Za'atar substitutes
Za'atar substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called zaatar, za'atar spice, zatar, zahtar, za'tar, zaatar seasoning, Lebanese za'atar, Middle Eastern thyme blend
Use Oregano + toasted sesame + lemon zest
Per 1 tbsp za'atar
1 tsp oregano + 1 tsp toasted sesame + ½ tsp lemon zest
Mix it yourself. Per 1 tbsp of za'atar, stir together 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest and 1/8 tsp salt. If you happen to own ground sumac, use ½ tsp of that in place of the zest - that is the sour note the blend is actually built on.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Toast the sesame seeds first in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they smell nutty and the palest ones turn gold, then tip them onto a cold plate to stop them cooking
- Best for —
- when there is no sumac in the house
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Checked 23 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the za'atar doing?
Pick your caseIs the za'atar going on raw at the end, or into something that gets cooked?
Nothing hides here, so the sour note matters most. Mix 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and ½ tsp lemon zest per tablespoon and stir it up just before you serve - zest goes dull and slightly bitter within a day.
Notes on oregano + toasted sesame + lemon zest or oregano + toasted sesame + sumac
1 tsp oregano + 1 tsp toasted sesame + ½ tsp lemon zest per 1 tbsp za'atar
Dry oven heat is forgiving and the sesame seeds toast further as they roast, so a rougher mix works. Mix the blend into the oil first rather than dusting it on dry, or the seeds scorch. Dukkah is a genuinely good stand-in in this one case.
Notes on oregano + toasted sesame + sumac or dukkah
1 tsp + 1 tsp + ½ tsp
The recipe's lemon is already doing the sour job, so you only need the herb and the sesame: 1 ½ tsp dried thyme plus 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame per tablespoon. Leave the sumac and the zest out rather than making the sauce sour twice.
Notes on dried thyme + toasted sesame seeds
1 ½ tsp + 1 ½ tsp
There is no swap, because the blend is the dish. Mix the homemade version above, or bake the flatbread with olive oil, salt and dried oregano and serve it as the dish it now is.
Do not start from which jar looks most like za'atar. Start from the three jobs the blend is doing: the dried herb for aroma, the toasted sesame for crunch, and the sumac for a dry sourness. A single correct herb plus toasted sesame plus something sour beats any ready-made blend containing a wrong herb - which is why plain oregano and lemon zest works and Herbes de Provence does not. And if the dish is named after the za'atar, mix the blend rather than swapping it.
Za'atar is three things at once: dried herb for aroma, toasted sesame for crunch and nutty depth, and sumac for a dry lemony sourness. Leave the sour part out and it tastes flat and dusty.
Acidprimary
Sumac is a ground, tart berry, so it delivers a lemony sourness with no liquid at all - that is how za'atar tastes bright on dry flatbread or on oil without anything wet being added.
Saltsecondary
Most jars sold as za'atar are salted, and some are salted heavily, so a spoonful swapped in can change the seasoning of the whole dish before you have added any of the recipe's own salt.
Aroma & flavor identityprimary
The dried thyme or oregano is the smell you recognise, and the toasted sesame sits under it - which is why an untoasted or generic herb mix reads as pizza seasoning rather than za'atar.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 tbsp za'atar| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 tbsp za'atar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregano + toasted sesame + lemon zestwhen there is no sumac in the house | 1 tsp dried oregano + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest + 1/8 tsp fine saltTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Oregano + toasted sesame + sumacwhen ground sumac is already in your spice rack | 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ½ tsp ground sumac + 1/8 tsp fine saltTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Dried thyme + toasted sesame seedsmarinades, dressings and yoghurt sauces that already contain lemon | 1 ½ tsp + 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds + 1/8 tsp fine saltYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Dukkahroast vegetables and roast meat, where its coriander and cumin suit the dish | 1 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Ground sumacwhen sumac is the only Middle Eastern jar you own | ½ to 1 tsp ground sumacYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Italian seasoning + sesame + lemon zestwhen there is no single-herb jar in the cupboard at all | 1 tsp + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest + 1/8 tsp fine saltYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Herbes de Provence | not at any amount — no workable amount - the lavender is the problem, not the quantityNot for this | Not for this |
Oregano + toasted sesame + lemon zest
brighter and more floral than sumac's dried-fruit sourness
The version you can build from a normal kitchen: the herb carries the smell, the toasted sesame carries the crunch, and lemon zest stands in for sumac's sourness.
