Hyssop substitute

Best substitute

Dried oregano plus dried thyme (for Syrian oregano)

Equal parts of each, used 1:1 for the hyssop quantity

Best for making za'atar from scratch

Close match

The standard answer and a genuinely good one, because Origanum syriacum sits almost exactly between Mediterranean oregano and thyme in flavour. Oregano brings the peppery, slightly camphorous punch, thyme brings the woody, faintly floral warmth, and together they land convincingly on the Syrian oregano profile. What changes: Mediterranean oregano is sharper and more aggressive than the Syrian plant, which is gentler and rounder, so the blend can taste a touch more pizza-like if you are heavy-handed with the oregano. Tilting the ratio toward thyme, or adding a pinch of marjoram, softens it in the right direction.

Other hyssop substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Marjoram
Close match
Use the same amount slightly generous
The closest single herb to Syrian oregano and the one to reach for if you only want to open one jar.
What changes
Marjoram is in the same genus as oregano but is sweeter, gentler and more floral, with less of oregano's sharp bite - and that sweet-floral roundness is very much the character of Origanum syriacum. What changes: marjoram is milder overall, so a za'atar made with it tastes softer and slightly less assertive, which most people find pleasant rather than wrong. Be a little generous with the quantity to compensate. Fresh marjoram works too but is much wetter, so it is better in cooked dishes than in a dry blend.
Best for
za'atar blends, flatbreads and manakish, lamb, chicken and roast vegetables, when you want a gentler, sweeter herb note
Buy dried marjoram rather than using fresh for any dry blend, since even slightly damp herb will clump the sesame and sumac and shorten the mix's life. Marjoram loses its aroma faster than oregano in storage, so a very old jar will taste of nothing.
3Dried thyme on its own
Different taste
Use the same amount
Perfectly usable, extremely available, and the reason many recipes translate Origanum syriacum as wild thyme in the first place.
What changes
What changes: thyme is woodier, more resinous and less sweet than Syrian oregano, with a faint minty edge, so the result tastes a little more austere and herbal and a little less rounded. On flatbread with olive oil, in a za'atar blend, or rubbed on chicken it is a completely respectable stand-in that nobody would object to. Lemon thyme, if you have it, is even better here, since the citrus note echoes the sumac that usually accompanies the herb.
Best for
za'atar blends, olive oil dips for bread, roast chicken and potatoes, everyday cooking with pantry herbs
Use the leaf rather than powdered thyme, which tastes flat and turns a blend muddy. Rub it between your fingers as you add it. If the dish will be raw, such as a za'atar and oil dip, a little grated lemon zest alongside the thyme lifts it considerably.
4Mexican oregano
Different taste
About ¾ the quantity
A bolder, more interesting option that works better in cooked dishes than in raw blends.
What changes
Mexican oregano is not botanically an oregano at all and carries a citrusy, faintly liquorice-like note alongside the herbal punch. What changes: it is considerably more assertive than Syrian oregano and its citrus-anise character is distinctive, so a za'atar made with it tastes noticeably different - good, but with a flavour that reads as unfamiliar rather than as the herb it is standing in for. In a marinade, a stew or on grilled meat that boldness is an asset.
Best for
marinades and rubs for grilled meat, stews and cooked dishes, when Mediterranean oregano is all that is on the shelf and you want more depth
Use less than you would of Mediterranean oregano - it is stronger. Not the right choice for a raw za'atar and oil dip, where its individual character has nowhere to hide.
5Summer or winter savory
Different taste
Use the same amount
An underrated match and a good option if you keep it.
What changes
Savory has a thyme-like herbal quality with a distinct peppery bite, which sits close to the wild-thyme end of Syrian oregano's range. What changes: the pepperiness is more pronounced than in Syrian oregano, and the sweet floral top note is absent, so the result is more savoury and less rounded. Summer savory is milder and more suitable; winter savory is stronger and more resinous, so use a lighter hand. Works well rubbed on lamb and in bean dishes as well as in an improvised za'atar.
Best for
lamb, sausages and bean dishes, improvised za'atar blends, roast vegetables
Blend it with a little marjoram if you have both, which supplies the sweetness savory lacks and gets you closer to the Syrian plant.
6Mint with a pinch of sage or anise seed (for true garden hyssop)
Different taste
For 1 tsp dried hyssop: ¾ tsp dried mint plus a small pinch of dried sage or ⅛ tsp crushed anise seed
This is the substitute for Hyssopus officinalis rather than the Syrian plant, and it addresses a genuinely different flavour.
What changes
True hyssop is minty, camphorous, faintly anise-like and distinctly bitter - much closer to a medicinal herb than a cooking one, which is why it appears in Chartreuse and old herbal recipes rather than in dinner. Mint covers the cooling minty core, sage the slightly dusty bitterness, and anise seed the sweet-aromatic edge. What changes: the combination is less bitter and less penetrating than real hyssop, which for most modern palates is an improvement. Nothing tastes exactly like it.
Best for
European recipes and herbal blends calling for true hyssop, herb teas and infusions, flavouring syrups and homemade liqueurs, fatty meats such as duck and pork, where its bitterness cuts richness
Use a light hand and taste as you go. True hyssop is potent and turns unpleasantly bitter if you overdo it or simmer it for a long time, and the same is true of sage. Add it late in cooking or infuse it briefly rather than boiling it hard. Use hyssop and its substitutes as flavourings in normal culinary amounts only.

