Garnishes

Celery Salt

Celery salt is salt mixed with ground celery seed, or sometimes the seed of its relative lovage; UK jars list 10 to 23% seed, often with an anti-caking agent. It contains celery, which Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 lists among the 14 allergens that must be declared. Our Bloody Mary takes a good pinch dissolved in the drink itself rather than salted round the rim.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeOpened: 12 to 18 months, dry and sealed.

Storage

Store in a dry, airtight container away from moisture.

Allergens

Contains: celery.

The ingredient

About Celery Salt

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

SaltySavouryHerbal

Tasting Notes

Salty and savoury with distinctive vegetal celery notes. Adds umami and dryness rather than heat, with a lingering savoury finish.

Celery seed and salt, and a declarable allergen

Celery salt is ordinary salt flavoured with the ground seed of celery, or of lovage, a close relative. British supermarket jars list between 10 and 23% celery seed, with sea salt and an anti-caking agent such as silicon dioxide making up the rest. The seed holds the flavour in concentrated form, so a pinch does what a stick in the glass cannot.

Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 names celery and products thereof among the 14 allergens a food business must declare, and reactions can be serious. A drink seasoned with it should be named as containing celery, just as a menu flags nuts.

A pinch in the glass, not a rim

Our Bloody Mary uses a good pinch in the mixing glass, stirred in alongside the Worcestershire, Tabasco and pepper before any ice. It does not carry a celery salt rim: a rim puts a second, unmeasured dose of salt on every sip, on top of the salt the tomato juice already brings.

Season in the glass and taste. Carton juice arrives salted, so the pinch is there for the celery as much as for the salt.

Celery salt against the other celery notes

Ways to add celery to a drink (celery is a declarable allergen under Regulation (EU) 1169/2011)

Celery salt

What it adds: Celery seed aroma with salt
Salt: Mostly salt
Allergen: Celery
Where it fits: A pinch in our Bloody Mary

Celery bitters

What it adds: A green, bitter celery note in strong spirit
Salt: None
Allergen: Celery
Where it fits: A dash in a dry or stirred drink

Celery stick

What it adds: Fresh aroma, and a stirrer
Salt: None
Allergen: Celery
Where it fits: The garnish on our Bloody Mary

Plain salt

What it adds: Salt only
Salt: All salt
Allergen: None
Where it fits: Where celery must be avoided

Option	What it adds	Salt	Allergen	Where it fits
Celery salt	Celery seed aroma with salt	Mostly salt	Celery	A pinch in our Bloody Mary
Celery bitters	A green, bitter celery note in strong spirit	None	Celery	A dash in a dry or stirred drink
Celery stick	Fresh aroma, and a stirrer	None	Celery	The garnish on our Bloody Mary
Plain salt	Salt only	All salt	None	Where celery must be avoided

Homemade is stronger; any jar needs to stay dry

A home mix of toasted, ground seed and flaky salt runs far stronger than the shop jars, so it goes further. Kept airtight and dry, either holds its aroma for 12 to 18 months; clumping means damp has got in. For the celery note without the salt, celery bitters are the alternative.

Using it

Using Celery Salt

Usage

A good pinch in the Bloody Mary, added with the other seasonings and stirred until it dissolves, before the ice. Taste the tomato juice first, since a salty carton needs less, and tell anyone you serve that the drink contains celery.

Pro Tip

Rub a pinch between your fingers and smell it before it goes in. If the celery is faint, an old jar is giving salt without the green note; a fresh jar needs a smaller pinch.

Top Tips

Add it in the mixing glass, where it dissolves, not on top of the finished drink.
Taste the tomato juice before seasoning. Carton juice is already salted.
Say it out loud. Celery is a declarable allergen under Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, and nobody expects it in a drink.
Replace a jar that smells only of salt. The seed's aroma fades long before the salt does.

Possible Substitutions

Celery Bitters: a dash gives the celery note without the salt; it still contains celery

Production Method

Salt mixed with ground celery seed, or lovage seed; UK jars list 10 to 23% seed, often with an anti-caking agent such as silicon dioxide.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is celery salt made of?

Salt and ground celery seed, or sometimes lovage seed, which tastes similar. UK jars list between 10% and 23% seed, often with an anti-caking agent such as silicon dioxide or calcium silicate. There is no stalk in it: the flavour comes from the seed, which carries it in concentrated form.

Does celery salt contain the celery allergen?

Yes. Celery seed counts as celery and products thereof, which Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 lists as a declarable allergen. A pinch is enough to affect anyone allergic to celery, so name it whenever you serve a drink seasoned with it, a Bloody Mary included.

How much celery salt goes in a Bloody Mary?

A good pinch, roughly what you can hold between a thumb and two fingers, added with the Worcestershire and Tabasco before any ice. The IBA lists it as to taste. Stir, then taste, because carton tomato juice is already salted and some cartons need less.

Should celery salt go on the rim of a Bloody Mary?

Ours goes in the drink, not on the rim. A rim adds salt to every sip on top of the seasoning already in the glass, and the amount is hard to judge. If you want a rim, put salt on half the outer edge only and cut the pinch inside to match.

What can I use instead of celery salt?

A dash of celery bitters gives the celery note without the salt, though it still contains celery. Plain salt with a few crushed celery seeds works at a pinch. If celery has to be avoided altogether, use plain salt and a little more black pepper, and leave out the celery stick too.

Can you make celery salt at home?

Yes. Toast celery seed in a dry pan for a minute or two, let it cool, then grind it with flaky salt at about two parts salt to one of seed by weight. That comes out stronger than shop jars, which list 10 to 23% seed, so use less of it.

How long does celery salt keep?

In our experience, twelve to eighteen months once opened, if the jar stays dry and sealed. The seed's aroma fades before anything else, so an old jar seasons with salt alone. Clumps mean moisture has got in; a jar that smells musty should be thrown away.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (retained)” (the 14 declarable allergens).

From the Guides

How to rim a glass

Make something

Made with Celery Salt

Featured In These Cocktails

Bloody Mary

Often Used With

Updated 18 October 2026

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