The Dried Seasoning You Can Easily Substitute For Basil

Fresh basil is one of the most wonderful herbs a home cook can keep in their kitchen. It's easy to grow and maintain, and it looks as lovely as it is functional. Even store-bought bunches can add essential flavor to pasta nights, easily elevate frozen pizzas with the tear of a few leaves, and turn your leftover tomatoes and mozzarella into a Caprese salad. Dried basil in a jar has its uses, too. But run out of either or both forms of the herb and you'll see how ubiquitous the botanical is in recipes. Fortunately, like with a lot of ingredients, there's a suitable swap.

Italian seasoning, as it's labeled on most grocery shelves, is your best basil alternative in a pinch because it contains — you guessed it! — basil. When listed as the first ingredient in a store-bought brand, basil is the primary herb used in the seasoning mix, typically followed by oregano, marjoram, garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Just have a peek at the back label to find the variety with the most basil to cover any future substitution needs.

Although you wouldn't want to pulse it into a pesto or try to swap it for mint in a basil mojito, Italian seasoning can be substituted for basil in tons of other preparations. It'll still taste nice on top of those frozen pizzas, for one. Sure, the result may be more like what you'd enjoy from an oregano shaker at the corner slice shop than at a trattoria on the Amalfi Coast, but both flavors have their place. Italian seasoning will also blend into Sunday gravy even better than the fresh stuff would and could save you a few extra minutes prepping the other herbs and spices that the mix is already packed with. Likewise, Italian seasoning works well in other sauces, soups, or recipes that call for a bit of basil, without making it the main star.

In a perfect culinary world, pantries would replenish themselves, spices would hold their flavors forever, and everyone would have an herb garden full of vibrant perennials like basil to incorporate into every homemade meal. In the real world of weeknight cooking, Italian seasoning, with all its versatile applications, is a great addition to the back of your spice rack for all your basil substitution needs.