This homemade celery salt has a robust flavor and is the perfect seasoning to sprinkle on top of your favorite protein sources, add to soups, or add to your regular veggies.
This past summer I became enthralled with making my own spice blends. I was on a limited diet and had minimal spices that were allowed. So it only seemed natural to create my own from the safe foods on my list. I started with dehydrated leeks and leek powder. It was easy to do and I found myself using it in EVERYTHING.
Celery seemed like the next best option since celery salt was already a thing and I always had some in the refrigerator. But when I looked up how to make celery salt at home, it called for the leaves and seeds to be ground in with the dehydrated celery. I didn’t have any seeds on hand, so I went with what I had — the stalks and leaves.
I decided to try it with 2-3 stalks of celery at first, just in case it was a huge bust. So I washed and prepped the celery and then let it sit out to dry overnight, figuring it may help to cut out some of the in-oven time.
Next day, I preheated the oven to the lowest possible setting (mine gets down to about 170°F/80°C). I placed the celery on a silicone lined baking sheet and put it in the oven. It took about 6 hours for it to get to a good crunchy consistency with 2-3 stalks. (I have since done it with a whole bunch of celery and it took closer to 8 hours). Once it was out of the oven, I let the celery cool completely before moving on to the actual making of the celery salt.
The final step — and the one where I actually got to make the celery salt — was combining equal parts dehydrated celery and salt in a high speed blender or spice grinder and processing it until the celery pieces were quite small.
So easy and so delicious. And a great way to use up any leftover celery that you have sitting in the refrigerator.
Have you ever made your own dried herbs or spices? I’d love to know what your favorites are!
Homemade Celery Salt
Ingredients
- 2-3 large stalks of celery feel free to do more!
- salt amount depends on the amount of celery you end up with
Instructions
- Wash and chop 2-3 large stalks of celery. You can always do more (I’ve done the entire bunch), just depends on how much you want to make. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and pat dry. Let it sit overnight to help get rid of some of the water, otherwise it will take 8+ hours of oven time.
- The following day, preheat the oven to the lowest possible setting (mine gets down to about 175°F/80°C). Place celery on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 5-6 hours, until the celery is dry enough to crunch in your hand. It will shrink down significantly. Let celery cool completely before moving into the next step.
- To make celery salt: Combine equal parts dehydrated celery to salt (1/4 cup celery + 1/4 cup salt, 1 cup celery + 1 cup salt, etc) in a high speed blender or spice grinder and pulse until there are no large chunks remaining. Store in a lidded jar.
