Best Dried Herbs and Spices
These are the Best Dried Herbs and Spices you should have in your kitchen. A juicy, tasty grilled chicken breast or salmon is delicious and healthy, but sometimes you want something more. Adding spices such as dried thyme, cumin, or garlic powder sprinkle your meals with interesting flavors that make meals even more delicious. Dried spices also have various health benefits and save you from chopping up garlic or onions, for example. Here’s some information on some popular dried spices.
Oregano:
Every Summertime I plant herbs in my small but mighty garden. One of my favorite fresh herbs is Oregano. What is the difference between dried oregano and ground oregano? The answer is already in the question. Dried oregano are leaves that have been dried. The ground oregano is dried leaves that were placed in the grinder to make them uniform in size. Dried oregano is great to flavor your pizza, tomato sauce, and Mexican and Italian dishes like taco seasoning and spaghetti.
RECIPES with Mexican flavor:
dried thyme:
It’s always a good time to use thyme! Thyme originated in the southern Mediterranean, but today it is commonly used throughout North America. I love its woody, earthy taste that perfectly fits my savory dishes such as stews, roasted meats, and vegetables. Thyme is wonderful to use in Italian, French, and Middle Eastern dishes. It has an earthy, minty flavor that blends well with other herbs and spices. Some comforting dishes can be used in our lemon-roasted chicken and roasted potatoes.
RECIPES with dried thyme:
dried or fresh basil:
In winter, spring, summer, or fall, it is always a good idea to have dried basil on hand.
On a summer afternoon, my family and I often enjoy an alfresco lunch such as lemon basil pasta, On a cool fall evening, a bowl of warm creamy tomato basil pasta using dried basil is so comforting. Originating from India, Dried Basil is now one of the most popular herbs throughout the world. This delicious herb is also great to spice up a homemade pasta salad or basil pesto. Yum!
We also enjoy fresh basil. I have a small vegetable garden in my backyard and every summer we harvest a lot of fresh basil we use for soup and pasta. Here’s my recipe for pesto.
recipes with dried and fresh basil:
cumin:
Originating from Egypt and the Middle East, cumin is a unique spice that I love to use when I make Indian chutneys and curries. This spice has a sweet, peppery, and warm flavor that I love to add to chili or Mediterranean dishes such as hummus. Cumin is great for spicing up hearty dishes and can be added to marinades or used as a rub. Cumin Seed comes from a small Umbelliferae plant which is related to carrots, parsley, caraway, and dill.
recipes with middle eastern flavor:
curry powder:
If I want to add a burst of flavor to my dishes, I sprinkle curry powder into my soups, sauces, marinades, stews, meats, and veggies. Originating from India, I use curry to create zesty Indian dishes such as Chicken Makhani, also known as “Butter Chicken.” Curry is also a fantastic way to spice up other dishes such as Thai curry chicken, seafood rice, and lentil soup. I love cooking with curry powder because of its great combination of sweet and savory spices.
recipes using curry powder:
garlic powder:
Originating from the Middle East and Asia, garlic is one of the most commonly used spices in cuisines from around the world, including Thai, Chinese, Latin American, Mexican, Korean, French, and many more! My family loves the aroma of garlic that fills my home when I make lemon and garlic potatoes, shrimp scampi, and roasted garlic chicken. Garlic powder provides smoothness, warmth, and a pungent, savory taste that are also delicious in sauces and marinades.
recipes using fresh garlic or garlic powder:
onion powder:
Egypt is considered one of the initial places where dried onions were transformed into onion powder. Just like a whole onion with the sun shining down on it, onion powder provides a savory and sweet flavor that spices up a variety of dishes. My roasted breakfast potatoes or rosemary-baked chicken would not be the same without the sweetness of onion powder.
recipes using fresh onion or onion powder:
chili powder:
On a cool fall night, the aroma of chili often fills my home and provides comfort and warmth. The powder can be made with varying heat levels and consists of cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic, and more. It’s the perfect spice to add to a delicious bowl of chili, or casseroles, and also as a rub on ribs and other meat.
recipes with chili powder:
dried coriander:
Coriander is native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Coriander is dried cilantro seeds and you can taste a burst of citrus when enjoying a dish containing this spice. I love using coriander while making Indian curry chicken, spicy enchiladas, or Moroccan couscous.
recipes with fresh or dried coriander:
smoked paprika:
Smoked paprika came from different dried chili peppers that were crushed and smoked under an oak fire. This process gives the red powder a rich smoky flavor. I used this spice to make homemade Taco Mixed, Paella, and roasted veggies. It is great with seafood and grilled meat. Sometimes I make stews with smoked paprika that gives them a Southern flavor.
recipes using smoked paprika:
fresh or dried rosemary:
Rosemary is an aromatic member of the mint family native to the Mediterranean region. It’s a woody perennial bearing blue flowers and needle-like leaves. Rosemary leaf is most recognized as a culinary spice but it’s also used in herbal medicine for its beneficial properties, including aid for brain function. I mostly use it for cooking. I like adding it to my roasted chicken and potatoes to boost their flavor. The earthy flavor and aroma give such delight to the dish.
recipes using DRIED ROSEMARY:
dried saffron:
Saffron is grown in Iran, Spain, France, and Italy. It has a golden color stigmas which are dried and used as spice to flavor food. Saffron has a strong and exotic aroma and is used to color and flavor many Meditteranean and Asian food particularly rice and fish. It’s known for it’s delicate nature, extensive cultivation process, cultural history, and being the most expensive spice in the world. If you’d like to read more in detail click here. Ocassionally when I make my paella, I used saffron. It’s certainly strong in flavor, so a little goes a long way.
My Arroz Caldo recipe doesn’t have saffron but I’m sharing you the recipe anyway.
recipes:
other recipes you might like to try:
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Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.
I’m a mom and a wife, and just like you, I love to cook too. Let’s make something delicious but let’s not make ourselves run around like a chicken without a head. The recipes I share are inspired by my grandma, and she was very aware of her time and money. I grew up in a household where home-cooked meals are part of our day-to-day life. Cooking is not a chore but a way of living and connecting with each other. I created these recipes to help everyday cooking simple and flavorful…