7 Delicious Alternatives to Capers You Need to Try Today

Capers add a burst of briny, tangy flavor to salads, sauces, and seafood dishes, enhancing complexity and brightness.

When capers aren’t available, substitutes such as chopped green olives, pickled jalapeños, or even caperberries can mimic their salty and tangy notes.

Each alternative brings unique textures and intensities, requiring adjustments based on your recipe.

These seven best caper substitutes keep your dishes vibrant and flavorful despite pantry limitations.

Knowing which stand-in suits your dish ensures a balanced and authentic taste experience.

These options keep your cooking creative and adaptable.

Discover how to maintain caper’s distinctive punch with simple replacements.

What You Can Replace Capers

Capers add briny, tangy pops of flavor. If they’re missing, you can still keep that burst of brightness. The right choice will give a similar effect.

Chopped Green Olives

Green olives have emerged as a fantastic substitute for capers in many dishes due to their similar briny flavor profile and accessibility.

The tangy, umami-rich taste of chopped green olives mimics the distinctive zing that capers bring to recipes, making them an excellent alternative when capers aren't available.

For the best results, simply replace one tablespoon of capers with an equal amount of finely chopped green olives in your favorite recipes.

The swap works wonderfully in pasta dishes, salads, and sauces where that signature briny punch is needed without compromising on flavor.

Chopped Dill Pickles

Capers offer a tangy, salty burst of flavor that elevates many dishes, but good substitutes exist when you need an alternative.

Dill pickles rank as the top replacement because they provide a similar sour profile with added crunch and are commonly found in most refrigerators.

Green olives come in second place, delivering comparable brininess though with a milder flavor profile that works particularly well in Mediterranean recipes.

Many people successfully use pickled nasturtium seeds as a lesser-known but excellent third option since their peppery notes closely mimic authentic capers.

The substitution ratio remains simple for all alternatives - just use equal amounts of chopped pickles, olives, or nasturtium seeds for every tablespoon of capers called for in your recipe.

These handy replacements ensure your meals maintain their intended flavor profile even when the original ingredient isn't available.

Chopped Kalamata Olives

Kalamata olives offer an ideal balance of salty, savory, and sweet flavors, making them an excellent substitute when capers aren't in your pantry.

These Mediterranean gems not only add a zesty punch to dishes but also provide healthy omega-3 fatty acids as a nutritional bonus.

Their natural juiciness brings moisture to recipes while maintaining that briny character everyone loves in capers.

Many chefs prefer this substitution because the olives bring a similar depth without overpowering other ingredients in pasta dishes, salads, or sauces.

For perfect results, simply replace 1 tablespoon of capers with 1 tablespoon of chopped Kalamata olives in any recipe.

Preserved Lemons

Lemons serve as a fantastic substitute for capers, offering similar zesty characteristics without the excessive saltiness.

Preserved lemons stand out as the best replacement option since they're packed in brine, providing that desired salty element while also contributing a pleasant sweetness.

The softened peel becomes perfectly diced and edible after sitting in the solution for some time, making it an excellent addition to various dishes.

For best results, replace each tablespoon of capers with half a tablespoon of chopped preserved lemon, adjusting the amount based on your taste preferences.

Regular lemon juice works in a pinch too, though it lacks the complexity and texture that preserved lemons bring to the table.

Green Peppercorns

Substituting green peppercorns for capers is a smart move when your recipe calls for those tangy little buds but they're nowhere to be found in your pantry.

Their similar appearance and distinctive earthy, grassy flavor make them an excellent stand-in for capers in many dishes.

The peppercorns add a lovely zing to salads, seafood, sauces, and side dishes without overpowering the other ingredients.

Most chefs recommend a simple 1:1 swap- just use 1 tablespoon of green peppercorns for each tablespoon of capers the recipe requires.

The subtle difference in texture actually works in your favor, as the peppercorns provide a pleasant pop when bitten into that many food enthusiasts appreciate even more than the original ingredient.

Thyme

Capers can be hard to find sometimes, so knowing what to use instead will save your recipe from disaster.

Thyme stands out as a top substitute because its earthy flavor adds depth to any dish that calls for those tangy little buds.

Many people actually prefer this swap since thyme creates a more subtle backdrop that lets other ingredients shine through.

You can simply sprinkle dried thyme into slow-cooked sauces, stews, or chicken dishes when capers aren't the main feature.

The rule of thumb for this switch is straightforward - just use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme for every tablespoon of capers called for in your recipe.

This simple swap works especially well in Mediterranean dishes where herbs naturally complement the existing flavors.

Pickled Nasturtium Seeds

Nasturtium seeds offer an excellent substitute for capers with their peppery, arugula-like flavor profile that many chefs prize in high-end cuisine.

These completely edible gems can be easily harvested when young and green, then transformed through a simple pickling process that requires just water, white vinegar, and salt in equal parts.

The fermentation takes only 1-2 weeks in a sealed jar kept in a cool, dark place before they develop that distinctive tangy bite that mimics traditional capers so well.

For best results in recipes, a 1:1 substitution ratio works perfectly- one tablespoon of pickled nasturtium seeds equals one tablespoon of capers.

Gathering these seeds also provides a wonderful opportunity to explore food sustainability since nasturtiums grow abundantly in many home gardens with minimal care.

How Do Dried Capers Perform Compared to Fresh Ones in Sauces?

Dried capers offer a more concentrated and intense flavor than fresh or jarred capers, making them a powerful seasoning choice.

However, they lack the fresh, briny snap and slight crunch of fresh capers.

When rehydrated, dried capers can approximate the salty and tangy notes but tend to be softer or chewier in texture.

In sauces, they contribute a strong umami and salty presence but may miss the vibrant freshness that fresh capers bring to the dish.

Is a Substitute Necessary in Every Caper-Based Recipe?

Not every recipe demands a caper substitute. Whether you need one really depends on how important capers are to the overall flavor and texture of the dish. For example, in recipes like Chicken Piccata or Tapenade, capers are front and center - they bring that signature briny punch and a bit of crunch that define the dish. In these cases, finding a good substitute is key to keeping the flavor balanced.

On the other hand, in dishes like pasta salads or some Mediterranean-style stews where capers might just be a supporting note alongside olives, lemon, or herbs, you can often skip them without losing too much. Other salty or acidic ingredients already help carry the flavor, so the dish remains delicious even without a direct replacement.

Do All Caper Alternatives Offer the Same Complexity in Sauces?

Caper substitutes vary widely in flavor and texture. Common alternatives like green olives, pickled caper berries, or chopped pickles can replicate some of the saltiness and acidity but rarely capture the unique floral and briny complexity of true capers.

Each alternative adds its own character, which can subtly or noticeably alter the overall flavor profile of your sauce.