- Covers
- Acid
- Salt
- Aroma & flavor identity
- Amount
- 1 tsp dried oregano + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest + 1/8 tsp fine salt for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- toast the sesame seeds first in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they smell nutty and the palest ones turn gold, then tip them onto a cold plate to stop them cooking
- Best for
- when there is no sumac in the house, sprinkling raw over labneh, hummus, feta or eggs, flatbread and olive-oil dips
- Taste
- brighter and more floral than sumac's dried-fruit sourness, and the sour note fades faster on the plate
- Texture
- the same, as long as you toasted the sesame - that crunch is most of what people notice
- Look
- flecks of yellow zest instead of dark red sumac dust, so the blend reads green-and-gold rather than green-and-red
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
- Contains
- sesame
- Zest only the coloured outside of the lemon. The white pith underneath is bitter and there is no fixing it once it is in the bowl.
- Mix the zest into the portion you are about to eat, not into a jar. It loses its edge within a day, while the dry ingredients keep for months.
- Dried thyme works exactly as well as oregano here; use whichever jar is fuller.
- Avoiding sesame? Use 1 ½ tsp dried oregano plus ½ tsp lemon zest and accept that the blend is smooth rather than crunchy.
Toasting the sesame is not an optional refinement. Raw seeds are chewy and taste of almost nothing, and they are the difference between this mix and a bowl of dried oregano.
Oregano + toasted sesame + sumac
this is the reference point, so nothing changes - it tastes like za'atar
The same three parts a jar of za'atar is made of, so if sumac is already in your rack this is not really a substitute at all - it is the blend.
- Covers
- Acid
- Salt
- Aroma & flavor identity
- Amount
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ½ tsp ground sumac + 1/8 tsp fine salt for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes and cool them before mixing; sumac goes in off the heat, never into a hot pan
- Best for
- when ground sumac is already in your spice rack, roast chicken, lamb and cauliflower, making a batch to keep in a jar
- Texture
- the same, given toasted seeds
- Look
- the dark red sumac dust is what gives a jar of za'atar its brick colour, so this version looks right on the bread
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
- Contains
- sesame
- Scale it up: 2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme plus 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus 1 tbsp ground sumac plus ½ tsp fine salt makes about 5 tbsp.
- Buy ground culinary sumac, Rhus coriaria - the deep red powder sold for cooking. It is the only sumac used in food.
- Keep the jar out of the light and use it within about three months; it is the sesame that goes stale first, not the herb.
Ranked below the lemon-zest mix only because most kitchens missing za'atar are also missing sumac. If you have both jars, mix this one.
Dried thyme + toasted sesame seeds
herby and nutty but flat - the lift that makes za'atar recognisable is not there
The herb-and-seed half of za'atar with the sourness left out on purpose, for dishes that already have lemon in them.
- Covers
- Salt
- Aroma & flavor identity
- Misses
- Acid — not covered
- Amount
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme + 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds + 1/8 tsp fine salt for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- toast the sesame 2-3 minutes in a dry pan and cool it before mixing
- Best for
- marinades, dressings and yoghurt sauces that already contain lemon, when you want the herb and the crunch without adding more acid, sprinkling on top of something already dressed with lemon
- Texture
- the same crunch from the sesame
- Look
- plain green and gold, with none of the red flecks
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
- Contains
- sesame
- Only leave the sour element out when the recipe supplies its own acid. In a dry sprinkle over labneh or bread you will taste the gap immediately.
- Use 1 ½ tsp of each rather than 1 tsp, so the volume still matches what the recipe called for.
