Don’t let your kitchen become a battleground between the “fresh-only” purists and the “dried-herb” pragmatists. Some “culinary experts” insist that dried herbs are a crime against cooking, but your taste buds likely tell a different story. In a perfect world, we’d all have a lovely herb garden at our fingertips, but the reality is that dried herbs aren’t just a backup plan. They can actually be the superior choice depending on what you’re cooking. If you’re making a recipe calling for fresh herbs and all you have is a jar of dried, don’t panic. You can easily master how to substitue dried herbs for fresh. Not only is it simple, but it allows you to pack your food with flavor even if you can’t get to the grocery store right away.
Amount of Dried Herb To Use
The rule usually given is to use about half the amount of dried herbs as fresh herbs. However, this doesn’t work well with every dried herb. It depends on how well the particular herb stands up to drying and how much flavor (essential oils) it retains.
Herbs that dry well, such as rosemary, oregano, and sage, will have a lot of flavor, so you are better off starting with 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of herb the recipe calls for in fresh. So, if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of chopped fresh sage, for instance, you might want to start with a teaspoonful of dried and adjust the recipe to taste.
But applying this rule of thumb carte blanche to all other herbs may not work. Basil, for example, doesn’t retain as much of its flavor in the dried form as oregano does. Therefore, you might need to use a lot more dried basil than dried oregano, which will quickly become overwhelming when used in excess.
Instead of worrying about exact amounts, though, just use a more handy cooking rule: Always taste as you cook! Start with the minimum amount of dried herb and taste periodically to decide whether you want to use a bit more. Typically, dried herbs will be used in dishes that are cooked for long periods, so you’ll have time to adjust.
See also: 12 Cooking Rules You Can Safely Ignore
In the article linked above, I mentioned some herbs that dry well and retain their flavor and herbs that don’t dry as well, losing some flavor. Here is a recap.
Herbs That Dry Well
Typically, the less tender herbs with tough leaves or woody stems dry well. For example, herbs like rosemary, oregano, lavender, and thyme. These types of herbs don’t have a lot of water in their leaves and are full of essential oils. Bay leaves dry well, too, but they are the leaves of a tree, so do not fall into the typical herb category.
Herbs That Don’t Dry Well
More delicate herbs with soft stems tend to not dry well, losing some or even most of their flavor. If you’ve ever heard a chef trashing dried parsley and calling it, well, trash, this is because parsley retains almost no flavor at all when dried!
Some herbs that do not dry as well are basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, lovage, marjoram, and thyme. These are herbs that have a lot of water in their stems and leaves, so they are very difficult to dry in the first place. Not only do they not retain much of their flavor when dried, but they may retain too much of certain flavors while losing others, causing the results to be undesirable. This is why I recommend, below, to start with a minimum amount and add more as you taste, to avoid a disagreeable flavor. Just because an herb is weaker when dried doesn’t mean you should dump in more of it. It’s not just that these herbs are weaker; they simply dry badly and are “not themselves” as a result.
Dried Mint
If you’ve ever had mint tea made with dried mint leaves, you probably realized that it has plenty of mint flavor. So, mint is an exception to the rule. It does have soft delicate leaves but it dries pretty well.
Oddly enough, most of the familiar cooking herbs, including most of those above, are in the mint family but this is no indication of how well they stand up to drying. When I say mint here, of course, I am referring to those herbs that have “mint” in their name, such as spearmint.
Herb Substitution and Quality Guide
| Herb Type | Drying Quality | Recommdned Ratio (Dried to Fresh) | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Herbs (Rosemary, Oregano, Sage) | Excellent | 1:4 or 1:3, start with a small amount and add more if needed | High essential oil content makes them remain potent when dried. |
| Delicate Herbs (Basil, Chives, Cilantro) | Poor | High essential oil content makes it remain potent when dried. | These lose most flavor because of high water content in stems/leaves. |
| Mint | Good | 1:4 to 1:3 | An exception to the delicate herb rule; retains flavor well. |
| Parsley | Very Poor | Not recommded, don’t bother | Not recommended, don’t bother |
You Can Use Both Dried and Fresh Herbs in the Same Recipe!
Some sources are so hung up on the fresh versus dried herbs debate that they create a dichotomy: You will either use fresh herbs in your cooking or substitute dried herbs if you are ignorant, vulgar, or desperate.
In reality, you can use both. Starting with a dried herb at the beginning of cooking and adding some fresh herb at the end to reinforce the flavor and bring in a fresh, vibrant taste, will often yield better results.
But, as many attest, sometimes dried herbs are no substitute. As a general rule, if a recipe calls for a large amount of fresh herb, meaning it relies on the herb for most of its flavor, dried herbs will never work at all. This should be a bit obvious, though. You could never make pesto with dried basil, after all.
