What’s the Best Substitute for Capers? Try These 9 Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What’s the Best Substitute for Capers? Try These 9 Ideas? ›

Pickles. Dill pickles are a worthy swap, even if their signature crunch is a little more intense. If you don't mind veering away from that dark green color scheme, pickled red onions offer the same vinegary jolt in a pretty pink package. Cut the pickles into caper-sized pieces and sub in equal amounts.

Capers are un-ripened flower buds from the capparis spinosa grown in the Mediterranean. After picked, they are sun dried and preserved then brined or cured in salt ready to eat. Capers are described as tasting like a green olive but with a salty and lemon zest.

Capers aren't everyone's cup of tea, so feel free to leave them out even though they do add a briny bite to the dish. Or, if you don't have capers but do have meaty green olives in the pantry, you can chop them small and add them to the dish. They'll give that briny bite.

The taste of a caper is reminiscent of the lemony tang and brininess of green olives, but with a smack of floral tartness all their own. Because they're packed in brine, capers also have a very salty, savory flavor profile.

Are capers related to olives? They have quite a few similarities in taste, use, and region of origin, but olives and capers come from completely different plants. Olives grow on olive trees and capers grow on caper bushes. However, the two are prepared similarly, in salty brines to give them that bold, savory flavor.

While olives tend to be stronger and of course more 'olive-y', capers will work in most cases where olives are used.

These are the salted and pickled unopened flower buds of Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, a perennial plant in the caper family (Capparidaceae, closely related to the cabbage family) found wild throughout the Mediterranean and other areas (but whether it is native to the area or just naturalized is not clear).

Salty, briny, vinegary, and pungent, capers give any dish a tangy burst of flavor.

The best substitute for capers? Chopped green olives! Use large green olives packed in water if you can find them — and don't get the filled kind! They can mimic the briny flavor of capers. Roughly chop them, then you can use 1 tablespoon chopped olives in place of 1 tablespoon capers.

Beyond their flavorful and low calorie nature, capers provide a variety of health benefits. Long respected in folk medicine, capers are now prized among food among food scientists for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Why are capers good for you? ›

Capers are rich in antioxidants, including quercetin and rutin. They may also help support weight loss and promote healthy blood sugar levels, but more research is needed.

Diced cornichons or gerkins or even dill pickles will provide a little burst of punchy flavour that can work well to replace your capers.

Capers that are dry-packed in salt are prized for their intense flavor, but usually are found only in specialty shops. They also must be rinsed very well before using. Brine- or vinegar-packed capers also can be rinsed, but it isn't essential.

Green olives are a fantastic substitute for capers. They have a similar briny and salty flavor that can complement a variety of dishes. Chop the olives finely and use them in the same quantity as you would capers in your recipe.

Here are my 12 favorite things to buy at Aldi. I've worked and trained in the food industry for over a decade and I love buying groceries at Aldi. I love grabbing The Deli's pickled pink onions and capers in brine.

A rinse in milk is even better than a rinse in water for removing the overly vinegary taste of capers, says ChefJune. Do that. Then: Roll a handful in cornstarch and fry oil until crispy, says Kristen W., then add them to salads, soups, or fish for a punchy take on the crouton.

Harvesting capers is an arduous process—the tiny buds can be picked only by hand, and, as a result, the smaller the caper, the more expensive it is.

Stored in the fridge, properly submerged in the liquid they are packaged in, capers may last up to a year. Unopened and in the pantry, you can rely on these tasty buds for twice that long. Don't forget: "Best By" dates are more of a suggestion than a rule. If there are no signs of spoilage, go ahead and use them.

Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm).

Trader Joe's Capers in Vinegar

And the capers themselves have a great pop and bright acidity.

Do capers cause inflammation? ›

In particular, capers have been shown to reduce inflammation, enhance liver health, stabilize blood sugar levels and more.

Castelvetrano olives are one of Italy's most popular olive exports, and for good reason! Their irresistible buttery flavor and meaty texture really make them stand out in the olive crowd.

They compliment each other, but have very different flavor profiles, and are not, in my experience, interchangeable. Anchovies have a smokey, salty, nutty depth, not unlike worcestershire sauce, but more dense, and concentrated. Capers, on the other hand, have a briny, tart, pickled taste.

Capers have a lot in common with olives, including where you'll find them in the grocery aisles, so you'll find capers in one of two places: The pickles and olives aisle. The international foods aisle (search near Italian and Mediterranean foods)

Capers are briny and tangy. The curing process imparts a sublime salinity with notes of mustard. Texture-wise, they supply a crunch like any good pickle does.

For a more intense flavor, crush the capers with the back of a spoon before adding them to sauces. A tablespoon of crushed capers in 1/2 cup of sour cream makes a tasty dip for steamed, chilled artichokes or other vegetables. Stir a teaspoon of crushed or whole capers into dips.