Herbs are important for making a recipe better and flavourful. It gives a unique flavor to the dish. Sometimes, you may struggle to find the main ingredient Thyme in your kitchen. You can use other herbs as a Thyme substitute so that the flavor remains almost the same as you expect from Thyme. We have a list of substitutes for Thyme, you can choose what you have accordingly. Before going to know about its substitutes, you should know what is Thyme, actually?
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What is Thyme, Actually?
Thyme is the most culinary herb. It is the main ingredient in many Mediterranean and French recipes. It has an almost minty flavor. Thyme has many varieties. Have you heard about Lemon Thyme? Which gives a lemon flavor and aroma. There are so many health benefits of eating Thyme.
Nutrition Profile of Thyme:-
- 38% of dietary fiber,
- 27% of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine),
- 266% of vitamin-C,
- 158% of vitamin-A,
- 218% of iron,
- 40% of calcium,
- 40% of magnesium, and
- 75% of manganese
Health Benefits of Thyme:-
- Thyme helps to reduce high blood pressure.
- It also protects against Colon Cancer.
- Wild Thyme is best for reducing breast cancer activity.
- It reduces acne bacterias and protects from other skin problems.
What Can I Substitute for Thyme?
Every ingredient has its own substitute. So, it won’t be right to say that you can’t prepare your recipe without Thyme. There are so many substitutes available around you. You just need to choose what you have right now. You don’t need to go anywhere to find the best substitute. We have already listed all the best substitutes for Thyme here. All these substitutes are exterminated by good cooks. So, you don’t need to worry, it won’t ruin your recipe/dish.
Fresh Herbs:-
1. Marjoram:
Marjoram belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The taste of Marjoram is similar to Thyme. Marjoram is sweeter and has a strong aroma. It has fuzzy and green leaves. These leaves grow opposite from one another. You should be careful when adding Marjoram to your recipe because it is powerful to Thyme. You should add a small amount of Marjoram to your dish in starting.
2. Rosemary:
Rosemary mostly grows in the United States as well as Europe. This is the most popular herb around the world. This little shrub belongs to the mint family. If you are cooking chicken and soup, you can use 3/4 of the Rosemary. It has lots of health benefits. It improves digestion and blood circulation.
3. Savory:
Savory is also an herb. It is mostly used in Italian and French cuisines. Savory may be harder to available in some stores than the other herbs. It is almost similar to Thyme. Savory has a peppery flavor profile. To give the best taste to your recipe/dish, you should add some other herbs like rosemary and bay leaf. You can take a similar amount of savory when you use it fresh or dried in place of fresh and dried Thyme.
4. Lemon Grass:
Lemon Grass belongs to South India and Sri Lanka. This herb has so many health benefits. Drinking Lemon Grass tea helps to decrease anxiety. It prevents infection of cold and boosts red blood cells level. Lemon Grass is mostly used in curry and soups. This gives a citrus flavor with a hint of mint. It also has a soothing fragrance.
5. Oregano:
Whenever you eat pasta or pizza and a seasoning definitely comes to your mind i.e Oregano. It is also an herb. Dried Oregano is used as a seasoning and fresh Oregano is used as an ingredient in food recipes. Oregano leaves are large in size than Thyme. Fresh Oregano tastes similar to Thyme.
6. Tarragon:
Tarragon is a grass-like herb. The mild taste of Tarragon is similar to that Thyme. Everyone likes its bitter and sweet flavor as well. If you want to use dried Tarragon, one tablespoon of Tarragon is enough in place of one tablespoon of Thyme.
7. Basil:
Basil is a versatile herb. It belongs to the same family as Thyme. It has a little more intense flavor to Thyme. Basil works really well in Thyme dishes/recipes. It works perfectly when you are cooking a recipe with tomatoes because tomatoes hold their distinctive aroma. In starting, you can take a small amount of Basil so that it won’t exceed the flavor of its own than the whole recipe/dish.
