Winter Savory Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Savory Is Doing

Winter savory is the classic bean herb, and Monticello’s notes on it also list organ meats and wild game.¹ If you’re out, summer savory is the closest swap, though winter savory is the harsher, more bitter of the two.² Failing that, reach for thyme, or America’s Test Kitchen’s mix of two parts thyme to one part sage, which its tasters found nearly identical to summer savory. The right one depends on what the savory is doing in your dish.

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.

The closest published figure is America’s Test Kitchen’s tested swap for summer savory, which we use below as a guide.

If you have summer savory

Summer savory is winter savory’s close cousin. Its flavor is delicate, sweet and spicy, where winter savory’s is harsher and more bitter. America’s Test Kitchen also calls summer savory the more delicate of the two, with winter savory coarser in texture.³

Ratio (Method): Summer savory is the milder herb, so start with the same amount and add up to half again if the dish needs more. If you’re swapping fresh for dried or dried for fresh, the University of Delaware’s extension service notes that dried herbs are stronger than fresh.⁴

If you have neither kind of savory

1. Thyme and sage, two to one

In an ATK tasting, most tasters found savory more like thyme and sage than mint. Its test cooks replaced fresh summer savory with fresh thyme and fresh sage in sausage stuffing and chicken soup, and tasters judged the combination nearly identical to savory. ATK’s published rule is 2 parts fresh thyme to 1 part fresh sage, for summer savory.³

Ratio (Method): ATK tested this blend against summer savory, not winter savory, so treat it as a starting point here. Use the same total volume as the winter savory, two thirds thyme and one third sage, and taste.

2. Thyme alone

Thyme shares carvacrol, the leading compound in the one winter savory oil we reviewed.⁵⁶ It’s also a hardy herb that America’s Test Kitchen groups with the ones added early in cooking.⁷ That suits bean pots and braises, winter savory’s usual territory.

Ratio (Method): The University of Delaware puts thyme and savory in the same medium-strength group,⁴ so start with the same amount and taste.

3. Oregano

Oregano carries even more of the same flavor compounds,⁸ and it tastes warm and pungent. It’s the boldest herb here, and it’ll push a dish toward Greek and Italian flavors.

Ratio (Method): Start with half as much dried oregano as winter savory, or the same amount of fresh, and taste.

4. Sage alone

Sage covers the stuffing-and-sausage side of savory but not its thyme-like side. Sausages and stuffings are among its main uses. The University of Delaware puts sage in its strong group, a step above savory.⁴

Ratio (Method): Start with half as much sage as winter savory.

If savory is one herb in a blend for roasts

Herbes de Provence

The French Label Rouge specification for herbes de Provence calls for 26 to 27 percent savory, with the same share of rosemary and oregano and 19 percent thyme.⁹ It puts savory back into the dish, though rosemary and oregano make up most of the rest.

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

If savory is seasoning game or a rich roast

Rosemary

Rosemary is stronger. The University of Delaware puts it in its strong group.⁴ Its flavor comes from different compounds, not carvacrol,¹⁰ so it brings a piney, resinous note in place of savory’s sharp, thyme-like one.

Ratio (Method): Start with half as much, finely chopped.

Marjoram

Marjoram is gentler and sweeter, and the University of Delaware’s general advice for long-simmered dishes is to add herbs in the last 45 minutes.⁴

Ratio (Method): Start with the same amount, stirred in toward the end.

If savory is seasoning a pot of beans

Savory is the classic bean herb. In a bean pot, thyme or the thyme and sage blend is your safest replacement.

You’ll sometimes see epazote suggested too. It’s a different plant altogether, and Tasting Table calls beans its best-known use. Tasting Table compares its flavor to anise or licorice, which is nothing like savory, and advises adding it near the end of cooking.¹¹ Use it only where its own flavor belongs, as in Mexican bean dishes.

Epazote ratio (Method): Start with a single sprig or a small pinch of dried epazote per pot and taste.

What isn’t known

• You’ll sometimes see a figure of 1 1/2 times as much summer savory. We found no source for it. The range above is a starting point, not a measurement.
• Thyme is sometimes called more potent than winter savory, with a half-quantity swap. We found no source for either claim, and the University of Delaware groups thyme and savory together.⁴
• Sage and epazote are sometimes recommended for digestive comfort in bean dishes. We found no clinical study supporting either, and we make no health claims for any herb.
• We reviewed only one analyzed sample of winter savory oil. Its makeup may not represent winter savory in general.

Related

• Winter savory and winter savory uses
• Summer savory vs. winter savory, summer savory and summer savory substitutes
• Thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, rosemary and epazote
• Herbes de Provence, fresh thyme vs. dried and too much sage?