creamy dressing or sweet-sour dressing the best. You can enjoy this delicious salad right after it's made, or let chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.

Buttermilk Herbed Coleslaw

Say goodbye to soggy slaw with this crisp buttermilk herbed coleslaw recipe. A light, creamy buttermilk dressing pairs with fresh chives and parsley for a bright, flavorful side dish perfect with BBQ!

Marvellous Marinated Coleslaw

I used roasted bell pepper instead of pimento, which worked perfectly well. Roasted bell pepper added delicious smokiness to the coleslaw, and it was very easy to put together. Refreshing and quite tasty.

German Potato Salad

German potato salad in a warm, tangy dressing of broth, white wine vinegar, mustard and a touch of sour cream, poured over still-warm sliced potatoes so they soak up every bit. Served at room temperature with fresh dill.

Memphis Chopped Coleslaw

A sweeter Memphis slaw featuring bold southern flavors so it can stand up to full flavor barbecue classics such as pulled pork or Memphis ribs.

Grandma's Potato Salad

This classic potato salad has been a family favorite for generations!

Red & Green Coleslaw

Crunchy and refreshing, the coleslaw was slightly sweet and sour. Loved the dried cranberries in it, I also added one peeled and chopped green apple, our guests really enjoyed it, and gave rave reviews. Another delicious coleslaw is perfect for summer BBQs.

Cabbage-Apple Slaw

Made this recipe with low-fat sour cream and a bit mayonnaise, deliciously creamy, and loved the fruitiness from the apples. This coleslaw is delicious at many ways, topping for burgers, sandwiches, even hot dogs, pulled pork...

S & W Kick-Off Chili

Delicious chili made with succulent beef, sausage, tomatoes and kidney beans. Great served by itself or with a bread bowl!

14-Day Sweet Pickles

Old-fashioned 14-day sweet pickles canned at home. A traditional brine-and-syrup method that builds crisp sweet-tart [cucumbers](/recipes/cucumber) over two weeks, finished with celery seed and pickling spice.

Southern Coleslaw

Creamy Southern coleslaw with buttermilk ranch dressing, apple cider vinegar, celery seeds, and whole mustard seeds. Make it ahead and let it marinate overnight for the best flavor.

Italian Dressing Mix

Skip store-bought packets and make your own Italian dressing mix that will keep in the pantry for up to a year.

Caribou Meat Pie

A delicious meat pie is great at Christmas. Feel free to use ground beef, pork, lamb or a combination of different meats. Make a few of these meat pies a few weeks in advance, then freeze them in the freezer. Reheat it in the oven directly out of the freezer just before serving.

Hanz's Swiss-German Bratwurst Sausage

Hanz's Swiss-German bratwurst: a homemade pork and veal sausage seasoned with white wine and freshly ground spices, double-ground for a fine texture and stuffed into hog casings. An old family recipe.

Apple-Lovage Chutney

Apple-lovage chutney pairs autumn apples with fresh lovage, ginger, mustard seed, and golden raisins, then water-bath cans for shelf-stable jars. A garden-to-pantry preserve with a celery-bright herbal twist.

Crab (Imitation) Salad

Imitation crab salad just like the deli case: flaked surimi tossed with celery, a light mayo and sour cream dressing, Old Bay, and celery seed. A cool, creamy seafood salad for sandwiches, crackers, or a bed of greens.

Easy Sweet-Sour Cucumber Pickles

Bought a small bag of mini cucumbers, made this pickle recipe, and it was sweet, a bit sour and crunchy. Delicious with most of the meals.

Sweet Gherkin Pickles

Sweet gherkin pickles: classic four-day pickling process for whole baby cucumbers with sugar, vinegar, turmeric, and pickling spices. Crunchy sweet-tart canned pickles for the pantry.

Peameal Bacon - Canadian Pickled Pork Bacon - Back bacon

This is an easy to make version of real homemade Canadian Bacon. Also known as peameal bacon in Canada. Works wonderfully for peameal on a bun.

