Rosemary Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Rosemary Is Doing

Rosemary is the needle-like leaf of Salvia rosmarinus, a Mediterranean shrub that botanists moved out of Rosmarinus and into the sage genus.¹ Britannica describes its taste as pungent and slightly bitter.² The smell comes from an essential oil that makes up 1 to 2 percent of the dried leaf; PROSEA credits its warm, piny note to α-pinene.³ In oils from plants grown in six countries, α-pinene ran from 13.5 to 37.7 percent and 1,8-cineole from 16.1 to 29.3 percent.⁴ No herb below copies that profile, so the best choice depends on what rosemary is doing in your recipe.

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, with the source named.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. We show each one and do not average them.
• Method: we found no published ratio. We give a direction and a cautious starting point, and say so.

None of the herb-for-rosemary ratios we found say how they were reached. They are cooks’ and merchants’ rules of thumb, not measurements of flavor strength.

If the recipe calls for fresh rosemary and you have dried

Dried rosemary is the closest match because it is the same plant. It also holds up better than most dried herbs: in America’s Test Kitchen’s tests, dried rosemary, sage and thyme fared reasonably well in dishes with fairly long cooking times (more than 20 minutes) and a good amount of liquid.⁵ For a garnish or a quick pan sauce, fresh is better; in ATK’s tests, tasters preferred fresh herbs in all but one application.⁵

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

Penn State gives the dried amount as about a quarter to a third of the fresh,⁷ so 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon of dried per teaspoon of fresh is a fair range. The University of Delaware’s guide advises crushing dried herbs first to release some of their oils.⁸

Ground rosemary (Disputed): NDSU says 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1/2 teaspoon ground, while Penn State says 1/4 teaspoon powdered, a twofold difference.⁶⁷ Neither is a rosemary measurement. Start with the smaller figure and taste.

If rosemary is the savory, resinous note in a roast or braise

This is rosemary’s usual job: roast chicken, pork or potatoes, a white-bean pot, a long braise. You want a hardy herb that can go in early. America’s Test Kitchen groups rosemary with the hearty herbs that are added early in cooking, noting that their flavor compounds are somewhat more heat-stable than those of tender herbs.¹¹

1. Thyme

The Spice House calls thyme the closest all-purpose swap,⁹ and Tasting Table’s Elizabeth Okosun calls fresh thyme a great substitute.¹² It does not copy rosemary’s chemistry. PROSEA names thymol and carvacrol as the characteristic constituents of thyme oil,¹³ and one 2023 analysis of common thyme oil found 42.44 percent thymol.¹⁴ Rosemary oil is led instead by α-pinene and 1,8-cineole.⁴ Thyme works by doing the same job, a savory herb that survives the oven, and it tastes like thyme, not rosemary.

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to use fresh thyme in the same amount as fresh rosemary.⁹ A Couple Cooks agrees, equal parts fresh or dried in cooked dishes, while noting thyme’s flavor is much milder.¹⁰

2. Sage

Rosemary and garden sage are now in the same genus, Salvia.¹¹⁵ A Couple Cooks says both have a pine-like flavor,¹⁰ and Okosun says sage tastes very similar to rosemary but more intense.¹² The University of Delaware’s extension service puts both rosemary and sage in its group of strong herbs.⁸ Sage’s smell comes mainly from its thujones, according to PROSEA,¹⁶ and the European Medicines Agency lists sage and rosemary among the plants that contain thujone in variable amounts.¹⁷ PROSEA lists sausages and stuffings among sage’s main uses,¹⁶ and in our judgment it suits poultry, pork and beans better than lamb.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use half as much fresh or dried sage as rosemary, then adjust to taste.¹⁰ Okosun gives no amount.¹²

3. Thyme and sage together

For chicken, Okosun suggests an equal combination of thyme and sage, with the thyme tempering sage’s strength.¹²

Ratio (Method): The equal split is Okosun’s;¹² the total is not. We found no published amount, so start with the same total volume as the rosemary, half thyme and half sage, and taste.

4. Savory or marjoram

A Couple Cooks says marjoram and savory have flavors similar to rosemary’s,¹⁰ and the Spice House suggests savory for meat and vegetable dishes.⁹ Both are gentler. The University of Delaware’s guide puts marjoram and savory among the medium-strength herbs, a step below rosemary.⁸

Ratio (Method): No published amount was found. Start with the same amount as the rosemary and add more if the dish tastes flat.

If rosemary is seasoning lamb

The Spice House calls thyme and bay leaf the top choices for lamb,⁹ and Okosun names thyme, bay leaves and peppermint for a lamb roast.¹² Bay is the one with a real chemical link: 1,8-cineole made up 31.9 percent of the bay leaf oil in one 2017 analysis,¹⁸ and it is one of the two leading compounds in rosemary oil.⁴

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to use fresh thyme in the same amount as fresh rosemary, or add one or two whole bay leaves to slow braises.⁹

Mint or peppermint (Method): The Spice House suggests mint or peppermint as a bright contrast for grilled lamb.⁹ That is a different flavor, not a stand-in. No amount was published; start with about half the rosemary amount of chopped fresh mint, added at the end.

