The Ultimate Herb Conversion List


Herb conversion fresh to dried - dry dried to fresh




One of the most asked questions about herbs used in cooking involves converting them from fresh to dried/dried to fresh. Using an equal amount in a swap may seem logical, but let's look a little deeper. 

Once the moisture has been removed, an herb will be more concentrated in its dried form, so you should use less -- right? 

That's a general rule. There are general guidelines about herb conversions and herb substitutions, but for every rule there are exceptions. Below you'll see a summary of general principles on this topic, as well as specific recommendations for converting the most common herbs and spices you're likely to find in your recipes. 

There are also sections on other important considerations that can impact an herbs flavor and use, like freshness and the way the herb has been prepared, processed and maintained. There is a lot to unpack. Let's get started.

Standard Herb Conversion Fresh to Dried/Dried to Fresh
Index of Common Herbs with Suggestions
 Standard Herb Conversion Using Cup Measurements



Standard Herb Conversion Fresh to Dried/Dried to Fresh


The standard rule is if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of a fresh herb, the dry equivalent is one teaspoon, or one-third, of the original quantity. (There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon.) The reverse is also true. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of a dried herb, triple the amount if you're using that herb fresh from your garden or the market.

There are some refinements when making substitutions, though. Some herbs naturally contain more or less moisture than others, and a few herbs have flavor profiles that fade or become even more concentrated when they're dried.  Here's a helpful guide:



Index of Common Herbs with Suggestions



    • Basil - 3 teaspoons fresh chopped, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

    • Bay Leaf - 1 leaf fresh, 1 leaf dried

    • Cardamom - 1 teaspoon packaged ground, 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground

    • Chervil - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1- 1/4 teaspoons dried

    • Chives - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

    • Cilantro - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

    • Cinnamon - 1 (2-1/2 inch) cinnamon stick, 1/2 teaspoon ground

    • Cumin - 3 teaspoons seed, 1-1/2 teaspoons ground

    • Dill - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1 teaspoon dried

    • Garlic - 1 thumbnail-sized clove fresh (or 1 teaspoon chopped fine), 3/4 teaspoon powder

    • Ginger - 1 teaspoon minced, 3/4 teaspoon dry ground

    • Marjoram - 3 teaspoons fresh, 2 teaspoons dried

    • Mint - 3 teaspoons fresh, 2 teaspoons dried

    • Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon pre-ground, 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground

    • Oregano - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1 teaspoon dried

    • Parsley - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

    • Pepper (black) - 1 teaspoon pre-ground, 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground

    • Rosemary - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1 teaspoon dried

    • Sage - 3 teaspoons fresh, 3/4 teaspoon dried

    • Tarragon - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

    • Thyme - 3 teaspoons fresh, 1 teaspoon dried


If you're dealing with herb quantities listed in cups, as in a quarter cup, a third of a cup or a whole cup this herb conversion chart will help:

Note: A quarter cup of fresh herbs equals 4 tablespoons. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, so in dried form, a quarter cup of fresh herbs would convert to one tablespoon plus one teaspoon.


Standard Herb Conversion Using Cup Measurements




Herbs in Cups Fresh to Dried 

1/4 cup fresh herbs = 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried
1/3 cup fresh herbs = 1 tbsp + 2 tsp dried 
1/2 cup fresh herbs = 2 tbsp + 2 tsp dried
1  cup fresh herbs = 5 tbsp + 1 tsp dried

Herbs in Cups Dried to Fresh

1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried = 1/4 cup fresh 
1 tbsp + 2 tsp dried = 1/3 cup fresh
2 tbsp + 2 tsp dried = 1/2 cup fresh
5 tbsp + 1 tsp dried = 1  cup fresh 


I hope these quick conversions will help you feel more comfortable swapping herbs back and forth from fresh to dried as needed. When the measurements aren't exact and the math makes you cross-eyed, try compacting fresh herbs or loosening them to make minor adjustments.

Special note:  When dealing with ground herbs, that can compact in a way similar to flour, it's a good idea to give the bottle or tin a little shake before you measure.



How Long Do Herbs and Spices Last?



Herb potency can change over time.


Be aware of a few important considerations here, especially if your dried herbs or spices have been sitting on the shelf for a while. Some will begin to lose flavor and aroma after six months, while others will still retain their potency after a couple of years or more. A good rule of thumb is that the milder the herb tastes naturally, the sooner it will fade in its dried form. This is true of dried chives, for instance. Strong flavored candidates like sage, oregano, rosemary, cloves and allspice are good to go for two years or more if they are well-maintained.