8. Parsley:
Parsley is a popular herb. It is mainly used in curry dishes like fish and chicken, soups, and salads too. It is also a good substitute for cilantro. As you know parsley is highly nutritious. It is low in calories but rich in vitamins A, K & C. Yeah! you can use Parsley as a Thyme replacement. You can take the same amount of parsley in place of Thyme.
9. Dill:
Dill is really interesting. It makes recipes/dishes delicious through its lovely flavor. Dill belongs to the Parsley family, but it’s slightly different from Thyme. Dill seeds are used as an ingredient in some dishes/recipes. It gives a very rich flavor of Dill to Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines.
10. Sage:
Sage is a favorable herb and it is easily available at grocery stores. The minty and bitter flavor of sage is perfect for chicken. If sage is available in your kitchen, you can use it as a substitute for Thyme without thinking much about the taste. Use only a little amount of sage if you are using dried sage in your recipe. Using more than what your recipe required, would give an overpoweringly bitter taste.
Dried Herbs:-
11. Italian Seasoning:
Italian Seasoning is a popular herbal mixture that originated from the Mediterranean. It contains marjoram, basil, savory, sage, rosemary, and oregano. This blend is complex, when you mix it with your recipe/dish, it ends up with a delicious flavor.
12. Herbes de Provence:
Herbes de Provence is similar to Italian Seasoning because it is also a good blend of several spices and herbs. Some popular herbs like basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaf, and savory. It also includes lavender flower that makes Herbes de Provence slightly different from Italian Seasoning. Now, you know that this contains some Thyme alternatives which give a surety to use herbs de provence in a recipe/dish. Sometimes, this blend is used as an all-purpose seasoning for recipes like pasta sauce, meatballs, poultry dishes, seafood, pizza sauce, etc.
13. Poultry Seasoning:
Poultry Seasoning is not only a mixture of sage, nutmeg, rosemary, marjoram, and black pepper but also thyme. As it contains nutmeg which adds more flavor to the recipe mainly to the poultry recipes/dishes. It enhances the flavor of meat and other poultry recipes. It is also used for lamb, pork, and veal to give the nutty and some kind of tanginess. Some additional ingredients that might be added are garlic powder, ground pepper, basil, celery seed, onion powder, and parsley.
14. Za’atar:
Za’atar contains different varieties of a mixture of spiced herbs including marjoram, oregano, sesame seeds (toasted), sumac, and thyme. The mixture has a toasty and tangy herbal taste that gives a great flavor to the seasoning meat and poultry. This is the dried spice blend you should use as a Thyme substitute. You should use less salt in your recipe because Za’atar is salty in nature.
15. Bay Leaf:
Bay Leaf is an excellent choice for adding optimal flavor to the dish. It is mainly used in soup, stews, sauces, and curry dishes/recipes. It is perfect for poultry dishes. In some Asian countries like India and Thailand, it is also used to give a milder flavor to the rice. You have to cook longer to come out perfect taste of dried leaves.
FAQ:-
Is dried Thyme stronger than fresh Thyme?
Yes, the dried Thyme is stronger than the fresh Thyme.
What is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of fresh Thyme to dried?
There is a general rule of thumb to keep in mind when you are cooking something with herbs. You should take the 1:2 ratio of fresh Thyme to dried one. There is a reason behind it. Dried herbs are more concentrated than the fresh ones. So, you need to take the less quantity of dried herb to the fresh one.
Does lemon Thyme repel mosquitoes?
Yes, lemon Thyme repels mosquitoes only when it is used crushed and rub on your skin. It is a good mosquito repellent that has 62% of mosquito repellent activity.
What flavor is similar to Thyme?
There are some herbs that have an almost similar flavor to Thyme. Savory, Marjoram and Oregano have somewhat similar flavors that work really well in some recipes that call for Thyme.
Now, you know the best substitute for Thyme. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also buy from amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂
