Thyme Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Thyme Is Doing

Out of thyme? Reach for an herb that shares its flavor compounds. Savory and oregano are the closest, marjoram is a gentler option, and which one works best depends on what thyme is doing in your recipe. If the recipe wants fresh and you have dried, that’s the easiest fix of all: dried thyme holds up well in long cooking with plenty of liquid, at about 1 teaspoon dried per tablespoon of fresh. For pork, lamb or roast potatoes, rosemary works too, at about half the amount.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship, such as fresh to dried.
• 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 thyme and you have dried

Dried thyme is the obvious first pick, and thyme is one of the herbs that dries well. In America’s Test Kitchen’s tests, dried rosemary, sage and thyme held up reasonably well in recipes with fairly long cooking times (more than 20 minutes) and a good amount of liquid.¹

Ratio (Computed): The sources agree that dried herbs are roughly three times as strong as fresh.

ATK’s testing found that 1 part dried to 3 parts fresh came closest to equal strength.¹ Going the other way, the Spice House says to use three times as much fresh thyme as the dried a recipe calls for.⁶

Ground thyme (Disputed): NDSU puts 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs at 1/2 teaspoon ground, while Penn State says 1/4 teaspoon powdered.²³ Neither one measured thyme specifically. Start with the smaller amount and taste.

If thyme is a background herb in stews, soups, beans or stuffing

This is thyme’s most common job: a savory note in a long-cooked pot. America’s Test Kitchen groups thyme with the hearty herbs that go in early, whose flavor compounds hold up somewhat better to heat.⁷ So your substitute needs to handle long cooking too.

1. Savory

The Spice House includes summer savory among its favorite thyme substitutes.⁶ In an America’s Test Kitchen tasting, most tasters thought savory resembled thyme and sage more than mint.⁸ The chemistry backs that up: summer savory oil carries the same two phenols that define thyme.⁹ Winter savory is harsher and more bitter, according to Britannica,¹⁰ so make it your second choice.

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount of summer savory as thyme. With winter savory, use a little less.

2. Marjoram, for gentler dishes

The Spice House lists marjoram among its top substitutes,⁶ and it’s in the same family as thyme. Marjoram is the gentler of the two. Some marjoram has thyme’s compounds,¹¹ but you can’t tell from the jar. Oregano is also sold as “wild marjoram,”¹² so check the botanical name if the label gives one: sweet marjoram is Origanum majorana.¹³

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount and add more near the end if the dish needs it. The University of Delaware’s general advice for long-simmered dishes is to add herbs in the last 45 minutes.⁴

3. Sage, used sparingly

The Spice House warns that sage tastes more piney and doesn’t replace thyme.⁶ A Couple Cooks, writing about the reverse swap, says thyme isn’t nearly as strong as sage.¹⁴

Ratio (Method): Sage is the stronger herb, so start with half as much.

If thyme is in a tomato sauce or Mediterranean dish

Oregano

Oregano shares thyme’s two main phenols, though oregano usually leads with carvacrol where thyme leads with thymol.¹⁵¹⁶ The Spice House lists oregano first among its thyme substitutes.⁶ It tastes warm and pungent.¹²

Ratio (Method): Fresh for fresh, start with the same amount. Dried oregano is assertive, so start with about three quarters of the dried thyme amount and taste.

Basil

The Spice House also lists basil.⁶ It’s a different flavor, sweeter and greener, and LSU AgCenter groups it with the delicate herbs that go in during the last minute or two of cooking.⁵ Save it for a quick tomato sauce, not a long braise.

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount of fresh basil, added at the end.

If thyme is part of a rub or roast seasoning

A blend that already contains thyme puts it back, along with its usual partners. The Spice House notes that lots of blends can stand in because thyme is a key ingredient.⁶

• Poultry seasoning. McCormick Culinary’s lists thyme first, then sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg.¹⁷ US labels list ingredients by weight, largest first,¹⁸ so thyme is the biggest single ingredient in that blend. The Spice House suggests poultry seasoning for a rub.⁶
• Italian seasoning. The USDA purchasing specification lists thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.¹⁹ McCormick’s version lists thyme fourth of seven herbs, after marjoram, basil and rosemary.²⁰
• Herbes de Provence. The French Label Rouge specification calls for 19 percent thyme, with rosemary, savory and oregano at 26 to 27 percent each.²¹

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount, taste, and check the label for salt.

If thyme is seasoning pork, lamb or roast potatoes

Rosemary

The Spice House lists rosemary among its thyme substitutes.⁶ It’s the stronger herb. The University of Delaware’s guide puts rosemary in its strong group and thyme in the medium group,⁴ and A Couple Cooks calls thyme much milder than rosemary.²² It comes across as piney, not thyme-like.

Ratio (Method): Start with half as much, finely chopped, and add more after tasting.

If you have lemon thyme

Lemon thyme, Thymus × citriodorus, is a hybrid with common thyme as one parent.²³ Tasting Table’s Emery Pearson says it’s less bitter than common thyme.²⁴ Expect a lemon note alongside the thyme.

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount.

What isn’t known

• A mix of 1 teaspoon marjoram and 1/2 teaspoon parsley per teaspoon of thyme gets passed around a lot. We couldn’t find a source for it. Parsley adds color but very little of thyme’s flavor.
• Tarragon sometimes gets recommended as a one-for-one swap for thyme in fish and chicken. The Spice House suggests tarragon for a rub,⁶ but no source gives an amount, and tarragon’s licorice or anise flavor is a long way from thyme’s.²⁵
• No source converts thyme sprigs to dried thyme.

Related

• Thyme, fresh thyme vs. dried, cooking with thyme and English thyme vs. French thyme
• Oregano vs. thyme, rosemary vs. thyme, tarragon vs. thyme and thyme vs. lemon thyme
• Summer savory, winter savory, oregano, marjoram, lemon thyme and rosemary
• Poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence
• Thyme uses, too much thyme? how to fix the dish and bay leaf substitutes