If rosemary is one herb in a dried rub or sauce

A blend that already contains rosemary puts it back into the dish, along with its usual companions.

• Italian seasoning. The USDA’s federal purchasing specification lists thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil,¹⁹ and McCormick’s Italian Seasoning lists rosemary among seven herbs.²⁰ The Spice House calls it a convenient and effective substitute.⁹
• Herbes de Provence. The French Label Rouge specification for the blend calls for 26 to 27 percent rosemary, with thyme and savory.²¹
• Poultry seasoning. McCormick Culinary’s version lists thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg.²² Labels list ingredients by weight, largest first,²³ so in that blend rosemary is outweighed by thyme, sage and marjoram.

Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use either as a 1:1 swap for dried rosemary.¹⁰

Poultry seasoning ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Because rosemary is near the end of McCormick’s list, the blend will taste mostly of thyme and sage. Start with the same amount and taste. Check any blend’s label for salt.

If rosemary is in a tomato dish or marinade

Oregano

A Couple Cooks says oregano works in anything Mediterranean.¹⁰ Britannica describes oregano as having a strong aroma and a warm, pungent taste.²⁴ Carvacrol and thymol make up about 78 to 85 percent of oregano oil,²⁵ so it shares more with thyme than with rosemary. Use it where a tomato sauce, pizza or Greek-style marinade would welcome it.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use oregano 1:1 for fresh rosemary and half the amount for dried.¹⁰ The Spice House says oregano is stronger and slightly bitter, so use a little less, without giving a number.⁹ The two agree on direction.

If you want something milder than rosemary

The Spice House suggests basil where rosemary might be overpowering and tarragon for fish or dishes that welcome an anise note.⁹ Both change the dish’s character rather than imitate rosemary. LSU AgCenter groups basil with the delicate herbs best added in the last minute or two of cooking,²⁶ and the University of Illinois Extension describes tarragon’s leaves as having a licorice or anise flavor.²⁷

Tarragon ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says it can work in a pinch and to use half as much, fresh or dried.¹⁰

Basil ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Use fresh basil, about the same amount as the rosemary, stirred in at the end.

What isn’t known

• No published measurement compares the strength of rosemary with any substitute. Every Attributed figure above is a rule of thumb.
• Caraway seed is sometimes suggested for rosemary in sausage dishes, and marjoram for rosemary in mushroom dishes. We found no source for either.
• Combining bay leaf, peppermint and thyme in equal parts for lamb is also suggested. Each herb is named for lamb by the sources above, but we found no source for the combination or its proportions.
• No study compares dried rosemary with fresh in a specific dish. The fresh-to-dried figures are general herb rules.

Related

• Rosemary, dried rosemary vs. fresh and cooking with rosemary
• Rosemary vs. thyme, rosemary vs. sage, tarragon vs. rosemary and rosemary vs. lavender
• Thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, summer savory and bay leaves
• Italian seasoning, herbes de Provence and poultry seasoning
• Rosemary uses, too much rosemary? how to fix the dish and how to store rosemary

Footnotes

1. Salvia rosmarinus Spenn., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩ ↩²

2. “Rosemary”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

3. C.C. de Guzman, Rosmarinus officinalis, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩

4. Satyal et al., “Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis”, Foods, 2017. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. “Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Julie Garden-Robinson, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198), NDSU Extension, 2018. ksre.ksu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²

7. Stacy Reed, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension, 2024. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. “Using Herbs and Spices”, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, 2025. udel.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. “The 8 Best Substitutes for Rosemary”, The Spice House, 2024. thespicehouse.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

10. Sonja Overhiser, “Best Substitute for Rosemary”, A Couple Cooks, 2026. acouplecooks.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

11. Liz Bomze, “Our Guide to Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2019. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩

12. Elizabeth Okosun, “The Absolute Best Substitutes For Rosemary”, Tasting Table, 2023. tastingtable.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

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

14. Dong et al., “Chemical Compositions of Essential Oil Extracted from Eight Thyme Species”, Plants, 2023. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

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

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

17. Public statement on herbal medicinal products containing thujone, European Medicines Agency, 2012. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩

18. Caputo et al., “Laurus nobilis: Composition of Essential Oil and Its Biological Activities”, Molecules, 2017. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

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

20. McCormick Italian Seasoning, 0.75 oz, ingredient listing, Giant Food Stores. giantfoodstores.com · Merchant ↩

21. Label Rouge “Herbes de Provence” (LA 02/03), specification modification request, INAO, 2014. extranet.inao.gouv.fr · Regulator ↩

22. McCormick Culinary Poultry Seasoning, product page, McCormick & Company. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

23. 21 CFR 101.4, Food; designation of ingredients, US Food and Drug Administration. ecfr.gov · Regulator ↩

24. “Oregano”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

25. 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 ↩

26. “Flavorful Herbs”, LSU AgCenter. lsuagcenter.com · Reference work ↩

27. “Tarragon: French”, University of Illinois Extension. extension.illinois.edu · Reference work ↩