Made with simple ingredients and incredibly easy to make at home, salt and pepper seasoning is a spice mix that brings amazing flavor to your favorite dishes.
Let’s find out how to make this traditional Chinese spice blend that has become a huge hit on the British takeaway scene.
Products you need for this recipe
- Spice jars – these individual spice storage containers will keep your spices fresh for longer
- Storage container – if you want to make a large batch, you’ll need to storage it in an airtight storage container
What is salt pepper seasoning?
It’s a fantastic spice mix that brings a whole load of flavor to your favorite takeaway dishes. Popular across the whole of England, most notably Liverpool where salt and pepper chips came into fame, as well as Scotland, it has been used in takeaway dishes since the 1960s.
You’d be mistaken for thinking it was just some salt and pepper thrown together. I mean, what’s so special about that?
Trust me though, this stuff is amazing! It’s made up of salt, chilli flakes, pepper and a selection of other spices and the result is delicious. Use it once and you’ll cook with it all the time.
No more unhealthy takeaways! Make your own homemade dishes that taste delicious and are much healthier.
What ingredients are in salt pepper seasoning?
There are a few variations to salt and pepper seasoning, but at its most traditional it contains sea salt, ground white pepper, Chinese five spice, crushed chilli flakes, garlic powder, ground ginger and caster sugar.
These simple ingredients are an enticing blend of sweet, spicy and savory. The flavour combination is absolutely amazing when paired with traditional Chinese takeaway dishes like crispy chicken, prawns or spring rolls.
Another thing – my tasty homemade recipe doesn’t contain MSG, unlike the stuff you’ll find in the shops.
What is Chinese five spice?
It’s a wonderful spice blend that contains cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds.
Earthy, warm, toasty and slightly sweet with a mild spiciness, Chinese five spice works wonders when used in small amounts to bring big flavours.
Chinese five spice was originally used as a medicine. The Chinese believed that it could be used to balance yin and yang, with each of the five spices playing a key role in balancing the cool yin with the heat of the yang.
It was soon integrated into Chinese cuisine and also spread to Taiwanese and Vietnamese cuisines.
How do you make salt and pepper blend?
It’s so simple. You just gather the ingredients, mix them together and place them in an airtight container. That’s it!
What diets is this seasoning suitable for?
It’s suitable for most diets, including gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and keto.
How do you store salt pepper seasoning?
You can store it in a spice storage container. You can also make a larger batch (just double or triple the measurements below) and store it in a larger air tight container.
How long does it last?
As long as your spice ingredients are relatively fresh and you store your spice mix in an airtight container, it will last for up to a year.
Variations on this recipe
If you want a little extra heat, try adding a teaspoon of chilli powder into the mix. You can also use one of these chilli powder substitutes.
If you want to bring an extra earthiness to the mix, swap the white pepper for Aleppo pepper. Again, you can also use one of these Aleppo pepper substitutes.
How to use salt pepper seasoning
There are so many ways to use this wonderful seasoning. Fry some crispy chicken, prawns, onions, peppers or any fresh fish with a sprinkle of this spicy mix and you’ll have a wonderful dish.
You can oven bake chicken wings marinated in this chilli spiced mix for an excellent party snack food.
This spice mix recipe can also be used to season soups, sauces and stews. For me, when it comes to the best recipe, two stand out way above the rest.
Salt and pepper spring rolls
Simply cook the spring rolls first according to package instructions. Lace with this spice blend and you're good to go. Click on this salt and pepper spring rolls recipe!
Salt and pepper chips
A hugely popular takeaway dish in the UK, particularly Liverpool, where it was first served. The spicy seasoning powder is added to onions, peppers and cooked chips for a tasty takeaway dish.
Check out my homemade salt and pepper chips recipe!
Salt and pepper chicken
A Chinese takeaway favourite with some incredible flavour, this is comfort food at its best. Tasty strips of chicken sautéed with onions, peppers and this spicy flavour mix. Absolutely divine!
Want to make your own? Don’t miss my salt and pepper chicken recipe.
Salt and pepper tofu
For all the vegans out there, this salt and pepper tofu recipe is not to be missed!
Wine pairing
Cooking with this spiced mix will bring some great flavours, but how do you complement those flavours with a delicious wine?
