Natural form

Whole white peppercorns: smooth, cream-colored spheres ready for the grinder.

Shows the intact dried berry form, color, and surface texture that distinguish white from black pepper.

Spices

White Pepper

Earthy, mild pepper for pale sauces and Asian cooking

Milder and earthier than black pepper, white pepper seasons pale sauces and soups without flecking them, and is a staple of Chinese cooking. Keep it airtight and dark.

White pepper is the same berry as black pepper, but ripened, soaked, and hulled so only the pale inner seed remains — giving a milder, earthier heat without the black flecks — the retting (water-soaking) that removes the skin gives it a musty, slightly fermented aroma layered over the same piperine warmth. It's used where dark specks would mar a pale dish (cream sauces, mashed potatoes, light-colored soups) and is a staple of Chinese cooking, where its musty warmth defines hot-and-sour soup and many stir-fries. Like all pepper, it's best ground fresh; pre-ground loses aroma. Use it where its color and distinct earthiness fit, not as a direct swap for black pepper's brighter bite.

Measured in: g
Storage: Airtight

Find it in

Spices Seasoning

Types & varieties

Whole white peppercorns

Grind fresh for the cleanest flavor.

Ground white pepper

Convenient, common in Chinese kitchens; fades fast.

How to use

Reach for white pepper in pale dishes — béchamel, vichyssoise, mashed potatoes — where black flecks would look out of place, and in Chinese cooking like hot-and-sour soup and congee where its earthy funk belongs. Add it during cooking; its aroma is more volatile when ground.

Use in pale sauces and soups to avoid dark specks
Essential to many Chinese dishes (hot-and-sour soup)
Grind fresh for the best flavor

White vs black

White and black pepper come from the same vine but taste different — white is milder, earthier, and a touch funky, black is sharper and more floral. They aren't perfect substitutes; choose white for color and its distinct earthiness.

Common uses

Cream sauces and béchamelMashed potatoesHot-and-sour soup and congeeLight-colored soups (vichyssoise)Chinese stir-fries and marinadesWhite gravySeafood and chicken dishes

Tips & pitfalls

Use in pale dishes where black pepper flecks would show.
A defining flavor of Chinese hot-and-sour soup and stir-fries.
It's earthier and funkier than black — not a direct swap.
Grind fresh when you can; pre-ground fades quickly.
A little adds warmth to cream sauces and mashed potatoes.

Nutrition

29kcal

Energy

121 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 11%Carbs 79%Fat 10%

Protein

0.9g

2% DV

Carbs

6.5g

2% DV

Fat

0.4g

0% DV

Fiber

2.8g

10% DV

Sugars

4.1g

of which

Sodium

3mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin C132% DV

Vitamin B625% DV

Vitamin E24% DV

Vitamin K15% DV

Niacin (B3)8% DV

Folate7% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · approx. Peppers, jalapeno, raw

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In the shops

Matched grocery products

Ground White Pepper
BONPREU · Bonpreu
€1.19
Ground White Pepper
Hacendado · 70 g · Mercadona
€2.30

Good to know

Flavor: Milder, earthier, slightly fermented/funky heat
Form: Whole or ground (pale)
Add when: During cooking; grind fresh when possible
Cuisines: Chinese, French, Scandinavian, Vietnamese
How to buy: Whole peppercorns to grind, or fresh ground; pale and fragrant
How to store: Airtight and dark; aroma fades when ground

Substitutes

Black pepper — Sharper and visible; use where flecks don't matter.
A pinch of ground ginger or cayenne — Adds warmth where white pepper's earthiness isn't essential.

Pairs with

Cream Potato Chicken Ginger Garlic Soy sauce Egg

Also called

pimienta blanca