Sage Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Sage Is Doing

Out of sage? Marjoram is the best match for stuffing, thyme works in soups and beans, and rosemary covers pork and roasts. No other kitchen herb tastes quite like sage, and every one of these shifts the flavor, so pick by the job sage is doing. The University of Delaware’s extension service puts sage in its group of strong herbs and warns that too much can be “extremely objectionable.”¹

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• 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.

If the recipe calls for fresh sage and you have dried

Dried sage is the same plant, and it holds up reasonably well. In America’s Test Kitchen’s tests, dried rosemary, sage and thyme did reasonably well in recipes with fairly long cooking times (more than 20 minutes) and a good amount of liquid.² Dried sage comes rubbed or ground, and the Spice House gives a conversion between the two.³

Fresh to dried (Disputed): The sources don’t agree, and the gap is twofold.

The extension figures are general herb rules. The Spice House and A Couple Cooks give sage-specific figures, and those differ from each other. None of them explain how they got there. Start with 1/2 teaspoon of dried or rubbed sage per tablespoon of fresh, taste once the dish has cooked a while, and work up toward 1 teaspoon.

Rubbed to ground (Attributed): The Spice House says 1 teaspoon of rubbed sage is roughly equal to 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage.³ That’s a volume figure, not a measure of strength.

A sprig (Attributed): When a recipe calls for a sprig, the Spice House says to use about 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage.³

If sage is flavoring stuffing or poultry

Stuffings are among sage’s main uses. Here you want an herb with a soft, savory warmth that sits well with bread, onion and fat.

1. Marjoram

The Spice House calls marjoram an especially good match for stuffing because it shares sage’s mild, minty flavor.³ The University of Delaware puts marjoram with the medium-strength herbs, a step below sage,¹ so expect a softer, sweeter result.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use equal parts fresh or dried marjoram for fresh or dried sage.⁴

2. Savory

Britannica says savory’s leaves season poultry and stuffings in particular.⁷ In a tasting by America’s Test Kitchen, most tasters found savory closer to thyme and sage than to mint.⁸ The Spice House includes savory in its list of sage alternatives.³ Summer savory is the milder of the two kinds. Britannica calls winter savory harsher and more bitter.⁷

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount as the sage and taste. If you’ve got winter savory, start with a little less.

If sage is a background note in soups, beans or braises

Thyme

The Spice House names thyme or poultry seasoning as a good sage substitute in soup.³ A Couple Cooks says thyme has a similar herbaceous quality but isn’t nearly as strong.⁴ The dish will taste of thyme, not sage. It’s a hardy herb. America’s Test Kitchen counts thyme among the hearty herbs you add early.⁹

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use equal parts fresh or dried thyme for fresh or dried sage.⁴

If sage is seasoning pork, sausage or roast meat

Rosemary

A Couple Cooks says it has similar pine-like undertones and works especially well fresh.⁴ Both herbs are in the University of Delaware’s strong group,¹ and the European Medicines Agency lists both among plants that contain thujone in variable amounts.¹⁰ Rosemary still tastes piney and resinous where sage tastes musky.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use equal parts fresh or dried rosemary for fresh or dried sage.⁴

If sage is one herb in a turkey or soup seasoning

Poultry seasoning

The Spice House notes that poultry seasoning often contains sage, and suggests it, or a mix of rosemary and thyme, for turkey.³ A Couple Cooks says sage is usually the main ingredient in poultry seasoning.⁴ That’s not true of every brand. McCormick Culinary’s poultry seasoning lists thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg,¹¹ and US labels list ingredients by weight, largest first,¹² so that blend has more thyme than sage.

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount as the sage, then taste. The black pepper and nutmeg come along for the ride.

Italian seasoning

The Spice House and A Couple Cooks both list it.³⁴ The USDA’s purchasing specification for Italian seasoning includes sage with thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil,¹³ but McCormick’s version lists sage last of seven herbs.¹⁴ Expect McCormick’s blend to taste more of marjoram and basil than of sage.

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount and taste.

Other herbs on substitute lists

The Spice House also names oregano, tarragon, bay leaf and basil as alternatives, without amounts.³ These take the dish further from sage. Oregano is closer to thyme. Tarragon brings a licorice or anise note. Bay leaf belongs in a simmering pot, not in stuffing.

Ratio (Method): Start with half the sage amount for oregano or tarragon, and one bay leaf per pot in a soup or braise.

What isn’t known

• The fresh-to-dried figure for sage is in dispute, and nobody we found has measured it.
• You’ll often read that marjoram holds up less well than sage over long cooking, but we found no source that tests it. The University of Delaware’s general advice for long-simmered dishes is to add herbs in the last 45 minutes.¹
• A rosemary amount of one third the sage sometimes gets quoted. We found no source for it. The only published figure we found is one for one.

Related

• Sage, fresh sage vs. dried and cooking with sage
• Rosemary vs. sage and sage vs. lavender
• Marjoram, summer savory, winter savory, thyme and rosemary
• Poultry seasoning, poultry seasoning substitutes and Italian seasoning
• Sage uses, too much sage? how to fix the dish and how to store sage