This is a deliberate partial swap, not a poor one - doubling the acid in a lemony dressing is a more common mistake than leaving it out.
Only in dishes that already contain lemon juice or vinegar. On its own it is dried thyme with seeds in it.
Dukkah
warm, nutty and faintly cumin-scented instead of herby and lemony
An Egyptian nut-and-seed blend, usually hazelnut or almond with sesame, coriander and cumin - built the same way as za'atar and used the same way, but warm and nutty rather than herby and sour.
- Covers
- Salt
- Aroma & flavor identity
- Misses
- Acid — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tbsp dukkah for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- add ¼ tsp lemon zest or a squeeze of lemon over the finished dish if it needs lifting
- Best for
- roast vegetables and roast meat, where its coriander and cumin suit the dish, scattering over dips and flatbread when you want crunch above all, when it is the only Middle Eastern blend in the cupboard
- Taste
- warm, nutty and faintly cumin-scented instead of herby and lemony; good on its own terms and clearly a different blend
- Texture
- coarser and crunchier, because of the chopped nuts
- Look
- beige and brown rather than green flecked with red
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free
- Contains
- sesame, tree nuts
- Finish the dish with lemon. Dukkah has no sour element at all, and that is the one thing it cannot borrow from za'atar.
- Check your jar for salt before you add any of the recipe's own.
Most dukkah contains hazelnuts or almonds, so it is the one option here that is unsafe for a nut allergy.
Fine on roast vegetables and bread. Do not use it where za'atar's sourness is the point, such as on labneh or in a fattoush.
Ground sumac
sour and fruity with none of the herb behind it
The sour part of the blend on its own. It gets you the lemony brightness and none of the herb or the crunch.
- Covers
- Acid
- Misses
- Aroma & flavor identity — not covered
- Amount
- ½ to 1 tsp ground sumac for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- start at ½ tsp and taste - undiluted sumac is far more sour by the spoonful than za'atar, which is only about a fifth sumac
- Best for
- when sumac is the only Middle Eastern jar you own, finishing grilled meat, onions or a fattoush, when a sesame allergy rules out every blend on this page
- Taste
- sour and fruity with none of the herb behind it, so the dish tastes lemony rather than aromatic
- Texture
- no crunch at all - it is a fine powder
- Look
- an even brick-red dusting rather than green flecked with red and gold
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Use ½ tsp per tablespoon called for, not a level tablespoon. Za'atar is only about one part sumac to four parts herb and seed.
- If you also have any dried oregano or thyme, add 1 tsp of it and you have made the second option on this page instead.
This is also the sesame-free answer here, which matters because sesame is a major allergen and it is in every real za'atar.
Fine as a finishing sourness. It cannot carry a dish that leans on the herb, such as a za'atar flatbread.
Italian seasoning + sesame + lemon zest
recognisably Italian rather than Levantine
A last resort when the only herb jar in the house is a mixed Italian blend. The oregano and thyme in it are right; the basil, rosemary and marjoram are not.
- Covers
- Acid
- Salt
- Misses
- Aroma & flavor identity — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds + ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest + 1/8 tsp fine salt for 1 tbsp za'atar
- Then
- pick the basil and rosemary out of the Italian seasoning if you can see them - they are what make it read as pizza
- Best for
- when there is no single-herb jar in the cupboard at all, roast potatoes and roast vegetables, where the difference matters least, getting something on the plate tonight
- Taste
- recognisably Italian rather than Levantine - the basil and rosemary come through and take the dish somewhere else
- Texture
- the sesame still gives the crunch
- Look
- a coarser, darker green mix with visible rosemary needles
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
- Contains
- sesame
- Use only 1 tsp of the blend, not 1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning is louder than plain oregano and the extra herbs pull the dish sideways.
- Do not use this on labneh, hummus or flatbread, where there is nothing else to taste.
If the jar contains rosemary, this option gets noticeably worse. Rosemary is the one herb in the blend that nothing in za'atar resembles.
Roast vegetables and roast meat only. It is not a swap for a raw sprinkle.
