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How Do I Choose the Best Substitute for Parsley?

C. Mitchell
C. Mitchell

Choosing a substitute for parsley depends in large part on how you intend to use the herb, and whether you are looking for something that will mimic parsley in looks, in taste, or both. Parsley is generally a very mild herb, and carries almost no flavor. It is commonly used both fresh and dried in cooking, usually as a garnish. Cooks who cannot find or cannot eat ordinary parsley often choose other green herbs, particularly cilantro or chervil, as a substitute. Using other parsley varieties, particularly curly parsley, is often a good choice as well, though much depends on what is available, as well as your reason for avoiding parsley in the first place.

There are two main varieties of parsley, and they interchange with each other well. Italian parsley has flat dark green leaves, and is usually the most popular variety in commercial markets. Curly parsley, sometimes called “common parsley,” has a lighter color, tightly kinked leaves, and often a slightly bitter taste. Substituting one version of parsley for another, or even using dried parsley in place of fresh, is often the easiest way to compensate for not being able to find the sort of parsley you are after.

Basil can be substituted for parsley as a garnish.
Basil can be substituted for parsley as a garnish.

Parsley is rarely used for its flavor, which can make choosing a non-parsley substitute somewhat difficult. Chervil, a plant in the parsley family, is usually the best bet where taste-comparison is concerned. This herb has French origins and often tastes slightly like anise. It is not always easy to find chervil outside of gourmet grocers, however. Chervil is also not an acceptable substitute for parsley for people who suffer from parsley allergies.

If you are aiming more for the look of a parsley garnish, cilantro is one of the most popular choices. Cilantro leaves look almost identical to those of flat parsley. Taste is where things get different.

Fresh parsley is commonly used to garnish food.
Fresh parsley is commonly used to garnish food.

Cilantro has a very strong, very distinctive flavor that can be overpowering if used in great quantities. It is usually best to use just a few cilantro leaves to substitute for parsley unless you are sure the flavor will complement your dish. Cilantro is very popular in Latin American and Indian cuisine, but can clash with many Italian dishes, for instance.

Leafy herbs like basil and tarragon can also make a good substitute for parsley when look is the chief concern. Like cilantro, these herbs also have distinctive flavors. It is usually best to taste the herb before using it to get a sense of how it will blend with the flavors of your dish. This is particularly true when directly cooking with herbs, rather than using them as a garnish. Cooking with parsley is usually straightforward, as the leaves do not have much flavor to leech out. Other herbs will often intensify when warmed, however, which should be taken into account.

Green onion, though not an herb, can also be an effective substitute for parsley in some cases. The onion stalks can be sliced thin and sprinkled across the dish or cooked within it to add a pleasing green color with usually only a bit of flavor. A green onion's texture is much different from parsley's, but the look is often similar.

Finding a substitute for parsley in a garden setting usually requires completely different considerations. Many people start growing herbs like parsley for the sole purpose of deflecting predators and pests from other plants, particularly crops or food-bearing bushes. Parsley is a common companion plant for tomatoes and carrots. Basil, chive, and mint will also serve this purpose if parsley is either unavailable or fails to thrive.

Discussion Comments

discographer

What about chives? Would they work as a parsley substitute? I'm quite certain that the recipe I'm making calls for parsley as a color contrast more than anything. So I think I could use any other green herb and get away with it. I love chives so I'm sure it will turn out just fine.

I hadn't thought of fresh thyme as a substitute until I read this article. That's a great idea. I might do that instead of chives depending on what I find at the store.

SarahGen

@burcinc-- You're right that they look very similar. You can tell them apart by the size and color of the leaves though. Cilantro has bigger leaves that are very dark green.

I actually don't think that cilantro is always the best substitute for parsley. It could be if the recipe calls for a very small amount of parsley, such as for garnishment. But if the recipe calls for a considerable amount of parsley, I would not substitute with cilantro.

Cilantro has a very distinguished flavor that is much different than parsley. When used in abundance in a recipe, it could ruin the flavor of the entire dish. I know a Turkish pastry recipe for example which calls for a lot of parsley. Cilantro would probably make that pastry inedible because it would dominate all other flavors.

burcinc

Cilantro is probably the best substitute for parsley. They even look similar. When I'm in the herb aisle in the grocery story, I always get confused when looking for parsley. I almost bought cilantro a couple of times.

Lostnfound

I like thyme in general, and I think it's a good substitute for parsley, too. Cilantro is good, but as Grivusangel noted, it's so strong, you couldn't do a substitute and not expect the dish to taste very different.

I also like tarragon, which can be strongly flavored, but really wouldn't change the whole character of the dish, if you didn't use too much.

I am planning to do a herb garden and I want to plant parsley, chives, chervil, thyme and marjoram. I think that would be a nice assortment. I'd like to plant some garlic, too.

Grivusangel

I'm glad the article mentioned cilantro as being very strongly flavored. There's no way you could substitute it for parsley and expect the taste of the dish to remain the same.

Chervil is pretty mild, so that would be a very good substitution. It would add some flavor, but wouldn't overpower the dish. Using dried parsley is always an acceptable substitute if you're out of fresh parsley.

Marjoram could also be substituted. It's not overpowering in flavor, and would also add a bit of greenness to the dish for color, as well as some nice flavor. You have to look at herbs that won't overpower a dish in order to get the best results.

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    • Basil can be substituted for parsley as a garnish.
      By: Barbara Pheby
      Basil can be substituted for parsley as a garnish.
    • Fresh parsley is commonly used to garnish food.
      By: alex555
      Fresh parsley is commonly used to garnish food.