Herbs that are fragrant, fresh, and tasty are essential in many cuisines. Dried savory is a nice example. You’ve undoubtedly come across this herb if you’ve spent any time combing through cookbooks and gourmet websites in quest of inspiration.

Savory is a Mediterranean plant that belongs to the mint family. There are around 30 different types of savory, but summer and winter savory are two of the most popular.

This spice, however, is not usually accessible at grocery stores or marketplaces. If you can’t locate dried savory, we’ve compiled a list of substitutes that will work just as well in your recipes.

What Is Dried Savory?

Dried savory is a tiny, green plant that belongs to the mint family. Summer savory and winter savory are the two varieties of savory.

Sweet, spicy, and lighter undertones describe summer savory. It has tiny, delicate green leaves. It’s popular in Acadia, Canada’s Atlantic province.

With sage and pine nuances, winter savory evokes the colder months. It’s a tough plant that thrives among the Mediterranean’s rocky rocks.

Winter savory can survive prolonged cooking, making it an excellent compliment to meat. The plant’s leaves complement packed foods such as stuffed potatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Alternatively, you might add winter or summer savory to a simple lentil recipe.

Savory is a very versatile herb that may even be preserved in vinegar.

Substitute for Dried Savory

1. Mint
2. Coriander
3. Basil
4. Parsley
5. Chive
6. Dill
7. Thyme
8. Oregano
9. Rosemary
10. Sage

Mint

One of the most well-known culinary plants is mint. It’s light, lemony, and sometimes peppery, with a refreshing aftertaste.

There are several mint varieties, but the majority of them have sturdy stems and brilliant green, spherical, somewhat dented leaves.

Mint pairs well with Mediterranean meals such as Greek salads and Middle Eastern cuisines such as Tabouleh.

Mint complements lamb, couscous, zucchini, garden peas, yogurt, or feta cheese and its equivalents, such as Halloumi.

Keep in mind that mint has a strong flavor, so use it sparingly.

Coriander

Coriander is a fragrant herb, but it also makes an excellent dry savory alternative. What makes it unique is that it has lemony undertones reminiscent of lemongrass.

Coriander spice is created from the seeds of the plant and is used in Garam masala, a famous Indian spice blend.

This plant is popular in South Asian and Latin American cooking. Coriander is a dried flavorful substitute that goes well with poultry, curries, avocados, maize, onions, and even chiles.

Basil

Basil is one of those plants that anybody can identify by its appearance and aroma. It’s delicate and aromatic, and every time you use it, you’ll feel like a professional chef.

There are about 60 different varieties of basil, each with its own particular taste. Sweet basil is the most frequent and popular kind of basil.

Sweet basil is a classic Italian taste that has a sweet flavor with a hint of spice. Thai Basil is another name for this plant. The aftertaste of this variety is savory and peppery.

The renowned pesto sauce contains a lot of basil. Many chefs use it in tomato pasta sauces as well. In meals with tomatoes, shrimp, and mozzarella, as well as pasta and beef stew, it may simply be substituted for dried savory.

Parsley

Parsley is a very common herb. It tastes fresh and green without being overbearing like mint or basil.

Curly parsley, with its unique ruffled leaves, is often seen on the market. There’s also flat-leaf parsley, which has longer, pointier leaves similar to coriander.

Parsley is very flexible and popular around the world, particularly in Mediterranean, American, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern cuisines. It pairs very well with garlic, lemon, mussels, blue cheese, lentils, and ham.

Chive

Chive is one of those plants that has a rich flavor but a secret attitude. When you taste it, you get flavors that are quite similar to garlic, but more muted, despite the fact that the herb looks nothing like it. This plant is the tiniest member of the onion genus, which accounts for its spicy taste.

Chives have a simple appearance but are quite easy to distinguish on the market. They are green and have long, smooth, pointed stalks. The stalks resemble grass, although they are longer and frequently a darker green.

Chive is a popular herb in Northern Europe, and it is used in Swedish cooking. If you don’t have dried savory, chive is a great substitute. It works nicely with eggs, cheese, butter, salmon, and mashed potatoes.

Dill

Dill is a delicate herb with a strong flavor and scent, making it great for garnishing.

Dill has an almost overpowering grassy taste, so a little goes a long way. However, since dill loses flavor as it cooks, it should be added immediately before serving or served raw.

Dill is well-known throughout Northern and Eastern Europe. It’s an excellent dry savory replacement for sea bass, green soups, cucumber, cream cheese, beetroot, and pickles.

Thyme

Thyme is a culinary essential. The two most prevalent types in cooking are regular and lemon thyme. Their fluffy green leaves are used in cooking, and their fruit is used to make spice.

Regular thyme has a herbal taste with notes of grass, wood, lavender, and rosemary, but lemon thyme has a distinct lemon scent and flavor.

Thyme’s rich, grassy, and lemony qualities complement eggplants, barbecue meats, roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and goat cheese and its alternatives.

Thyme may be added at any point throughout the cooking process. The longer it cooks, the more taste it develops, and its tough stems do not soften when cooked.

Oregano

Oregano adds a delicious, earthy flavor to a wide range of meals, including chicken, shrimp, hamburgers, pizza, and pasta sauce.

Dried oregano may be used earlier in the cooking process for sauces and stews than other herbs since its flavor can tolerate longer cooking times.

The taste of oregano is bitter, earthy, and green, with hints of hay and mint. However, it may be little bitter, so use it sparingly.

Oregano is often used in Mediterranean and Mexican cuisines. Fresh oregano is a popular component, but dried oregano is even more popular since the taste of this plant stays strong even after drying.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a great substitute for dried savory. It has a delicious but spicy taste with hints of lemon, lavender, and mint.

It is widely used to flavor meats and bread dough. It also complements beans, potatoes, and lentils. Rosemary, on the other hand, may be rather aromatic and has a very strong taste in any event, so it is normally used sparingly in order not to overshadow the meal.

If you’re not sure how to identify fresh rosemary, it has unique woody stems with needle leaves.

Because both fresh and dried rosemary have a piney, needle-like flavor, it is preferable to chop or crush it before using it in recipes. Sprigs and stems may be added to soups and stews, but they should be removed before serving since they remain rough even after extensive cooking.

Sage

Sage is prized for its characteristic herbal aroma and earthy taste. It is well-known in Balkan and Italian cuisine for its hairy and light green leaves.

It’s a plant that retains a lot of its flavor even after drying. Because drying increases the flavor and may impart a somewhat bitter taste to the plant, it is much preferable to utilize it fresh or frozen.

Sage is widely used in the preparation of holiday stuffings and pairs nicely with chicken. The herb is also widely used in buttery pasta sauces. It pairs very nicely with bacon, sausage, and gnocchi.

Conclusion

Summer savory is a culinary herb that has progressively acquired popularity. It may be used to flavor anything from soups and stews to sauces and marinades.

You now know which additional herbs have comparable properties to dried savory and may be used in its place if you can’t find it.

Thyme is, in our view, the greatest dried savory substitute of all the herbs mentioned. The two flavors have extremely comparable pungent and minty characteristics.

Combine oregano and basil for an even stronger taste. You may also use chives and dill in place of the chives.