Are Culinary Herbs Kept Beyond their Freshness Date Safe to Use?

Herbs kept even well beyond their freshness dates won't typically pose a health risk, but they will lose at least some of their effectiveness eventually. An herb's staying power will depend on its essential oils and other qualities, cultivation and how it's been stored. 

Here's a historical example of extending the useful life of an herb. Old-timey apothecary bottles were tinted brown or blue to reduce light exposure and keep the herb inside from degrading. Today's packaged herbs are often not protected in this way. That's one of the reasons you should give your dried herbs some extra attention by storing them in a dark location.


How to Keep Herbs Fresh

Keep herbs and spices in a dark, dry and cool spot to help them retain their goodness longer. Seal them in containers with tight-fitting lids. Flip-top lids are convenient, but they aren't the best choice to ensure freshness and good flavor because they don't create a good moisture barrier. 

If maintained in large quantities, consider adding a desiccant packet to your herb containers to reduce the risk of moisture damage. Instead of a commercial desiccant, you can place dried rice in the bottom of the jar (or secured in a muslin bag) as a substitute. Dried rice does a great job of absorbing moisture. Just ask anyone who has used it to rescue a wet smartphone. These measures will help keep dried herbs fresher.


You can use both dry and fresh herbs in one dish.



Should You Keep Herbs Whole or Grind Them Up?

Whenever possible, keep spices in their original form. Nutmeg seeds and allspice berries will stay vibrant longer if ground or powdered only as needed. Here are some other common dried herbs, seeds and spices that are best left whole until you need to use them. You'll see seeds figure prominently here. The food value in seeds, as well as their flavor and aroma, are enhanced when they are cracked or crushed to expose the tissues inside:

  • Allspice

  • Bay leaf

  • Caraway seed

  • Cardamom seed

  • Cinnamon

  • Cloves

  • Coriander seed

  • Cumin seed

  • Dill seed

  • Dried hot pepper

  • Fennel seed

  • Mustard seed

  • Nutmeg

  • Peppercorns (black, white, pink and green)

  • Star anise


How to Test Herbs for Freshness



If an herb or spice is getting old, or you have no idea how old it is, it might still be useful, so don't pitch it. Herbs and spices will not "go bad" or "turn" if they haven't become spoiled from exposure to moisture or pests, but they will lose some of their vigor. 


Try this test: Rub a pinch of the herb between your fingers. If you can still smell its distinctive scent, consider using it in your recipe, but up the quantity by degrees, tasting after each addition to determine if you've added enough.

Some of the most common dried herbs you may need to up the quantities on if they're a year old or older include:

  • Chervil

  • Cilantro

  • Dill

  • Ginger

  • Marjoram

  • Parsley

  • Tarragon

  • Thyme

Herb blends - Many dried herb blends, like curries, may also lose flavor more quickly than if packaged separately, so consider taste-testing them too.



Should You Treat Culinary and Medicinal Herbs Differently?


I should note here that herb potency in cooking is not as critical an issue as when those herbs are used for medicinal purposes. Choose the freshest or best-preserved options for optimum results when incorporating herbs into your remedies.


Fresh thyme and other herbs


How to Dry Fresh Herbs


If you've purchased an herb for a special meal and only used a fraction of that bunch of parsley or cilantro, you can dry the remainder instead of watching it wilt in your fridge. When you dry herbs yourself, you always know what you're getting. Prepackaged herbs may sit in warehouses for weeks or months before hitting retail stores, and in the case of medicinal herbs, adulteration and poor quality control have been a problem with this loosely regulated industry. 

Here are a few quick options for making fresh dried herbs:



Bundling herbs is easy and preserves flavor.


Bundling herbs for drying:

Tie a few sprigs together by their stems using a rubber band, and hang the bundle upside down in your basement or another dry, cool, dark spot until it's "crunchy" dry. A week to ten days should be plenty of time. 

Once dried, remove the leaves of dried herbs from their stems and store them as referenced above. This slow-drying method is still the best for preserving flavor, aroma, and nutrients. It's fun, too.


Microwave drying:

  1. Remove herb leaves from their stems.
  2. Discard stems and place the herbs in a single layer on a paper towel.
  3. Microwave them in 10-second increments until they're completely dry. The drying process should only take a few minutes and is the fastest and most convenient method.
  4. The downside is that microwaving may degrade the herb's flavor profile a bit.