Herbes de Provence
perfumed and floral
It looks like the right kind of jar and it is not. Most Herbes de Provence contains dried lavender, and lavender is unmistakable in a savoury dish.
- Misses
- Acid — not covered
- Aroma & flavor identity — not covered
- Amount
- No workable amount - the lavender is the problem, not the quantityper 1 tbsp za'atar
- Best for
- nothing on this page - listed because it is the jar people reach for by mistake
- Taste
- perfumed and floral, closer to soap than to za'atar once there is any quantity of it
- Texture
- similar, though there is no sesame in it
- Look
- grey-green with pale lavender buds visible in the mix
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Use dried oregano or dried thyme on its own instead. A single correct herb beats a blend containing a wrong one.
If your jar genuinely has no lavender in it, it is closer to a plain herb mix and you can treat it as Italian seasoning above.
There is no amount that works. Reach past it for the plain oregano.
Don’t swap it here
4 cases- Man'oushe za'atar flatbread, za'atar bread, or any dish that is named after the blend.Mix the homemade version - oregano, toasted sesame, sumac or lemon zest - or bake the bread with olive oil, salt and dried oregano and serve it as the dish it now is.
- Dusting any dry blend straight onto bread or vegetables going into a hot oven.Stir the blend into olive oil first, about 1 tbsp blend to 2 tbsp oil, and spread that. Or bake plain and scatter the za'atar on the moment it comes out.
- Swapping a salted commercial blend in spoon for spoon and then adding the recipe's salt as written.Taste a pinch of your blend on its own first. If it tastes salty, leave the recipe's salt out entirely and add it at the table.
- Using fresh thyme or oregano leaves spoon for spoon in place of the dried herb.Use dried. If fresh is genuinely all you have, use about three times the volume, mix it with oil into a paste, and use it the same day.
Safety
1 note- Allergen
Sesame is a major food allergen and it is in every genuine za'atar, as well as in dukkah. If you are cooking for a sesame allergy, use the sumac option on this page, or oregano with sumac and no seeds. Dukkah also contains hazelnuts or almonds.
If it went wrong
4 fixes- The blend tastes dusty and flat.There is no sour element in it - either your jar is short on sumac or you left the sumac and zest out.Stir in ¼ tsp ground sumac or ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest per tablespoon of blend and taste again. Sourness is what makes it read as za'atar rather than as dried herbs.
- The sesame seeds are chewy and taste of nothing.They went in raw, or they were toasted and then shut in a container while still warm, which steams them soft again.Toast a fresh spoonful for 2-3 minutes in a dry pan, spread them on a cold plate until completely cool, then mix.
- The za'atar on the flatbread went bitter and looks scorched.Dry blend met direct oven heat. Sesame burns quickly and sumac turns acrid.Scrape the burnt topping off and start the topping again - burnt sesame cannot be diluted out. Next time mix 1 tbsp of blend with 2 tbsp olive oil into a loose paste before spreading it.
- The whole dish is too salty now that the za'atar is on it.A salted commercial blend went on top of a dish already seasoned to taste.Add something unsalted and bulky - more yoghurt, more bread, more oil, more tomato - rather than trying to correct the seasoning. Taste the blend on its own next time before you salt the dish.
Measure it
7 measures- Za'atar batch2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme + 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds + 1 tbsp ground sumac + ½ tsp fine saltMakes about 5 tbsp. Kept away from light it stays good roughly three months; the sesame goes stale before the herb does.
- Per 1 tbsp za'atar1 tsp herb + 1 tsp toasted sesame + ½ tsp sumac + 1/8 tsp saltEvery amount on this page comes out of that one line.
- Toasting sesame seeds2-3 minutes in a dry pan over medium heatStop when they smell nutty and the palest ones turn gold. They keep colouring in the hot pan, so tip them straight onto a cold plate.
- Dried herb to fresh1 tsp dried = about 1 tbsp freshDrying removes the water, so dried herbs are roughly three times as strong by volume.
