Pink Himalayan Salt VS Sea Salt: Major Differences in 2022

Pink Himalayan Salt VS Sea Salt

Salt comes from a variety of sources and can vary in how it tastes in our mouth. While salt is a combination of sodium and chlorine, nutritional contents vary amongst different salts, making some seem different than others.

So, even though all salt serves the purposes of flavoring and preserving food, the differences between different types of salts may still be important to some.

This Pink Himalayan Salt vs. Sea Salt guide will be exploring the differences and similarities between sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. Let’s get started!

Sea Salt

Sea Salt

As can be guessed from its name, sea salt is produced by evaporating seawater. The evaporation can be done using either sunlight or artificial indoor heaters. Sea salt usually has nothing extra added to it and is also able to retain its natural minerals.

Sources for sea salt production are, therefore, abundant, and this salt can be made in many places around the world. Unlike regular, non-clumping, and processed table salt, sea salt tends to be naturally coarse in texture. This means that it may not dissolve as easily in foods and will provide a variance of flavor intensities.

However, finer sea salts are also available on the market. Sea salt is also usually unrefined and will carry trace nutrients, minerals, microplastics, and other impurities. It should be noted that this does not necessarily mean that sea salt is unsafe for consumption.

However, these ‘impurities’ could make sea salt taste slightly different to other salts, and will also often add a darker hue to the salt itself.

Highlights

  • Less expensive than the Himalayan one
  • Retains all kind of minerals
  • Features 72 essential minerals

Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan Pink Salt

While pink salt itself can be extracted from a select few underground ‘mines’ (which, at one time, were seas), Himalayan pink salt, specifically, can be found only in the Khewra Salt Mine located at the base of the Himalayas, in Pakistan.

What gives Himalayan pink salt its signature rosy hue is actually iron oxide (commonly known as ‘rust’). It is this appealing color that contributes to the cult following of this salt.

Himalayan pink salt also contains a lower percentage of sodium and instead has traces of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium.

Highlights

  • Has a good Appearance
  • All the impurities are removed before packaging
  • Has more useful minerals than sea salt

Himalayan Pink Salt vs. Sea Salt: How Are They Different?

Himalayan Pink Salt vs. Sea Salt: How Are They Different

Before we move on to their vast similarities, let us first take a look at the differences between sea salt and Himalayan pink salt.

Color:

There is no question about it that the Himalayan pink salt’s biggest appeal is its color. It is what makes the salt look good in photographs and also next to massage tables (in its rock form, of course).

It is this pink color that adds to the belief that the Himalayan pink salt is, perhaps, better than most salts in other ways too. Sea salt, though available in varying colors as well (due to different compositions of the minerals present in it), has a more dull appearance, which is not as visually pleasing as that of the Himalayan pink salt.

Impurities:

As mentioned before, no impurity is extracted from sea salt after it is produced. This means that it retains all kinds of minerals, nutrients, but also microplastics.

It should be no surprise that the disposal of plastic into the sea comes back up to earth in the form of microplastics in sea salt. However, studies (to date) have not found the consumption of sea salt, which contains microplastics to be significantly harmful to human health.

Himalayan pink salt, on the other hand, is usually purified of any impurities before being packaged for consumer usage.

Nutritional Contents:

In general, Himalayan pink salt contains more useful minerals than sea salt. So, sea salt has traces of around 72 of these minerals, and Himalayan pink salt features 84 of the essential minerals needed by the human body.

That said, if you are consuming the daily recommended amount of salt (which is about a teaspoon, and even less than that if you have high blood pressure issues), then it does not really matter which type of salt it is, because you will likely still get the same benefits that salt, in general, is supposed to give you.

Texture:

Both sea salt and Himalayan pink salt can be found in coarse and fine forms. However, both of these types of salts are naturally coarser: sea salt due to its source and absence of non-clumping additives, and Himalayan pink salt due to it being broken down from rocks.

Price Point:

Himalayan pink salt is said to be about 20 times more expensive than regular table salt, and so is obviously more expensive than sea salt. Given its cult following, products that claim to contain pink Himalayan salt also have hiked up prices due to the inclusion of this salt.

Similarities between Himalayan Pink Salt and Sea Salt

Similarities between Himalayan Pink Salt and Sea Salt

Now that we know the differences between pink Himalayan salt and sea salt, let us come to the bottom line: both these salts are much too similar for their differences to be significant.

Both of Them Serve the Same Purpose:

No matter what color or texture it is, salt is salt. Any salt will flavor food so that it does not taste bland and will also help preserve food, as bacteria do not like to grow in places with high salt concentrations.

Both Come in a Variety of Textures:

The texture of salt can affect the overall taste of the food it is used in. For instance, fine table salt dissolves almost instantly and provides an even flavoring throughout a dish.

Whereas, coarse salts such as sea salt or pink Himalayan salt do not break down as easily and may, therefore, provide tiny ‘bursts’ of salty flavor in a dish. However, both of these salts can be turned fine and sold by manufacturers in that form.

Pink Himalayan Salt vs. Sea Salt: Is There a Winner?

Pink Himalayan Salt vs. Sea Salt: Is There a Winner

It all comes down to what you, as a cook or food enthusiast, prefer. If you specifically want to garnish your dish with a sprinkling of salt, then the visually pleasing pink Himalayan salt would be the way to go for you.

If you do not care how the salt looks in a dish and simply want it to do its job of flavoring your food, then you can go with either sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. The former is the less expensive option.

Either way, salt is normally consumed in a small amount that the slightly different nutritional values from one type of salt to the next will not do much to affect your health.

So, between sea salt and Himalayan pink salt, feel free to go with whichever of the two you desire.

Additional Sources :

  1. Checking the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker will be helpful as well.
  2. For more suggestions, you can read about Tellicherry Peppercorns.