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White pepper

Spices & seasonings · Chillies & peppers

White pepper

Pepper with the dark skin removed: hotter, earthier and invisible in pale sauces and Chinese soups.

Also called: ground white pepper, hu jiao fen

A kind of spices

66 recipes with it

Photo: George Muttathil Pulikurumba, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

White pepper comes from ripe pepper berries that are soaked so the outer skin rots off, then dried, leaving a pale cream seed. It is hotter and more earthy, even slightly funky, than black pepper and lacks the citrusy top notes. It is usually sold ground.

Piper nigrum

How it’s used

  • Chinese hot-and-sour soup and congee
  • Thai and Vietnamese marinades
  • White sauces and mashed potatoes
  • Dumpling fillings

Characteristics

Taste
Sharp heat, earthy, slightly fermented.
Sold as
ground, whole
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight jar away from light; ground white pepper loses its aroma within months.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
296 kcal
Protein
10.4 g
Carbohydrate
68.61 g
Fat
2.12 g
Fibre
26.2 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, pepper, white.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Black pepper — Use slightly more; flecks will show and the taste is fruitier.

Related ingredients

Recipes with white pepper

See all 66

54 more

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