When a recipe calls for pickling salt, you need the right salt, not a creative substitute. The whole point is a clean, additive-free salt that dissolves well and won’t leave your brine cloudy.
As I mentioned, pickling salt is often only available during the summer/fall months, when canning is more prevalent. It is often found in the canning aisles and seasonal aisles of big box stores such as Target or Wal-mart. In addition many smaller hardware stores carry it year round, although generally it's pricier at these locations.
If you pickle or can seasonally, this is one pantry staple worth understanding before you start filling jars. It’s simple, inexpensive, and a lot easier to buy confidently once you know what matters.
What Is Pickling Salt?
Pickling salt is a pure salt used for brines, pickles, and home canning. What matters most is that it contains no anti-caking additives that can turn a brine cloudy, which is why tested preservation guidance recommends canning or pickling salt for the clearest results. For a practical reference on why additives matter in pickling brines, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance on salts used in pickling.
The original tip here points readers to kosher salt as the stand-in to buy when “pickling salt” is hard to find. That works for pantry shopping, but measure carefully. Crystal size can vary from brand to brand, so if you’re following a tested canning recipe, use the exact salt type the recipe specifies whenever possible. Salt is cheap. A ruined batch is not.
Ingredients
- 48 ounces coarse kosher salt or pickling salt
This is less of a mix recipe and more of a smart pantry swap. If your store is out of seasonal pickling salt, a non-iodized coarse kosher salt is usually the easiest equivalent product to buy for general kitchen use.
How to Use It
- Buy a pure, additive-free salt labeled pickling salt or coarse kosher salt.
- Use it exactly as directed in your pickling or canning recipe.
- Measure carefully and avoid swapping in table salt unless a tested recipe specifically allows it.
- Store the remaining salt in a tightly closed container in a cool, dry pantry.
If you’re building out a homemade seasoning pantry too, pair this with Make Your Own Garlic Salt or keep a batch of Table Salt Substitute on hand for everyday cooking.
Helpful Tips
- Skip table salt for clear brines. Even when it’s technically safe in some recipes, additives can leave the liquid cloudy.
- Watch crystal size. A tablespoon of one salt does not always weigh the same as a tablespoon of another.
- Buy ahead of canning season. Pickling salt tends to show up more often in summer and early fall, then vanishes just when you want it.
- Label the container. If you keep several salts in the pantry, save yourself the guessing game later.
- Use tested canning recipes. Salt affects more than flavor in preserved foods, so this isn’t the place to freestyle.
If you enjoy stocking the pantry with basics, MYO Montreal Steak Seasoning is another practical staple to keep nearby.
Storage
Store dry pickling salt in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from steam and humidity. As a practical pantry estimate, it keeps its best quality for up to 2 years if it stays dry and uncontaminated. Salt itself is shelf-stable, but clumping, absorbed moisture, and pantry odors can make it a nuisance to use long before it becomes unsafe.
If you’ve already used it in a prepared refrigerated brine or pickle mixture, the storage life depends on the full recipe and its acidity, not the salt alone. Follow the storage directions for the finished pickle recipe rather than guessing from the salt container.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: MYO Pickling Salt
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Coarse kosher salt or pickling salt |
$0.62 |
48 ounces |
$1.14 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$1.14 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.02 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about MYO Pickling Salt
Usually, yes for general kitchen use, but you need to measure carefully. Kosher salt can work when it’s non-iodized and additive-free, but crystal size varies by brand, so the same spoonful may not match the same saltiness or brine strength in a tested canning recipe.
The usual culprit is the anti-caking additives, not kitchen sabotage. Those additives can leave the brine hazy, which won’t do your jars any beauty favors even when the food is otherwise fine.
No, pickling salt is typically non-iodized. That matters because you want a plain salt that dissolves cleanly without added ingredients that can affect appearance in brines and canned pickles.
Only if a tested recipe specifically tells you how to do it, and most don’t. Sea salt crystals vary a lot in size and density, so volume measurements can throw off the amount of salt you actually add.
Plan on about 2 years for best quality if you keep it tightly sealed in a cool, dry cupboard. If moisture gets in, it may clump or pick up odors, which is annoying but usually a storage problem, not a spoilage mystery.
The big difference is usually crystal shape and how the product is labeled for use, not some secret canning magic. Pickling salt is made for preserving, while kosher salt is sold for cooking, so always check that it’s non-iodized and free of additives before treating them as interchangeable.
If you’re swapping one salt style for another, weighing is the safer move. A kitchen scale takes the guesswork out of crystal size differences, which is exactly the sort of tiny detail that can make a brine behave badly.
Look first in the canning aisle, spice aisle, or seasonal preserving section. It shows up most often during summer and early fall, so buying it before peak canning season saves you the annual scavenger hunt.
That’s not a good shortcut for fermented pickles. Reduced-sodium salts can behave differently in brines, so stick with the salt type called for in the tested recipe when fermentation is involved.
If it stayed dry and smells clean, break it up and use it for everyday cooking, but buy a fresh package for canning. Preserving is one of those jobs where starting with dry, free-flowing ingredients is just the smarter play.
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Did you make this recipe? Did this help you sort out your salt situation? Leave a comment and share how you used it, especially if it saved a batch of pickles from going sideways.
🖨️ Print-Friendly MYO Pickling Salt
MYO Pickling Salt
Ingredients
- 48 ounces coarse kosher salt or pickling salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Pour the salt into a clean, airtight container.
- Label the container so it is easy to identify for canning and brining recipes.
- Measure and use as directed in your pickling, brining, or canning recipe.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Yield is approximately 48 one-ounce servings.
Estimated cost is based on a 48-ounce box of Morton Coarse Kosher Salt priced at $3.97 from Walmart. Prices vary by location and date.
For best quality, store tightly sealed in a cool, dry pantry and use within 2 years as an estimate.
I need to know if Sea Salt can be used in leiu of kosher or pickling salt
This is a question I had and went looking for. Basically the answer is yes and no.
Living Homegrown
Thanks for the info about being able to use kosher salt. We have that all year since we have many people in our area that eat a kosher diet.