Here are my tips for the best wines to pair with this recipe:
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Red pinot noir
A round, full bodied red pinot noir would work wonderfully well with the spices in this recipe, particularly the clove and cinnamon notes in the 5 spice mixture.
Riesling
An off-dry white wine like a Riesling makes a perfect pairing with spicy food. The slight sweetness helps to tone down the heat from the earthy spices.
French chardonnay
An oaked, full body French chardonnay is ideal for a lightly spiced dish. The barrel ageing brings extra character to the wine, which can include woody spiced notes, including cinnamon.
More Asian recipes
What’s your favourite food on the menu of an Asian takeaway? The one you go to every time? Well, why not cook your own homemade version? Have a look at my favourite Asian recipes and take your pick!
- Hong Kong style sweet and sour chicken – one of the most popular items on a takeaway menu, this dish is really easy to make and tastes fantastic
- Chicken and sweetcorn soup - you can't have a Chinese meal without this famous starter!
- Sweet chilli chicken stir fry – whip this popular recipe up in less than half an hour
- Oxtail pho – a Vietnamese favourite, this oxtail pho is rich, tasty and healthy. If you’ve never tried pho, you’re in for a treat
- Orange peel chicken – a quick tasty meal with fantastic flavours, this is the perfect midweek fakeaway meal
- Tofu in black bean sauce – a classic vegan chinese takeaway dish, you can make tofu in black bean sauce in less than 15 minutes
- Crispy chilli beef – crispy and succulent salt and chilli beef with a wonderful mix of flavours. Serve it on a bed of rice for a wonderful midweek meal
- Prawn dumplings with soy and mirin dipping sauce – fry up these tasty dumplings as the perfect starter for a dinner party
📖 Recipe
Salt and Pepper Seasoning Recipe
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 40 tsp 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Use simple everyday items from your kitchen to create Salt and Pepper Seasoning that is fresh & healthier than anything store bought.
Ingredients
- 15ml (1 tbsp) salt
- 7.5ml (½ tbsp) caster sugar [optional]
- 2.5ml (½ tsp) Chinese 5 spice
- 10ml (2 tsp) crushed chilli flakes
- 2.5ml (½ tsp) garlic powder
- 1.25ml (¼ tsp) ground ginger
- 1.25ml (¼ tsp) ground white pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Not sure how to use out this seasoning? Check out Salt and Pepper Chips and Salt and Pepper Chicken!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Seasoning
- Method: Grind
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tsp
- Calories: 1
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 174.5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Erin
I wasn't so sure about this, but I was so wrong! It was awesome. I used some on some chicken quarters and they were the best. Thanks so much!
Louise
Such a great seasoning blend!!!
I used it to make some salt and pepper squid and it was really delicious. Your blend was just right!
Erica
Had some of this left over from your salt & pepper chicken and went ahead to make your chips recipe and OMG talk about instant love! I added a little more white pepper because my hubby loves it, but otherwise left it all the same.
Addison
This seasoning was so quick and easy to make! Great on burgers and chicken.
Shay L.
I love making my own spice blends for the exact reason you mentioned - no MSG. Thanks for sharing this great spice blend, I've been enjoying it in our homemade stir-fries.
Claire
I used this to make your salt and pepper chicken and it was just the right balance!!
Salt and pepper chicken is one of my favourite takeout treat so finding a way to make it at home was perfect. And then to find I could make the seasoning too!! WINNER
Can't wait to make your salt and pepper chips next! And I'm going to try salt and pepper squid!
Thank you for a great seasoning blend recipe 🙂
Allana
Hi, how much of the seasoning do i use?
Michelle Minnaar
Hi, Allana. It should be to your taste. This recipe is to make a decent batch you can keep at hand when cooking Chinese recipes. To see how it's used, check out these two recipes:
https://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-for-diets/vegan/salt-and-chili-chips/
https://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-by-course/main-course/salt-and-chili-chicken/
jon
how would you make this in bulk?
Michelle Minnaar
Hi Jon, just double, treble, quadruple the ingredients as you see fit. Just make sure to store the seasoning in airtight containers so that it lasts as long as possible.
Ewan
Adding this to my usual home-made fries made a world of difference in terms of flavour. Incredible.
Michelle Minnaar
Couldn't agree more Ewan! No wonder it's so popular in takeaways all across the UK.