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Italian Seasoning: Which Herbs Are in It, Where It Came From, and How to Use It

By · Reviewed · 19 sources

Italian seasoning

Despite the name, that jar of Italian seasoning is most likely American. You’d have a hard time finding a bottle labeled Italian seasoning in an Italian grocery store.1 It’s a blend of dried, crumbled herbs, usually oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and marjoram, often with sage and sometimes savory. The usual kind has no salt, and the mix changes from brand to brand: McCormick’s leads with marjoram, Simply Organic’s with oregano. That first herb on the label tells you which way a blend leans.

At a glance

What it isA blend of dried green herb leaves
Typical herbsOregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage; some brands add savory
Fixed recipe?No. The USDA purchasing specification names five herbs and says the blend is “not limited to” them2
Main aroma compoundsCarvacrol and thymol (oregano, thyme); α-pinene and 1,8-cineole (rosemary); methyl chavicol (basil); thujones (sage)34567
SaltNone in the two brands below, which list herbs only89
Forms soldDried leaf pieces; salt-free “Italian” blends may add garlic and onion
Origin of the blendProbably American, as a commercial product1

Measured values

2 figures, sourced
MeasureValueScopeSource
Moisture, maximum Limit12 %USDA Commercial Item Description A-A-20001C (federal purchase specification), Italian seasoningNot a standard that retail blends must meetams.usda.gov
Particle size, minimum through No. 10 sieve Limit90 %USDA Commercial Item Description A-A-20001C (federal purchase specification), Italian seasoningNot a standard that retail blends must meetams.usda.gov

Each figure is quoted as its source states it, with the samples or standard it applies to. Where sources differ, both are shown; nothing is averaged. All measured values

What is in it

BlendHerbs, in order givenSource
McCormick Italian SeasoningMarjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory and sage8
Simply Organic Italian SeasoningOregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage (all organic)9
USDA purchasing specification (minimum list)Thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil, as pieces of green leaf2
USDA salt-free “Italian” seasoning (minimum list)Garlic, onion, oregano, rosemary, parsley and celery seed2

US labels list ingredients in descending order by weight, so the first herb is the biggest share.10 The two brands above lead with different herbs: marjoram in one, oregano in the other. The federal specification, written for government food purchases, also sets a maximum moisture of 12% and a particle size (90% through a No. 10 sieve).2 Retail blends don’t have to meet it.

Where Italian seasoning comes from

Nobody’s pinned down when the bottled blend first showed up. Tasting Table’s 2024 history says it’s “more than likely an American invention,” or at least popularized in American kitchens, and that you’d have a hard time finding a bottle labeled Italian seasoning in an Italian grocery store. The same article says Italian cooks are more likely to use fresh herbs than dried, and that traditional recipes don’t call for a mix of dried herbs in equal measure.1

The herbs themselves come from different places, according to Kew’s Plants of the World Online:

HerbNative range (Kew)Source
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)Macaronesia to China11
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)Southwest Europe and southeast Italy12
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)Mediterranean13
Sage (Salvia officinalis)Southwest Germany to southern Europe14
Marjoram (Origanum majorana)Southern Türkiye and Cyprus15
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)Tropical and subtropical Asia to northern Australia16

Basil is the outlier. It’s native to Asia, not the Mediterranean.

Flavor and the compounds behind it

A typical blend smells green, resinous and savory. Oregano and thyme give the sharp, warm note, rosemary a piney one, sage a musky depth, and marjoram and basil a sweeter edge. The compounds come from each herb’s essential oil, and the figures describe distilled oils from particular samples, not a teaspoon of dried leaf:

HerbKey compoundsScope and source
OreganoCarvacrol and thymol, together about 78–85% of the oilReview of published analyses3
ThymeThymol and carvacrol, the oil’s characteristic constituentsPROSEA4
Rosemaryα-pinene 13.5–37.7% and 1,8-cineole 16.1–29.3%Oils from plants collected in six countries5
BasilMethyl chavicol (estragole), 53.3% in one French-type oilPROSEA6
Marjoramcis-Sabinene hydrate, credited with the sweet marjoram noteReview17
SageThujones, responsible for sage’s strong smellPROSEA7

Oregano and thyme share the same two phenols, carvacrol and thymol.34

How Italian seasoning is used

It fits Italian-American cooking: tomato sauces, meatballs, homemade sausage, pizza, garlic bread, vinaigrettes, roasted vegetables, soups and stews. Cooks usually add it early to sauces and braises, and stir it into oil for dressings and marinades.

When one herb should lead a dish, single herbs give you more control than a blend with fixed proportions. Tasting Table makes the same point about Italian recipes calling for specific herbs, not an even mix.1 See Italian spices and good spices for pizza.

Buying and quality

  • Check the order of herbs. The first-listed herb dominates. Go with a marjoram-led blend for a sweeter, milder mix and an oregano-led one for a sharper mix.
  • Watch for salt or garlic. Some products sold as “Italian” seasoning add garlic, onion or other ingredients, so read the label if you’re watching salt or want herbs only.
  • Oregano is the most adulterated herb in the EU’s checks. In a 2019–2021 EU coordinated control plan, 48% of oregano samples were at risk of contamination, most often with olive leaves.18 That figure covers samples taken in the EU, not any brand of Italian seasoning.

Storage

No regulator or standards body we found gives a shelf life for Italian seasoning. Keep it sealed, away from heat, light and steam from the stove. Crush a pinch between your fingers: if it smells dusty or faint, it’s lost most of its aroma.

Safety

  • Pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The EU caps these plant toxins at 1,000 µg/kg in dried oregano and marjoram and 400 µg/kg in most other dried herbs.19
  • Health claims. We couldn’t trace claims that Italian seasoning protects against food poisoning, eases digestion or lowers cancer risk to any study of the blend, and we’re not making any health claim for it.

Substitutes and comparisons

The individual herbs: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage and summer savory.

Footnotes

  1. Zoë Lourey-Christianson, “Why Italian Seasoning Isn’t A Thing In Italy (And Where It Actually Came From)”, Tasting Table, 2024. tastingtable.com · Publication ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. Commercial Item Description A-A-20001C, Spices and Spice Blends, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, 2023. ams.usda.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Lombrea et al., “A Recent Insight Regarding the Phytochemistry and Bioactivity of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil”, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. S.H. Widodo, Thymus vulgaris, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Satyal et al., “Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis”, Foods, 2017. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2

  6. Aguilar, Pham and Oyen, Ocimum basilicum, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  7. U.A. Dasuki, Salvia officinalis, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  8. McCormick Italian Seasoning, ingredients, via Giant Food Stores product listing. giantfoodstores.com · Merchant ↩ ↩2

  9. Simply Organic Italian Seasoning, ingredients, via Giant Food Stores product listing. giantfoodstores.com · Merchant ↩ ↩2

  10. 21 CFR 101.4, Food; designation of ingredients. ecfr.gov · Regulator ↩

  11. Origanum vulgare L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  12. Thymus vulgaris L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  13. Salvia rosmarinus Spenn., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  14. Salvia officinalis L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  15. Origanum majorana L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  16. Ocimum basilicum L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  17. Kakouri et al., “Origanum majorana Essential Oil: A Review of Its Chemical Profile and Pesticide Activity”, Life, 2022. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

  18. “Herbs and spices (2019-2021): EU coordinated action”, European Commission, EU Agri-Food Fraud Network. food.ec.europa.eu · Regulator ↩

  19. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food. eur-lex.europa.eu · Regulator ↩