Italian Seasoning substitute

Which dried herbs are actually in your cupboard?

• You have two or more of oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.

  Mix your own and it is not a substitute at all, it is the same thing. Equal parts dried basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary is the standard formula; marjoram and a little sage are common additions. Make extra and keep it in a jar.

  Jump to Homemade Italian Seasoning or Mixed Herbs

• You only have one of them - just oregano, or just basil.

  A single herb still works, because each of these is a real Italian-seasoning note rather than a stand-in for one. Match the character to the dish: oregano for pizza, tomato sauce and anything baked, basil for a lighter sauce, a dressing or courgettes. Oregano is much stronger than the blend, so use about 2/3 as much; basil is milder, so use it measure for measure or a little more.

  Jump to Oregano or Basil

• You have herbes de Provence or a shop-bought pizza seasoning.

  Both land in the right neighbourhood and can go in measure for measure. Herbes de Provence brings thyme, rosemary, marjoram and savory - most of the blend - but many versions include lavender, which turns floral and soapy if you use a heavy hand, so start with 3/4 of the amount and taste. Pizza seasoning is oregano-forward and often contains garlic, onion and salt, so hold back on the salt in the recipe until you have tasted the dish.

  Jump to Herbes de Provence or Pizza Seasoning

• You have fresh herbs rather than dried.

  Use three times as much - 1 tbsp chopped fresh for every 1 tsp of dried - because dried herbs are concentrated. Timing flips as well: dried herbs go in early to soften and open up, fresh herbs go in during the last few minutes or their aroma cooks off. Woody ones like rosemary and thyme can take longer heat; basil should go in at the very end.

  Jump to Fresh Herbs

• All you have is poultry seasoning, fines herbes, or a sweet mixed spice.

  None of these taste Italian, and one of them will ruin the dish. Poultry seasoning is built on sage, which is loud and reads as roast dinner and stuffing rather than pasta - use at most half as much, and only in a meat sauce or a meatball, never in a bright tomato sauce. Fines herbes is chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon; the tarragon brings aniseed and the delicate herbs collapse under any real heat, so use it raw in a dressing if at all. Mixed spice, sometimes labelled mixed spices, is a sweet baking blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove - it is not a herb blend and does not belong in a savoury Italian dish at any amount. If that is genuinely all you have, leave the seasoning out and lean on garlic, black pepper and a bay leaf instead.

  Jump to Poultry Seasoning, Fines Herbes or Mixed Spices

Italian Seasoning is Blend of dried herbs commonly used in Italian cooking, typically including basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

• Italian Seasoning Substitute: for Every Recipe
• Herbes de Provence Substitute for Italian Seasoning
• Homemade Italian Seasoning Substitute: DIY Herb Blend Recipe
• Oregano Substitutes for Italian Seasoning
• Italian Seasoning Substitute for Pasta: Best Alternatives

• Oregano Seasoning substitutes
• Basil substitutes
• Thyme substitutes
• Rosemary substitutes
• Poultry Seasoning substitutes
• Fines Herbes substitutes
• Bay Leaves substitutes
• Cilantro substitutes