- Sumac to lemon zest½ tsp ground sumac stands in for ½ tsp finely grated lemon zestClose on sourness, not on keeping. Zest dulls and turns faintly bitter within a day, so add it to the portion rather than the jar.
- Sumac in the blendabout one part sumac to four parts herb and sesameThis is why a level tablespoon of sumac on its own tastes far more sour than a tablespoon of za'atar.
- Za'atar the herb and za'atar the blendin the Levant the word names the wild thyme or hyssop as well as the mixtureA jar sold as za'atar is almost always the mixture, with sesame and sumac in it.
Questions
8 questionsWhat is the best za'atar substitute?
Mix your own from what you already have: per tablespoon of za'atar, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest and 1/8 tsp salt. If ground sumac is in your spice rack, use ½ tsp of it instead of the zest and you have essentially made za'atar rather than substituted for it.
What is za'atar made of?
A dried herb - thyme, oregano or hyssop depending on where the blend comes from - plus toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac and salt. A workable batch is 2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme, 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp ground sumac and ½ tsp fine salt, which makes about 5 tbsp. Some blends also carry a little cumin or dried marjoram.
Can I make zaatar without sumac?
Yes, using finely grated lemon zest: ½ tsp of zest per tablespoon of blend does sumac's job of adding sourness without adding liquid. Zest only the coloured outer skin, since the white pith is bitter, and mix it into the portion you are about to eat rather than into a storage jar, because zest dulls within a day while the dry ingredients keep for months.
Is za'atar the same as sumac?
No. Sumac is one ingredient, a tart ground berry, and it is one of the four things in za'atar. Za'atar is the finished blend of herb, sesame, sumac and salt. If you have sumac and nothing else, use ½ tsp per tablespoon of za'atar called for - it gives you the sourness but none of the herb or the crunch.
Can I use Italian seasoning instead of za'atar?
Only as a last resort, and only on roast vegetables or roast meat. The oregano and thyme in it are right but the basil, rosemary and marjoram are not, so the dish comes out tasting Italian. Use 1 tsp Italian seasoning plus 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds plus ¼ tsp lemon zest per tablespoon, and never use it for a raw sprinkle where there is nothing else to taste.
Is za'atar spicy?
No. There is no chilli in a traditional blend, so it is herby, nutty and sour rather than hot. That matters when you are choosing a substitute: matching heat is not part of the job, and reaching for a chilli-based blend takes the dish somewhere else entirely.
Does za'atar contain sesame or nuts?
Sesame, yes - toasted sesame seeds are one of the core ingredients, and sesame is a major allergen. Traditional za'atar contains no nuts. Dukkah, which is sometimes suggested in its place, does contain hazelnuts or almonds. For a sesame-free version, use ground sumac with dried oregano and no seeds.
How do I use za'atar on bread?
Stir it into olive oil first, roughly 1 tbsp of blend to 2 tbsp of oil, and spread that on the dough before baking. Dusting the dry blend straight onto bread in a hot oven scorches the sesame and turns the sumac bitter. You can also bake the bread plain and scatter the blend over the moment it comes out.
Tips for substituting za'atar
6 tips- Mix za'atar with olive oil into a loose paste before it goes on bread or into the oven, about 1 tbsp blend to 2 tbsp oil. Dry blend on dry dough scorches; the oil protects the sesame and the sumac.
- Toast the sesame seeds yourself, 2-3 minutes in a dry pan until they smell nutty. This one step is the difference between a mix that tastes like za'atar and a mix that tastes like dried oregano.
- Sumac is what makes za'atar sour rather than merely herby. If you buy one extra jar to make this blend properly, that is the jar.
- Lemon zest matches sumac on sourness but not on shelf life, so add zest to the portion you are about to eat rather than to the jar.
- Taste a pinch of any commercial za'atar on its own before you add the recipe's salt. Jars run from unsalted to very salty and there is no correcting a dry topping afterwards.
- Za'atar goes on at the end or on the plate. Long simmering flattens the herb and turns the sumac bitter, so it is not a spice you build a sauce on.