What is Hyssop?

Hyssop is a name shared by two quite different mint-family herbs: Origanum syriacum, the Syrian oregano or bible hyssop that is the actual plant behind za'atar, and Hyssopus officinalis, garden hyssop, a far more bitter and camphorous European herb used mainly in liqueurs and old herbal blends; either way the job it does is aroma with an edge of bitterness, not salt, acid or body.

Cooking tips

Identify your hyssop before you shop. If the recipe is Levantine, mentions za'atar, manakish, Syrian oregano, wild thyme or Origanum syriacum, you want the oregano-thyme-marjoram family. If it is European, mentions Hyssopus officinalis, appears in a liqueur or an old herbal, or describes the herb as bitter and minty, you want the mint-and-sage approach. Substituting one for the other will not produce anything like the intended flavour.
Dried Syrian oregano is often sold in Middle Eastern shops simply as za'atar, which causes endless confusion. In Arabic the word names both the plant and the finished blend, so a bag labelled za'atar might be plain dried herb leaves or a mixed seasoning with sesame, sumac and salt. Look at it: loose green leaves are the herb, and a mixture flecked with pale seeds and dark red powder is the blend.
Never swap a za'atar blend for the plain herb at 1:1. The blend is already salted and already contains sumac and sesame, so a tablespoon of it in place of a tablespoon of hyssop will over-salt the dish and add a sourness the recipe was not expecting. Conversely, the plain herb in place of the blend will taste dry and flat because the sour and salty elements are missing.
Crumble dried leaves between your palms as you add them. The aromatic oils in oregano, thyme, marjoram and Syrian oregano are held in the leaf and need a little friction and warmth to release, which is why herbs added straight from the jar taste dusty by comparison. For cooked dishes, adding them to warm oil for thirty seconds does the same job better.
If you grow Origanum syriacum, harvest before it flowers and dry it in a dark, airy place rather than in sun, which bleaches out the oils. Dried and stored in a sealed jar away from light it holds its aroma for about a year; garden hyssop dries well too but keeps its bitterness far longer than its perfume, so use it up faster.

Frequently asked questions

Is hyssop the same as za'atar?

Partly, and this is where most confusion begins. The herb Origanum syriacum is known as Syrian oregano or bible hyssop and it is the plant that gives za'atar its name and its herbal flavour, so in a Levantine context hyssop and the za'atar herb are the same thing. But za'atar also refers to the finished blend, which adds toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac and salt to that herb, and those are not interchangeable. Separately, true hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis - is a different plant altogether and does not belong in za'atar.

Can I just leave hyssop out?

Usually yes, since it contributes aroma rather than structure, salt, acid or moisture - the dish will not fail. But aroma is often the whole point: leave the herb out of a za'atar blend and you have sesame and sumac, and leave it out of a flatbread and there is nothing on the bread. Almost any dried oregano, thyme or marjoram in the same quantity will do a better job than omitting it. For a European recipe using true hyssop, omitting it removes a bitter aromatic note that was probably there to cut richness, so a little mint or sage in its place is worth adding.

Is hyssop the same as oregano?

Not the same, but very close in the Levantine case. Origanum syriacum is a genuine member of the oregano genus, so Syrian oregano and Mediterranean oregano are relatives with a family resemblance - the Syrian plant is gentler, sweeter and a little more thyme-like, and Mediterranean oregano is sharper and more pungent. That makes ordinary dried oregano a good substitute, particularly blended with thyme or softened with marjoram. True garden hyssop, on the other hand, is not an oregano and tastes nothing like one.

What is bible hyssop?

It is the common English name for Origanum syriacum, the Syrian oregano used in za'atar, so called because it is widely believed to be the plant referred to as hyssop in the Hebrew Bible - the ezov used for sprinkling. That identification is why the same English word ended up attached to two unrelated herbs, since European translators applied it to Hyssopus officinalis, the plant they knew. If you are cooking from a biblical or Levantine recipe, the herb you want is the oregano-thyme-tasting one, not the bitter European hyssop.

Can I use fresh hyssop instead of dried?

Yes, and the usual herb conversion applies: use about three times as much fresh as dried, so a tablespoon of chopped fresh leaves for a teaspoon of dried. Fresh Syrian oregano is lovely torn over salads, labneh and flatbread. The one place fresh does not work is in a dry za'atar blend, where any moisture will clump the sesame and sumac and cause the mixture to spoil within days. For that, dry the leaves first or buy them dried.

Related substitutes

More spices & herbs substitutes

Hyssop substitute

Other hyssop substitutes

2Marjoram

3Dried thyme on its own

4Mexican oregano

5Summer or winter savory

6Mint with a pinch of sage or anise seed (for true garden hyssop)