The 6 Best Tarragon Substitutes

Tarragon, the long, grass-like herb in the produce refrigerator case of your local grocery store, is a beautiful, nuanced herb. Bright, fresh, and herbal notes with a touch of citrus-licorice grace the tongue when tarragon is around. It is because of this multi-faceted flavor that finding a replacement for tarragon can be a bit tricky.

Whether you love the taste and ran out (or as is more often the case these days, the store is out), or dislike certain aspects of the herb, there are a few things you can use instead.

What Does Tarragon Taste Like and How Is It Used?

Tarragon is a wild-grown herb that grows perennially throughout North America, as well as within the majority of Europe and Asia. Its zesty, clean, and lively flavor makes it not only a favorite herb in Mediterranean and European cuisines but "the king of herbs" to the French. The elongated shape and distinct aroma add instant elegance to whatever it touches, whether it be a traditional Bearnaise or a simple pile of roasted vegetables.

Tarragon is fresh in the spring and used as a bright, herbaceous complement to lighter proteins like chicken, fish, and rabbit. It offers a lift to brothy dishes or cream-based soups or stews as well as some vinaigrettes, and when torn into a salad or used as a garnish, it punches up the flavor and aroma factor by a few notches.

The herb isn't often listed among the commonly used varieties in home kitchens, even seemingly forgotten about by produce sections (I'm looking at you, local grocery store ), which is a sad thing indeed.

Substituting Dry Tarragon for Fresh

There is a general rule for substituting dried herbs for fresh and that is: 1 teaspoon dried for every tablespoon fresh and vice versa. Being a "rule-follower" here isn't a bad idea, but dried tarragon can't quite match the strength of fresh in terms of flavor, so if you want to use more than normal, that would be fine, too.

Fresh tarragon is harder to mimic with a substitution than dried. If the recipe calls for dried tarragon, your options open up a bit. Dried marjoram, oregano, basil, dill, or even rosemary or fennel or anise seed (in a pinch) will work well.

Get the recipe: Roasted Orange-Tarragon Cornish Hens

Best Tarragon Substitutes

Dried Tarragon

The dried version of a fresh herb is an obvious choice when you can't get it. Dried tarragon has a tendency to come across as bitter in larger amounts, so if the recipe calls for a copious amount of tarragon, you might want to go with another fresh substitution.

The best way to get the most out of dried tarragon is to combine it with other herbs in a dish. 1 teaspoon dried for every tablespoon fresh is a good place to start, a

Basil

Fresh basil is an easily accessible substitution since it's sold in nearly every grocery store. It is similar in flavor but won't have the same citrus or snap of licorice to it. You can use fresh or dried basil in a ratio of 2 to 1 for fresh or dried tarragon respectively, but it never hurts to start with an equal swap and increase from there.

An even better choice? Thai basil (often called licorice basil. You see where I'm going here?)

Chervil

Chervil is likely the closest replacement in the flavor department. In fact, it has been described as a tarragon, parsley, and chive hybrid and its versatility allows it to stand in effortlessly for any of those, though it is a touch milder.

The flavor of chervil can diminish while cooking, so if tarragon is called for in a raw preparation like a salad, this is the choice. Use it in dressings, salads, sauces, or poultry dishes 1 for 1 for tarragon, dried or fresh, though it is best to taste as you go, if possible.

Fennel Fronds

The beautiful fronds of fennel can produce a tarragon-like flavor in their notes of citrus, but mostly due to their pronounced licorice taste. So, if you're not choosing a substitution for tarragon out of revulsion to that quality in tarragon, this could be for you. It's also because of this licorice-like taste that some suggest anise seeds or fennel seeds to step in, but tarragon is so much more than this alone to where I don't personally feel it is appropriate.

All parts of the fennel plant are edible, even though we often only use white bulbs. The fronds are more delicate, with a brighter flavor more similar to tarragon. Use fennel fronds 1:1 with fresh tarragon leaves in dressings or vinaigrettes, lighter dishes, soups, or salads.

Get the recipe: Wine Sauce for Seafood

Marjoram

As a member of the oregano family (its small, circular-shaped leaves get it mistaken for oregano quite often), marjoram won't have the same pop of licorice as tarragon, but that's okay. It's still earthy, warm, and woodsy. Raw marjoram as opposed to dried will be the best for fresh tarragon. Use it 1 for 1 with vegetables or poultry.

Herbes de Provence

When all else fails, check to see if this blend has tarragon in it already, as many do. This would be especially great if the dish you're making hails from Southern France, is coming from Julia Child, or simply involves chicken, potatoes, or an omelet.

Related:

• What Is Chervil and How Do I Cook With It?
• Sauces to Serve With Fish
• Your Fresh Herbs Could Be Contaminated With Bacteria—Here’s How to Wash Them