Common Herbal Substitutes
Lemon, Basil and Savory - Replacing One Spice with Another
Every so often you may not have the precise herb on hand that is called for in a recipe you are creating. Here is some information on finding an acceptable substitute.
Don’t be afraid to substitute one ingredient for another. If you don’t care for the flavor of a particular herb called for in a recipe, either leave out that herb, or substitute one that you do enjoy. You may even come up with a better tasting dish than the original recipe that you were following.
Lemon Herbs
Most of the lemon herbs called for in recipes can be substituted for one another. If you don’t have the exact herb called for try one of the other lemon scented herbs such as lemon balm, lemon basil, lemon thyme or lemon verbena. Lemon grass is a rather tough herb which is generally used to flavor the cooking liquid then removed prior to serving. Do not substitute lemon grass for any of the other lemon herbs.
Basil Substitutes
If a recipe calls for cinnamon basil and you don’t have any on hand you can substitute the same amount of sweet basil plus 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. If a recipe calls for lemon basil you may substitute the same amount of sweet basil plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest.
Winter and Summer Savory
Winter savory can be substituted for summer savory in your recipes with a little care. Summer savory is a soft stemmed annual herb whereas winter savory is a woody perennial herb. Winter savory has rather tough leaves and is best added as a small bundle of stems to your recipes which is removed prior to serving. Summer savories soft leaves can be finely chopped and mixed directly into your recipes.
Other Herbal Substitutes
- Dill leaves and fennel leaves are similar in taste and appearance and can be substituted for one another.
- Chives and garlic chives can be used interchangeably as can the leaves of marjoram and thyme.
- The leaves and stems of lovage can be used as a suitable celery substitute. Its strong flavor can even survive long cooking times without losing its flavor or becoming bitter.
- Any of the mints can be substituted for one another. Peppermint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint, spearmint and orange mint can often be found at Farmer’s Markets.
- Flat leafed parsley and chervil can substitute for one another. Some cooks prefer the taste and texture of flat leaved parsley to that of curly parsley but you can use the curly variety if that is all you have access to.
- Winter tarragon, which is also known as Mexican mint marigold, can be substituted for French tarragon. The bonus of growing winter tarragon is that it gets pretty little orange marigold like flowers if you don’t cut it on a regular basis.
Fresh Herbs or Dried Herbs
You can substitute one tablespoon of fresh herb for every teaspoon of dried herb that is called for in a recipe. However, when using fresh herbs you should add them towards the end of the cooking process so that they don’t overcook and loose their flavor. Dried herbs are normally added at the beginning of the cooking process as they will survive longer cooking times and higher temperatures without loosing flavor.
Resources
See the article Substitutions for common food substitutions. The article How to Dry Fresh Herbs contains information on how to dry fresh herbs for long term storage. Where to Buy Fresh Herbs gives you a variety of options for obtaining fresh herbs.
