Homemade Celery Salt With Celery Leaves

Homemade Celery Salt from Celery Leaves

Did you know you can turn dried celery leaves into your own homemade celery salt? It’s one of my favorite ways to use more of our garden harvest, and it’s surprisingly easy to make.

I first learned to make homemade celery salt specifically for my homemade potato salad. At the time, I made just enough for that recipe, grinding the dried celery leaves and salt together with a mortar and pestle.

These days, I make bigger batches in my food processor and keep a jar in the pantry. It’s such a handy seasoning to have on hand, and I’ve found plenty of uses for it beyond potato salad.

If you grow your own celery, this is a great way to put those flavorful leaves to work!

Homemade Celery Salt With Celery Leaves | Roots & Boots

Why You’ll Love Homemade Celery Salt

Uses more of your harvest. Instead of tossing the celery leaves, turn them into a pantry staple.
Just two ingredients. All you need are dried celery leaves and good-quality salt.
Easy to make in batches. A small food processor or spice grinder makes quick work of a larger batch.
Versatile. Use it to season salads, vegetables, soups, meats, and more.
Makes a practical homemade gift. Package it in a small glass spice jar to share with friends and family.

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What’s the Difference Between Celery Salt and Celery Seed?

Traditional celery salt is made by combining ground celery seeds with salt. My homemade version uses dried celery leaves instead.

Celery leaves have a fresh, herbal celery flavor that works especially well in savory dishes. And if you’re already growing celery in your garden, using the leaves just makes sense.

Because this version contains more dried celery leaves than salt, it’s also less salty than many store-bought celery salts. Keep that in mind when substituting it in recipes, and adjust your seasonings to taste.

Ingredients for Homemade Celery Salt

You need just two ingredients:

Dried celery leaves: Save the leafy tops from your homegrown celery. They should be thoroughly dried before grinding. Here’s how to dry your own herbs in a dehydrator.
Unrefined sea salt: I use Redmond Real Salt. It’s my favorite salt for cooking, preserving, and everyday seasoning. Use code KEEPITREAL to save 15%.

The ratio is easy to remember: four parts dried celery leaves to one part salt.

For example, combine one cup of dried celery leaves with ¼ cup of salt.

You can scale this recipe up or down depending on how many celery leaves you have available.

How to Make Homemade Celery Salt

Making homemade celery salt couldn’t be much easier.

Dry the celery leaves. Make sure they’re completely dry and crisp before grinding.
Combine with salt. Use four parts dried celery leaves to one part unrefined sea salt.
Grind until fine. Use a spice grinder or small food processor to grind the celery leaves and salt together until you reach your desired consistency.
Transfer to a jar. Store your finished celery salt in a clean, dry, labeled glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

For a small batch, you can also grind the leaves and salt together with a mortar and pestle. That’s how I originally made celery salt when I needed just enough for a single batch of potato salad.

These days, I prefer to make larger batches with my food processor so I always have some ready to use.

How to Use Homemade Celery Salt

My original reason for making celery salt was my homemade potato salad, but I’ve since discovered that it’s useful in all kinds of savory dishes.

Here are a few ways to put your homemade celery salt to work:

Potato salad: The recipe that started it all! Homemade celery salt adds wonderful savory flavor to my Best Paleo Classic Potato Salad.
Coleslaw: Add a pinch to the dressing for my Creamy Paleo Broccoli Slaw or Honey-Sweetened Apple Slaw.
Roasted potatoes: Try it in place of your usual seasoning for these Savory Oven Roasted Potato Wedges.
Roasted vegetables: Sprinkle over carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or other garden vegetables. Here’s my basic method for Roasted Veggies.
Homemade soups: Add a pinch to Quick and Easy Tomato Basil Soup or Chicken Taco Soup Starter. You’ll find even more ideas in my Nourishing Soups ebook.
Homemade broth: Use a pinch to season finished Chicken Back Bone Broth, especially if you’re enjoying it by the mug.
Burgers and meatloaf: Try it in place of regular salt in Perfect Grass-Fed Beef Burgers or Savory Gluten-Free Meatballs.
Chicken and pork: Combine with garlic, paprika, and other spices to season Two Whole Roasted Chickens or Slow-Smoked Pastured Pork.
Homemade salad dressings: Add a pinch to Homemade Ranch Dressing for an extra layer of savory flavor.
Tomato-based dishes: Try it in Quick and Easy Tomato Basil Soup, Hearty Paleo Chili, or other savory tomato recipes.

Remember that celery salt is still a salt-based seasoning, so you may want to reduce the amount of additional salt in your recipe.

How to Store Homemade Celery Salt

A few tips to keep your celery salt in optimal condition:

Store homemade celery salt in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dry pantry, away from heat and direct sunlight.
The most important thing is to make sure your celery leaves are completely dry before grinding and storing. Any remaining moisture can cause clumping or spoilage.
For the best flavor, use within about a year. Like other dried herbs, the celery leaves will gradually lose their flavor over time.
I like to label my jars with the contents and the date, especially when I’m making multiple batches of homemade seasonings throughout the growing season.

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Homemade Celery Salt Makes a Great Gift

Homemade seasonings are some of my favorite edible gifts, especially when the ingredients come straight from our garden.

Transfer your homemade celery salt to a small glass spice jar, add a label, and you’ve got a practical gift for someone who enjoys cooking. It would also make a great addition to a homemade gift basket alongside other pantry staples, dried herbs, or homemade mixes.

For more ideas, check out my Edible Gifts ebook.

Grow Your Own Celery for Homemade Celery Salt

One of the best things about growing your own food is discovering ways to use parts of the harvest you might otherwise overlook. Celery leaves are a perfect example.

When I harvest celery, I use the stalks for cooking and divide the leaves between two purposes. Some I dry for homemade celery salt, and many others I freeze raw for making broth throughout the year. There’s no need to blanch them first!

Those frozen leaves add wonderful flavor to homemade broth, especially my Chicken Back Bone Broth. It’s one more way to make the most of every celery harvest.

If you’d like to grow your own, celery is one of the vegetables I recommend in my guide to the 12 Best Veggies for Your Spring Garden.

And if you’re new to preserving herbs, here’s my tutorial on how to dry your own herbs in a dehydrator.

It’s one more way to make the most of what you grow, waste a little less, and stock your pantry with ingredients you’ve prepared yourself.

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