Herbs: Dried vs Fresh - The Correct Ratio for Substituting

Fresh herbs taste the best, but sometimes they aren’t always available.  Maybe you forgot to pick them up at the store, found fresh herbs too expensive to need just a tiny amount or maybe you are creating a recipe on a whim.

Whatever the reason, knowing how to substitute dried herbs for fresh is invaluable for infusing great flavor into your food from your spice cabinet. Here’s how to do it!

Fresh herbs can be about 80 to 90% water, so when they are dried, the water evaporates and what’s left are strong and more potent essential oils. This means that dried herbs are more concentrated in flavor than fresh, so when you’re figuring out how to substitute one for the other, the 3:1 ratio is preferred:

1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs

This ratio works for herbs that have been dried and then flaked into small pieces.

If you have dried ground herbs though, which are even more potent, go with four parts fresh herbs to one part dried ground herbs.

Dried herbs that have been sitting around for awhile in the spice rack may have lost some of their potency, so while the above ratios are good ones to start out with, remember to taste your food and adjust as needed, as you can always add more, but you can’t take it away once it’s in there.  It also helps an enormous amount to work with good-quality dried herbs. If you open a jar and can’t smell that herb-y aroma, it’s time to replace it!

Also remember that dried herbs work best in foods that need to be cooked, so that the herbs have time to soften and release their oils — substituting dried herbs for fresh does not work well in salads, dressings or other raw preparations. 

When we use fresh out-of-season herbs in the winter months, we want to make it count. They’re best when used at the end of cooking, to finish a dish — like adding thyme just before a soup is done or sprinkling ribbons of basil over the top of a pizza. This way the flavors are still fresh and bright when I start serving. Spring for fresh herbs when making special dishes, like Thanksgiving stuffing with fresh sage or rosemary meatballs for a holiday potluck. These are celebrations, and the bright, vibrant flavors of fresh herbs in a dish are part of what makes the gathering feel special and memorable.

Finally, keep in mind that fresh herbs with leaves that are harder and more brittle, like rosemary and thyme, contain less water than soft herbs like cilantro or parsley, so they can contain quite a strong punch of flavor when dried. With these, it’s best to err on using a little less in the beginning and adding more as needed.  You can use dried herbs and fresh herbs in combination. The dried herbs infuse the dish during cooking and then a sprinkle of the fresh herb at the end perks up the flavors.

Here are some recipe ideas to get you started! https://mwlc.com/news/category/Spices

*Results may vary. Minimum purchase required. Some restrictions apply and discounts may not be used for online purchases.
When you enroll in a Medical Weight Loss Clinic program, the length of your program will be determined by you and the staff based on the amount of weight you want to lose and how quickly you want to lose it. Your actual weight loss will be determined by many factors, including, but not limited to: your medical circumstances, the plan you choose, adherence to the meal plan and use of nutritional supplements. Your goal and program duration information will be given to you in writing at the time of enrollment. As your program progresses, the rate you lose weight may change and you will have the opportunity to discuss this at every daily visit with your weight loss consultant, where changes to your meal plan and/or program can be made.