Parsley is a key herb in many dishes, especially Italian and French cuisine. However, it can be hard to come by fresh parsley when you need it most. Luckily, there are plenty of substitutes that can help compliment this green garnish in a pinch.
So if you find yourself with half an onion and no way of adding some much-needed flavor to your pesto or pastas without breaking your diet, here are 10 best substitutes for parsley!
List of 10 Best Alternatives To Parsley
Dried herbs
Parsley is a very popular herb that has a pleasant flavor but also contains a high level of Vitamin A and fiber. This makes it very healthy and an excellent addition to any dish.
Parsley is available in two forms – fresh and dried. However, when using parsley, you should remember that the taste will be stronger when the herb is dried. If your dish calls for fresh parsley, you can use dried parsley instead but you should remember to adjust quantities accordingly.
Parsley can be used in all kinds of dishes. Examples are soups, stews, salads and meat dishes. Parsley can also be used to add flavor to sauces, butter and eggs. It is best if you cook the parsley just before serving as it loses its flavor when cooked for too long.
Thyme
Parsley is a great herb to have in your cooking arsenal, but fresh parsley is not always easy to find. Finding fresh herbs can be a challenge especially if you are on a tight budget or have difficulty finding fresh ingredients.
Thyme is an herb that is available in dried and fresh forms. It can replace the flavor of fresh parsley while saving money on grocery bills. However, thyme has a different flavor from parsley, so it may not be a suitable replacement for all recipes.
Many dishes that use parsley as an ingredient are actually enhanced by the addition of thyme. This makes thyme a good substitute for parsley. In fact, the two herbs are related botanically and share many of the same health benefits. Thyme and parsley can even be used together in some dishes to create an enhanced flavor profile and better overall taste for the dish you are preparing.
The aroma of thyme is similar to that of parsley but has less fruity undertones than its cousin herb. Thyme is also stronger than parsley, so it may be necessary to use less when using this herb as a substitute for fresh parsley in recipes.
Arugula
Arugula is not an herb. It is a type of salad green, one that is spicy and bitter. If you are making a salad, you can use arugula instead of parsley.
The first thing to know about arugula is that it’s not really an herb. It’s a type of salad green. Some people call it arugula, some people call it rocket, and some people call it roquette or rucola. But the word rucola isn’t the same as the name of the song “Rocket Man.” I don’t think anybody knows for sure how this plant got its name.
There are many different kinds of greens in the same family as arugula, such as mustard greens and cabbage. People sometimes call these greens by other names, such as ruccola or ruccolo.
Many cooks choose to chop arugula very finely before adding it to a dish because it has a peppery taste and some bitterness. You can use arugula in place of parsley in dishes like soups or salads because they have similar tastes. To chop arugula well, you will want to cut through the stems with kitchen shears before chopping the leaves into pieces that are much smaller than those of parsley.
Celery Leaves
Celery leaves are often used in soups, salads and garnish. The leaves have a pale green color with a great flavor. The best way to enjoy this is to use it as a garnish on your next meal.
I like to use the leaves when I am cooking a soup that needs an extra punch in flavor. I will take all of the leaves and chop them up, then add them to my soup. This doesn’t change the flavor enough for anyone to notice it, but it does add a little bit of a kick to the soup.
Even when I am not cooking with them, this is something that I like to eat just because it tastes good. Celery leaves taste similar to parsley, but they also have their own unique flavor that you will enjoy if you try it.
Oregano
Oregano is a tasty herb that’s a great substitute for parsley, especially if you don’t like or want to use parsley at all. The main benefit of oregano is that it holds up well over time; in fact, Ancient Greeks and Romans often used oregano as a preservative for their meats and fish.
Oregano can be used fresh, dry or even as a dried powder. It can be used in place of parsley in most recipe, but it is a more intense herb with a strong flavor; this flavor isn’t necessarily bad, but you may not like it if you are looking for a more neutral taste for your dish.
Green Onions
Green onions can be used as a substitute for parsley in many different recipes. Green onions have a similar taste to parsley and are used in the same ways in most recipes.