Sweet Gherkins

Sweet gherkin pickles made the old-fashioned way with a four-day brine and gradual sugar buildup. Crisp, spiced cucumber pickles preserved with cinnamon, allspice, mustard, and clove for the pantry shelf.

Lamb & Spinach Pocket Sandwiches

Lamb and spinach pita sandwiches with stuffed lamb patties, hard-boiled egg, olives, cucumber, and a yogurt-bacon-sunflower seed sauce. A creative Mediterranean-style pocket sandwich.

Finger Lickin' Pickens' Sauce

Here's a homemade steak sauce that will have you licking your plate. Do that when the children aren't looking!

Tomatoes Stuffed with Corn Slaw

Ripe tomatoes hollowed out and stuffed with a crunchy corn and cabbage slaw dressed in balsamic vinegar and tofu mayo. Low-fat, no-cook, and ready in 15 minutes for your next summer cookout.

Shrimp, Chicken, Bacon & Broccoli Soup

Chicken, shrimp and bacon with in a flavorful stock with broccoli and tarragon.

Turkey Stuffing Bread

A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.

Turkey Stuffing Bread

A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.

Turkey Stuffing Bread

A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.

Spicy Rainbow Slaw

No-mayo rainbow coleslaw with cabbage, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and red onion in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing spiced with turmeric, cayenne, and warm spices.

Roast Pork in Cumin Sauce

Roasted pork gets bathed in an exotic cumin-spiced sauce loaded with dates, pine nuts, and aromatic spices, creating a historical Roman-inspired dish that brings ancient flavors to modern tables.

Onion Soup Provencal

Onion soup Provencal with 8 pounds of slowly caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes, red wine, herbs, and barley miso for umami depth. Topped with croutons and Emmentaler cheese.

Love 'Em & Leaf 'Em

Honey-mustard mayo salad dressing with lemon juice, half-and-half, and fresh parsley. Versatile creamy dressing for green salads with endless mix-in possibilities.

Charlie's Pickled Shrimp

Pickled shrimp marinated overnight in vinegar, olive oil, capers, jalapenos, and celery seed. A Southern-style make-ahead appetizer boiled with crab boil seasoning.

Black Bean Soup Spanish Style

Spanish-style black bean soup simmered with bay leaves, celery seed, chili powder, and dry mustard. Half-pureed for thick, creamy texture, topped with sour cream and sliced egg.

Fillet of Sole Over Celery

Microwave fillet of sole over celery with green peppercorns, lemon and celery seed. Fast 10-minute single-serving fish dinner with delicate French flavors.

Everything You Ever Wanted on a Bagel... But Were Afraid To

The everything bagel sandwich loaded with corned beef, liverwurst, Monterey Jack, and a tangy dill-pickle slaw. Open-faced deli-counter overload that tastes like a New York lunch.

Leona's Sweet Dill

Sweet dill pickles made by transforming store-bought dills with sugar, vinegar, garlic, onion, celery seed, and mustard seed. No canning needed, ready in 5 days.

Coleslaw (T)

Pineapple coleslaw with crushed pineapple, lime, celery seed, and Miracle Whip. The sweet-tart Hawaiian-style slaw that goes with pulled pork, fish tacos, or BBQ ribs.

Coleslaw (Carter Family Favorites)

Carter family coleslaw shreds fresh green cabbage, crisp apples, celery, and carrots, then dresses them with mayo and celery seed. The salt-water soak is the secret. Old-school Southern fish-fry slaw with a little Appalachian wisdom.

Smoked Short Ribs

Smoked beef short ribs slow-cooked over mesquite or hickory with a red wine and tomato barbecue sauce. Bone-side down for 2 hours of real charcoal smoke flavor.

Scandinavian Style Hamburgers

Scandinavian-style grilled hamburgers with dill vinegar marinade, marinated onions, and celery seed on warm rye bread. Double-stacked thin patties for a Nordic twist on burgers.

Chicken Ya-Hah

Chicken Ya-Hah simmers chicken breast with jalapenos, water chestnuts, Szechwan chili sauce, curry, cumin, and red wine in tomato sauce. A spicy fusion stew over cornbread or rice.

All 283 recipes