 

Oven drying:

  1. Set the oven to warm or to its lowest setting. If the lowest setting is above 180 degrees F., leave the oven door ajar.
  2. Remove herb leaves from their stems.
  3. Discard the stems and place the herbs in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or drying rack.
  4. Dry for two hours and check for doneness.
  5. Turn the herbs if they aren't dry.
  6. Check them periodically.
  7. When thoroughly dried, the herbs should shatter when crushed.

 


How to Freeze Fresh Herbs



Freezing:

  1. Remove herb leaves from stems.
  2. Chop leaves to the consistency you'll likely prefer when using them later.
  3. Add the leaves to two cups of cool water and freeze in ice cube trays.
  4. When completely frozen, place the herbed ice cubes in a plastic bag in your freezer for easy access and storage.
  5. Frozen herbs in a water slurry should last six months if sealed well.


Are Herbs Better Fresh or Dried?




Dried herb conversion
In a taste test conducted by folks at America's Test Kitchen, fresh herbs were the overwhelming favorites over their dried counterparts. That's no big surprise.

Fresh herbs and spices have essential qualities that are bound to be affected when the moisture is wrung out of them. That doesn't mean fresh is always best, though. 

Beyond extending the useful life of herbs, drying can have other advantages by, say, concentrating flavor and making it available in other ways.

If you're adding fresh herbs to a garden salad, chives, basil, chervil, mint and cilantro would be logical choices, but rosemary and oregano -- not so much. 

In a vinaigrette to flavor that salad, though, adding a small quantity of pungent dried herbs like rosemary, sage or oregano would be a more efficient way to distribute a hint of those flavors. The same goes for making marinades. You get the idea.

When preparing foods that require long cooking times, herbs like bay, rosemary, and sage can be added early to stocks and sauces because their aromas and flavors intensify and mellow when they're heated over time. They work very well in their dried form. 

In contrast, the flavors of delicate herbs like cilantro, chives and parsley, for instance, tend to fade when subjected to prolonged heat, so it is better to add them later. This is particularly true when they're used fresh instead of dried.




When in doubt about how and when to use an herb, trust the recipe.


Special note: When using robust ground herbs and spices like cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, paprika and others in cooking, you can often release additional flavor by heating them in a skillet before using them in your recipes. This can be done with or without oil. Be careful not to burn them, though. Use low heat, and stir constantly until their aroma increases. This is a case where less is more, so don't overdo it.

Should You Leave Herbs out of Recipes?

If you review recipe comments online, you'll be familiar with those from people who decide to leave one or more herbs out of a dish. They may not have the herb in their pantry, or a family member doesn't like that herb or spice. This can be a big mistake. Think of a recipe as a delicious science experiment. Leaving out an herb or spice is tampering with two of the most essential aspects of any recipe -- flavor and aroma. 

In fact, an herb will often become almost invisible in a dish, its real purpose being to enhance the impact of another ingredient altogether. 

When preparing a recipe for the first time, do it justice by making it as written. After that, you'll be in a much better position to know how to tweak it to suit your needs and then incorporate deletions or substitutions later.







Herb substitutions


For those times when you have to substitute one herb for another, here are some suggestions:

  • Basil: equal parts tarragon and parsley
  • Bay leaf: 1/4 tsp. thyme plus 1/4 tsp. marjoram
  • Chervil: equal parts tarragon and parsley or equal parts basil and parsley
  • Chives: green onion (green part only) or minced shallots
  • Cilantro: There's really no effective substitute
  • Dill: There's really no effective substitute
  • Fennel: basil or anise
  • Italian seasoning: basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary
  • Marjoram: equal parts thyme and savory
  • Mint: There's really no effective substitute
  • Oregano: marjoram, thyme or equal parts of each
  • Parsley: chervil (also known as French parsley)
  • Rosemary: thyme
  • Sage: savory, marjoram or rosemary or combine the three
  • Savory: thyme or marjoram  or equal parts of each
  • Tarragon: chervil or equal parts parsley and basil
  • Thyme: marjoram or equal parts rosemary and savory


After adjusting the herb requirement in your recipe, don't forget to make a note of the changes for next time. You might also consider adding a few new herbs to your spring and summer garden, or installing an indoor hydroponic garden. That way the choice of fresh or dried herbs will be totally up to you!


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Make your own Bouquet Garni


Creole Seasoning Recipe





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