Green onions can be used in both cooked and raw dishes. They can be used chopped up as a garnish on soups, salads, and other dishes or they can be cooked with the dish itself. For example, green onions can be sliced and added to cream of chicken soup or mashed potatoes before cooking to add flavor to the dish.
Green onions can also be used in marinades. The green tops of the onion will add an excellent flavor to steaks or chicken when used as a marinade. The green part of the onion is usually sweeter than the white part so it adds more depth to your marinade along with some color on your meat or fish.
In salad recipes, onion greens are also a great substitute for parsley because they have less of a bite than parsley and they have a milder flavor that will work well with any salad dressing you choose
Rosemary
Fresh herbs have a lot of flavor, and they add a nice, bright touch to any dish. But fresh parsley is not always available or affordable. If you enjoy cooking Italian dishes, rosemary is the perfect herb to have on hand to replace fresh parsley in recipes.
Parsley has a strong, earthy flavor that can overpower other flavors in the dish. Rosemary is a much more subtle herb that can be used with other herbs like thyme and sage for more complex dishes. It’s also well-suited for adding to pasta sauces for extra flavor.
Rosemary is often combined with other herbs in many dishes, but it’s also great all on its own when you’re preparing soups or roasting vegetables and meats. With so many uses and benefits, rosemary is certainly worth having on hand!
Cilantro
Cilantro, also known as coriander, is a leafy spice that can be used either fresh or dried and is very popular in Mexican and Asian food. Similar to parsley, cilantro contains high levels of vitamin K as well as vitamin A.
Cilantro can be found in the produce or herb aisle at most grocery stores — look for bunches with crisp, dark green leaves (avoid yellowed leaves). Cilantro should be stored in a plastic bag lined with paper towels to keep it from wilting. It will last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
If you do not like the taste of cilantro, try using basil as a substitute instead.
Cilantro is also a great addition to soups and curries.
Carrot Greens
Carrot greens can be used in place of parsley almost anywhere in cooking; the taste is not as strong but it will add a nice, fresh note to your dish. They can also be blended into smoothies for the same flavor.
Luckily, carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow at home and are present on grocery store shelves all year long.
Carrot greens are most often discarded by the dinner table or farmers market stand, but they are actually edible and full of vitamins and minerals.
Carrot leaves contain a large amount of vitamin K, as well as vitamin A and C. They also have significant levels of calcium, iron, folate, magnesium and potassium.
Sage
When substituting fresh parsley with dried, use around twice the amount you normally use to get an equivalent flavor profile.
Don’t have fresh parsley on hand? Sage is a popular herb that can easily substitute for parsley in your recipes. This substitute works especially well in savory dishes such as lamb and pork. Use about half the amount you would normally use of sage, however, because it is very peppery and may overpower the flavor of your dish if you don’t cut down on it.
Parsley vs. Celery
Parsley is a leafy herb and it is used as a cooking ingredient and garnish. It has a strong taste that comes from the ionic compounds found in the leaves, such as flavones and nicotinoid. Parsley can be used fresh or dried, but it loses flavor when cooked for long periods of time.
Celery is grown as a vegetable crop for its stalk and seeds, though it can also be eaten before cooking or after cooking as celery soup or celery relish. Celery stalks are crunchy with an earthy texture and flavor. Celery seeds are sweet-tasting with celastrus oil (a chemical compound) which contains celandine (an alkaloid).
Fresh parsley is rich in vitamin K, A and C as well as dietary fiber, folate, thiamin and more. Celery is rich in fiber, vitamin A and C as well as thiamin.
It is interesting to note that celery’s high degree of sodium content makes it an ingredient in weight loss supplements, but it should not be used by those suffering from hypertension.
Parsley has been used traditionally to treat indigestion and heartburn while celery is a diuretic that can help to reduce excess water retention.
Conclusion
Parsley is a great herb to have on hand. It’s cheap and easy to grow, especially if you live in a wet climate, and it goes well in all kinds of recipes. If you’re not a fan of the taste of parsley but would like to add some freshness to your dish, try using substitutes for parsley instead; it’ll do the job and won’t overpower the flavor of your dish!