Making a recipe that calls for dill and don’t have it? Dill is a beautiful herb that has a unique flavor: it’s herby and fresh, with a citrus brightness and subtle licorice or anise undertones. Don’t have time to shop for it or can’t find it? Or cooking and just realized you don’t have it? Here are some substitute ideas.
Keep in mind: dill is hard to replace
If you’re cooking something that features dill like yogurt dill sauce, here’s our advice. Try to find the real thing if at all possible! Dill is not like some ingredients that have obvious substitutes. Dill is also a signature ingredient in recipes like dill pickles and ranch dressing, and is hard to replace. It’s worth waiting for when you’re able to find it. But if you must: keep reading for the best substitutes.
Best dill substitute
1. Fresh or dried tarragon
The best substitute for dill? Tarragon. Tarragon has a similar licorice or anise finish to the flavor, but it’s much stronger. You can use equal amounts of fresh tarragon or dried tarragon to substitute for fresh dill or dried dill.
2. Fresh fennel fronds (for fresh dill only)
The next best substitute for fresh dill? Fresh fennel fronds. Fennel fronds look just like fresh dill! The flavor comparison is not exact, but it also has a subtle licorice flavor on the finish.
3. Use dried dill for fresh (or vice versa).
Of course if you happen to have fresh dill and need dried, or dried dill and need fresh, it’s easy to make the substitute! Here’s the substitution ratio for substituting fresh and dried herbs:
Ratio: 1 tablespoon fresh dill = 1 teaspoon dried dill. This substitution ratio works for any dried herbs.
Related recipes
Here are some of the best dill recipes to try:
Lemon Dill SalmonDill Potato SaladRefrigerator Dill PicklesYogurt Dill SauceRoasted Apples & Cauliflower with DillDill Bean SaladGreen Bean Potato Salad with DillYogurt and Cucumber Dill SauceCucumber Dill Sandwiches
