Onion Salt Substitute: How Much to Use

Out of onion salt? It’s mostly salt, with onion on top. McCormick’s carries 440 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon,¹ about three-quarters of the 590 mg in the same measure of Morton’s iodized table salt.² So for every teaspoon the recipe calls for, use 3/4 teaspoon of table salt plus a little onion powder. Get the salt wrong and the dish ends up bland or oversalted. The onion is more forgiving.

Quick answer

What onion salt is doing	Best substitute	Per 1 teaspoon onion salt	Treatment
Salt plus onion in a dry use: rubs, fries, popcorn, bread	Table salt plus onion powder	3/4 tsp table salt and 1/2 to 3/4 tsp onion powder	Computed (salt) and Attributed (onion)
Salt plus onion in a wet dish: soups, dressings, dips	Table salt plus grated fresh onion	3/4 tsp table salt and about 3 Tbsp chopped onion	Computed (salt) and Attributed (onion)
A ready-made shaker	Seasoned salt or celery salt	Same volume, plus a pinch of salt with celery salt	Computed (sodium) and Method

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

The salt figures come from the sodium on brand labels. They match sodium, not flavor. No label gives the proportion of salt to onion in an onion salt, so the onion figures come from NDSU Extension’s substitution chart, which treats 1 1/3 teaspoons of onion salt, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1 to 2 tablespoons of minced dried onion as each equal to one small onion.³

Match the salt first

Salt (Computed): One teaspoon of McCormick onion salt carries about 1,760 mg of sodium (4 × 440 mg).¹ One teaspoon of Morton table salt carries 2,360 mg (4 × 590 mg).² To match the sodium, use 3/4 teaspoon of table salt for each teaspoon of onion salt.

Using a different brand? Divide its sodium per 1/4 teaspoon by 590, and that’s your teaspoons of table salt per teaspoon of onion salt. Kosher and flaky salts hold less salt per spoon, because fewer big crystals fit,⁴ so if you use one, add a little more by volume and taste.

If onion salt is seasoning a dry dish

1. Table salt plus onion powder

This is the closest swap, since onion salt is just salt plus dried onion.¹ Plain onion powder adds almost no sodium of its own: 73 mg per 100 g in USDA’s data.⁵

Onion (Attributed): By NDSU’s chart, 1 1/3 teaspoons of onion salt and 1 teaspoon of onion powder do the same job,³ which by our math comes to 3/4 teaspoon of onion powder per teaspoon of onion salt. That chart is an onion equivalent, not a recipe for the blend, and it may give you more onion than your jar did. Start with 1/2 teaspoon of powder alongside the 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and add the rest after tasting.

Stir the two together before you measure them into a rub, so the salt and onion spread evenly.

2. Table salt plus dried minced onion

Onion (Attributed): NDSU’s chart gives 1 to 2 tablespoons of minced dried onion for the same small onion as 1 1/3 teaspoons of onion salt.³ By our math, that’s about 2 1/4 to 4 1/2 teaspoons of minced onion per teaspoon of onion salt. NMSU’s chart, which has no onion salt row, sets 1 tablespoon of instant minced onion against a small onion,⁶ which lands at NDSU’s low end. Start there. Grind it first for a rub or a smooth dressing. For how dried minced onion compares with powder, where the extension charts disagree, see onion powder substitutes.

Add the 3/4 teaspoon of table salt as above.

If onion salt is seasoning a wet dish

Table salt plus fresh onion

In soups, stews, dressings and dips, fresh onion works fine and blends into the liquid.

Onion (Attributed): NDSU sets 1 1/3 teaspoons of onion salt against one small onion, or 1/4 cup of chopped fresh onion.³ Per teaspoon of onion salt, that’s about three-quarters of a small onion, or 3 tablespoons chopped, by our math. Grate it finely if the dish is smooth.

Salt (Computed): Add 3/4 teaspoon of table salt per teaspoon of onion salt, as above. Don’t skip it. The salt is most of what onion salt does.

Water: A small onion weighs 70 g in USDA’s data and raw onion is 89.1 percent water,⁷ so three-quarters of a small onion brings about 47 g of water, roughly 3 tablespoons, by our math. In a thin soup that won’t matter. In a dip or a dressing, it’ll loosen things up. Expect a sharper, fresher onion flavor than onion salt gives.

Onion juice and salt

Ratio (Method): Add the table salt from above, then onion juice a teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go. It adds liquid but no texture.

If you want a ready-made shaker

Seasoned salt

Seasoned salt is another salt-first blend, and it has onion in it along with plenty else. Lawry’s The Original Seasoned Salt lists salt, sugar, spices including paprika, celery seed and turmeric, onion, corn starch and garlic, and carries 380 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon.⁸

Ratio (Computed for sodium): At the same volume, Lawry’s carries about 86 percent of the sodium of McCormick onion salt (380 ÷ 440). Start with the same volume and taste. It brings sweetness, color and garlic as well as onion, so it’s better on burgers, fries and roast potatoes than in a delicate dressing.

Celery salt

Celery salt is salt and celery seed. McCormick’s lists only those two ingredients, with 270 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon.⁹ It tastes of celery, not onion. Only use it where the dish suits celery, like a potato salad or a Bloody Mary.

Salt (Computed): At the same volume, McCormick celery salt carries about 61 percent of the sodium of McCormick onion salt (270 ÷ 440). To make up the difference, add about 1/4 teaspoon of table salt per teaspoon of celery salt (the remaining 680 mg ÷ 2,360 mg per teaspoon of table salt is 0.29).

What isn’t known

No onion salt label gives its ratio of salt to onion, so the onion amounts here come from NDSU’s substitution chart, not a commercial blend.
We only checked one onion salt label (McCormick). Check the sodium on yours.

McCormick Onion Salt, label ingredients and Nutrition Facts as listed by Stop & Shop. stopandshop.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³
Morton Iodized Table Salt, Nutrition Facts, Morton Salt. mortonsalt.com · Merchant ↩ ↩²
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198), NDSU Extension, 2018. ksre.ksu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Sodium Sources: Where Does All That Sodium Come From?, American Heart Association, 2025. heart.org · Reference work ↩
Spices, onion powder (FDC 171327), USDA FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov · Regulator ↩
In a Pinch Ingredient Substitution (E-131), NMSU Cooperative Extension, 2016. pubs.nmsu.edu · Reference work ↩
Onions, raw (FDC 170000), USDA FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov · Regulator ↩
Lawry’s The Original Seasoned Salt, label ingredients and Nutrition Facts as listed by ShopRite. shoprite.com · Merchant ↩
McCormick Celery Salt, label ingredients and Nutrition Facts as listed by Stop & Shop. stopandshop.com · Merchant ↩

Onion Salt Substitutes: How Much Salt and Onion to Use Instead