Italian Seasoning is the most popular spice blend that is used in lots of recipes/dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna, pasta salads, dressings, and more. You may find it easily at grocery stores. If you are cooking a recipe that calls for Italian Seasoning and you run out of it, you can use its substitutes so that your recipe won’t be ruined and it would also give a smiliar taste to the Italian Seasoning. We are going to talk about the best Italian Seasoning substitute later in paragraphs. You must check its health benefits before going ahead.
What is Italian Seasoning?
Italian Seasoning is a combination of different types of herbs such as basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and parsley. It’s a common seasoning you may find in Italian cooking. Some Italian Seasoning contains black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Health Benefits of Italian Seasoning:
- Italian Seasoning has good antioxidant properties.
- It’s a good metabolism booster.
- Italian Seasoning helps to form Red Blood Cells.
- It increases the blood flow and oxygenation of organs.
- Italian Seasoning helps to improve memory too.
What can I substitute for Italian Seasoning?
Are you looking for an Italian Seasoning substitute? If yes, then you are at the right place. Here, we have listed the best substitute for Italian Seasoning. Now, you don’t need to visit a grocery store in between your cooking process. You can choose according to what you have right now in your kitchen/pantry.
1. Herbes de Provence:
Herbs de Provence is a seasoning that is made from savory, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. There might or might not be added some lavender flour in this seasoning. You can use this seasoning for salad dressings, but mainly it’s used for roast chicken, roast lamb, grilled fish, and roasted vegetables. You can use this seasoning in the same ratio of 1:1 as a substitute for Italian Seasoning.
2. Dried Basil and Oregano:
A mixture of Dried Basil and Oregano works perfectly as a replacement for Italian Seasoning in a recipe. The savor and sweet taste of Basil help to make it a perfect combination. Oregano has a sharp flavor with a bit of a bitter taste. You have to take a similar quantity in a container and mix it well. Your seasoning is ready to use for roasting chicken, lamb, etc.
3. Dried Basil, Oregano, and Thyme:
As we have said above only having Dried Basil and Oregano, can make a good alternative to Italian Seasoning. If you have another herb like Thyme, you can also add it to the mixture of Dried Basil and Oregano. Thyme has a sharp minty flavor with sweet and peppery floral traces. You can take 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of basil, and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Mix all of them in a container and use them in roasted fish, chicken, or Tuscan potatoes.
4. Fresh Herbs:
If you have a garden, then you can use fresh herbs. Try using fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process to garnish the dish. It will brighten the dish and will work as a sub for Italian seasoning. Dried herbs contain a more concentrated flavor than fresh ones. Using 1 1/2 part of fresh herbs for 1 part of dried herbs will give a similar flavor. Basil, Sage, Oregano, Thyme, and Mint are common herbs that can be easily found in your garden and work well in your recipe.
5. Herbes de la Garrigue:
Herbes de la Garrigue is similar to the Herbes de Provence. It contains basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, and thyme, but this mixture adds two more herbs bay leaf powder and mint. It doesn’t have a floral flavor, unlike the Herbes de Provence. If you are making stew, sausages, or beans, then you would know how pretty well this blend works as a great replacement.
6. Pizza Seasoning:
Many of us have this seasoning in our pantry because pizza is the most popular food and most eatable too. If you have this seasoning in hand, you can check the label for ingredients added these seasonings are the common ingredients that are used in Italian Seasoning. You can also mix this seasoning with tomato sauce to get the complex flavor. You can use this seasoning in the same ratio of 1:1 as an alternative to Italian Seasoning.
7. Greek Seasoning:
Greek Seasoning contains garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, marjoram, and thyme. Not only the herbs but also spices like basil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon work well in this seasoning. The savory taste with minty and peppery traces makes it perfect for salads, veggies, beef, turkey, lamb, and chicken. You can also make a dip for vegetables by using Green Seasoning with Greek yogurt and lemon.
8. Za’atar:
Za’atar is another substitute you can use in place of Italian Seasoning. The main ingredient of this blend is Oregano. It also includes thyme and marjoram as well as sumac and sesame seeds. Sumac gives a tangy flavor to the blend.
9. Creole Seasoning:
Creole Seasoning contains oregano, basil, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper. This seasoning is for those who like spicy food. If you don’t like spicy food then don’t use it in a recipe as an Italian Seasoning substitute. It is ideal for soups, stews, salad, rice, shrimp, gumbo, jambalaya, and burgers.
10. Homemade Italian seasoning with Black Pepper:
Homemade Italian Seasoning contains basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder. Using black pepper in this blend makes it a good replacement for Italian Seasoning.
11. Homemade Italian seasoning with Fennel Seed:
Fennel Seeds have a sweet aniseed flavor and it’s a common spice in spice mixes. You’ll need 2 tablespoons of oregano, basil, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of Fennel Seeds. Add some dried herbs to this mixture and blend it well and use it as an Italian Seasoning alternative.
12. Homemade Italian seasoning with Sage:
Normally, a Homemade Italian Seasoning contains rosemary, oregano, basil, and thyme. Using sage in this blend will give a peppery taste with traces of lemon, mint, and eucalyptus. You just only need 1 teaspoon of each sage, thyme, and rosemary, 2 tablespoons of basil, and 3 tablespoons of Oregano. Blend well until you get the desired consistency of this seasoning. Your seasoning is ready to use.
Now, you know the best Italian Seasoning Substitute. 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. 🙂
