Italian Seasoning Substitute: 9 Best Ideas

Do you want to cook your favorite recipe of lasagna, chicken parmesan, or meatballs but are out of the must-have ingredient: Italian seasoning? 

Don’t stop yourself from cooking the dish you are craving because you can use many available Italian seasoning substitutes.

Presenting you some of the best Italian seasoning substitutes.

9 Best Ideas for Italian Seasoning Substitute

1. Homemade Italian Seasoning

Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.

Hands down, the ideal Italian seasoning substitute is the homemade one. To make 3 tablespoons of homemade Italian seasoning, blend the following ingredients.

• 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 tsp of dried thyme (not ground)
• 1 tsp of dried sage
• 2 tsp of dried basil
• ½ tsp of dried rosemary

Use the mixture at a 1:1 ratio to replace store-bought Italian seasoning.

2. Basil and Dried Oregano

Measurements to use them.

If you don’t have all of the above herbs but have basil and dried oregano, Voila! 

• Blending those two will be enough too. Because they are the dominant flavor of every Italian seasoning. And if you have some dried thyme, add that as well.

Way 1: For 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, mix ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon basil.

Way 2: For 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, blend ¼ tsp of dried basil, ½ tsp of dried oregano, and ¼ tsp of thyme.

3. Herbes de Provence

Follow a 1:1 substitute ratio.

From the name, you can easily guess it’s a french mixture. 

• Herbes de Provence includes many herbs used in Italian seasoning, and fennel seed, including lavender, marjoram, sage, and summer savory. 
• You can add it to grilled vegetables, marinades, and meats for an extra flavor.

You can substitute Italian seasoning with herbes de Provence in your recipe at a 1:1 ratio.

Note : Keep in mind that the lavender in the blend might be too sweet for some dishes that call for Italian seasoning.

You may also like: Substitutes for Chili Powder

4. Herbes De La Garrigue

Use an equal amount of ii instead of Italian seasoning.

• This fancy-sounding blend is made of herbs grown in the southwestern part of France. Basil, thyme, lavender, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, and sage are some of its ingredients similar to herbes de Provence. 
• But this blend has two more herbs included: bay leaf powder and mint. 

Though herbs de la garrigue doesn’t impart a floral flavor, people enjoy its bay leaf powder and mint flavor in many Italian dishes. Additionally, this blend works well as a replacement in sausages, stew, or beans that call for Italian seasoning.

Use an equal amount of herbs de la garrigue in a recipe that requires Italian seasoning.

5. Pizza Seasoning

Go for the same amount of it.

If you are a carb lover, you must have pizza seasoning in your pantry. And this seasoning has many common ingredients for Italian seasoning.

• Regular pizza seasoning also has garlic powder, onion powder,  sea salt, nutritional yeast, thyme, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. 

To swap, at first, go for an equal amount of pizza seasoning for Italian seasoning. Then, add it to taste as you go until you achieve your desired flavor.

6. Fresh Herbs

Follow a 3:1 ratio if you use fresh herbs.

Using fresh herbs is another best idea to replace Italian seasoning. Though dried herbs have a highly concentrated flavor-

• If you have fresh basil and oregano, they will compensate for the flavor. Just use more of these fresh herbs to achieve your preferred flavor.

Note : Dried herbs need to be simmered to spread their flavors properly. However, fresh herbs lose their flavor if cooked longer, so add them toward the end of your recipe.

Use a 3:1 ratio to replace Italian seasoning with fresh herbs. It will give you a similar punch. For example,  to substitute 1 tsp of Italian seasoning in a recipe,  use 1 ½ tsp each of fresh oregano and basil instead.

7. Greek Seasoning

Greek seasoning to Greek food is similar to Italian seasoning to Italian-American food.

• Generally, the Greek seasoning blend has ingredients like oregano, garlic, onion, parsley, marjoram, and thyme. 
• Other common extras can be basil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon peel, and cinnamon. 

Greek seasoning adds a savory punch and imparts mint and peppery notes, making it a potential Italian seasoning substitute in most dishes. Just be considerate of the lemon peel and cinnamon.

You can easily use Greek seasoning instead of Italian seasoning in meaty dishes that taste good with warming spices.

Using a ratio of 1:1 to substitute Italian Seasoning with Greek seasoning will do the trick.

8. Za’atar

Use an equal proportion of za’atar to substitute Italian seasoning.

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice and herb blend with a similar flavor profile as Greek seasoning. So you can use it as a substitute.

• In Arabic, Za’atar means “oregano,” and oregano is the main flavor of this blend. 
• It includes some common ingredients like thyme and marjoram, which are very familiar to Italian seasoning. 
• But it has other ingredients like sesame seeds and sumac, different from Italian seasoning. But they won’t change the flavor of the final result noticeably but can add a tangy flavor.

Replace the Italian seasoning with equal portions of za’atar. But FYI, some za’atar blends contain salt, so be sure to taste it before adding it to your recipe.

9. Italian Dressing Seasoning Packet

First, use a little less of it.

It can be another brilliant substitute for Italian seasoning. Almost every Italian-American favorite recipe, from sausage soup to crockpot lasagna, calls for this handy little seasoning packet. 

• Like Italian seasoning, the Italian dressing mix also calls for the two main dried herbs: oregano and basil. 
• But it also has thyme, parsley, onion powder, pepper, sugar, and salt added to it.

To make the best use of Italian dressing seasoning, you can use it to season the ground meat in your meat sauce or baked pasta dish. While using this dressing seasoning, initially don’t add extra salt to the recipe as it already contains salt. However, you can add salt as you go only to the taste.

As for substituting, it’s better to start with a little less Italian dressing seasoning than the amount of Italian seasoning called for in a recipe. But keep tasting as you go to know if you should add more of it or not.

You may also like: How to Get the Seasoning to Stick to the Popcorn

Wrap Up

When there are so many ideal substitutes available for Italian seasoning, I hope you will have one of them in your pantry. So, proceed with your substitute at home to satisfy your cravings for Italian-American Dishes.