Dill is very common herb that most of cooking enthusiast people use to make their dishes flavorful and tasty. it is easy to find and cheap to buy. it belongs to celery family which also includes parsley, cumin etc. and looks like thin grass leaves. you can use it in fresh form or as dried leaves, i prefer personally using dry dill in dishes as it gives better taste and aroma, rest it depends on recipe to recipe use. here i have shared some of the common substitute for dill to use when you cant find dill in your pantry to use in dishes.
some times your dill get finished and you cant buy it from super market in dried form or from grocery store in fresh form due to low supply and high demand issue then you need to use these alternatives for dill. even if you grow the dill in your kitchen garden or pots in backyard the chances of you requiring more than available may be their in case of some event or house party where large amount of food needs to be prepared, so these alternatives will help you get out of difficult situations while making tasty dishes in your kitchen when dill is finished or cant be used.
if you are using dill directly from garden or your plant then pluck it before it starts flowering to get best flavor form the dill in your food.
dill can be added to chicken salad, vegetable salad, soups, strews, curries, garnish for air fried dishes, in burger patties, sea food platter etc.
Dill substitutes and alternatives
Oregano
oregano is popular herb that people across the world use in all kinds of dishes including pasts, soups, pizzas etc. to give them a unique flavor. it comes with good aroma and can be mixed with different herbs to give your dish as good overall taste. commonly it is used in dried form but you can also use fresh leaves although to get some intense taste the number of fresh leaves required would be higher as fresh leaves are less potent in terms of taste.
you can buy bottle of dried oregano from market or fresh leaves from grocery market or can grow in your kitchen garden to get unlimited supply always which can be used as dill alternative whenever required.
Thyme
thyme works great as dill replacement in heavy dishes like chicken, meat items etc. to give them a good flavor. the taste of thyme matches to dill up to certain extent not fully so you need to keep a check how much you are adding in your recipe for getting its taste in the dish.
thyme is quite useful herb to use in all kinds of cooking recipes when dill is absent in your kitchen as it gives a very likable and distinct flavor to your food items. you can add them to grilled potato platter, various bread recipes, rice dishes, veggies mix, beans dishes, stews, corn platters, fritters, onion rings etc. to enhance the overall recipe flavor
Basil
basil is a good substitute for dill in all kinds of dishes from soup, strews, salads to coleslaws and everything in between were you want to use dill. it has pleasant taste and is easy to find in market, you can also grow in pots at your home easily to get year long supply of quality basil for different recipes. if you are buying dry basil container from super market then add gradually in the dish as it would be stronger in taste and flavor when compared to fresh basil leaves.
Tarragon
tarragon come with good taste and health benefits. it is not a common herb to find in market but can be used as dill alternative when used in moderation in the dill to give it good flavor. it is part of sunflower family and can also be find in various seasoning mix but if you want intense flavor of tarragon along then buy pure tarragon container or use fresh leaves in your recipes.
one spoon tarragon can be used in place of one spoon dill in recipes of your choice as a replacement for dill.
Garlic
garlic comes with intense aroma and a totally unique taste which can be identified by anyone. it is not a popular alternative for dill but lot of people use it in absence of dill to give the recipe good taste. it is easy to get in market in fresh and dried form but of you are using it as dill replacement then i would recommend that you go with dried garlic powder to get the taste without making anything visible in the recipe separately.
Parsley
parsley is very common herb that can used as dried or fresh to replace dill in many dishes. the flavor of parsley do not match with dill too much but can work as its alternative. it is less potent than dill so the amount of parsley required in dish may be little higher to get a good aromatic flavor from your recipe.
their are lot of uses for parsley when dill is not an option due to its absence in your kitchen. you can add parsley in pesto sauce making, soups garnishes, in green smoothies, grilled veg and non veg platters, some people also like to add it in dough of home made bread to add some different flavors in your breads.
i personally use parsley in making green sauce with some cilantro, mint leaves, parsley, green chilies, ginger, shallots and spice mix to enjoy with different grilled items, bread toasts and sandwiches as it gives a good added flavor to them whenever i apply it on dishes to eat in breakfast or as evening snack.
Mint
mint comes with strong aroma and unique taste to replace dill whenever required. its flavor is stronger than dill so you need to use little bit of mint gradually in your dish to get best flavor as per your taste preference from it. it can be used in dry form and fresh leaves also gives flavor in food. you can add mint to all kinds of recipes like soups, gravies, salads, sandwiches, virgin mojito, frozen watermelon mojito and other such drinks.
Cilantro
Cilantro comes with very good taste and aroma. It serves as a good alternative for dill to get good taste. Dill taste is different than cilantro but coriander and cilantro works as substitutes for dill very nicely. you can add in all savory dishes in which dill needs to be added. as far as its physical appearance is concerned it has long stakes with small leaves attached over full long stalk.
Bay leaf
Bay leaves adds a strong aroma and good flavor to your dish. it can be used as dill alternative. you have to remove the leaf before serving as people don’t like to eat it or you can add little bay leaf powder. it packs lot of good nutrients for our body like vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron etc.
Bay leaf as replacement for dill works great when used in heavy dishes like meat curry, chicken sauce, cumin rice, tomato rice platter etc. to impart a good lasting aroma along with great taste. you can also checkout bay leaves alternatives on our bay leaf substitute guide to use in your favorite recipes when you have no bay leaf with you.
Rosemary
rosemary works great with dill and as its substitute also. It can be added to soups, stews, grilled chicken, meat etc. rosemary is easy to find and can be bought from supermarket in dried form in small plastic containers or can be used fresh after buying from grocery store or plucking from your kitchen garden to use in your dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does dill look like?
dill herb goes up to 4 feet upon its maturity. they have small yellow flowers and leaves which are thin and resembles grass. its stem is hallow with green and white strips and short leaves look feather like soft in green color. each stem gives many shoots with each 2-3 pointed leaves at top on every branch of these herb.
what are benefits of eating dill?
dill has lot of useful benefits for everyone when you consume it in different recipes or directly. it helps to regulate your diabetes due to the presence of eugenol in its leaves which comes with anti diabetic features which play key role in maintaining the blood sugar levels in your body.
some people has also reported that they get benefits of dill in reducing infections in body and getting well soon. it also aids digestion thus helping you get rid of all kinds of digestive issues in short and long term. your immunity also gets boast as it helps in reduction of free radicals in body.
Conclusion
Finding an exact match substitute for dill can be difficult because every other herb comes with its own unique flavor and aroma so we can only find partial match substitute for dill and other herbs. i have shared above some of the substitutes which i think would work as substitute for dill to give your recipe a good flavor in absence of dill.
Add every alternative gradually to get a taste which you like to eat and don’t over power your dish main flavor. let me know in comments below which dill alternative you like the most to use in your dishes and recipes.
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