Fresh to Dried Herb Converter
Three to one is the starting rule, and it is wrong often enough to matter. Choose the herb, the amount, and the job it is doing, and this gives you the spoonful — or tells you the swap should not be made, which for cilantro in salsa is the only honest answer.
Convert a herb
Do not convert this one
Cilantro, cooked into the dish. Almost never works as a direct swap, even in a cooked dish.
Do this instead: Use fresh parsley plus a squeeze of lime. The dish wants green brightness more than the same label.
What drying takes: All of it — the raw green aroma is the whole ingredient.
Ratios and refusals from Fresh vs Dried Herb Conversion, and the cilantro profile. Volume ratios are a starting point; taste before you add more.
Every herb, and what it does when dried
| Herb | Fresh : dried | Cooked in | Dressing or rub | Raw or garnish | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basil tender | 3 : 1 | Care | Stop | Stop | The sweet anise top note — the reason anyone buys basil. |
| Chives tender | 3 : 1 | Care | Care | Stop | The snap and the mild raw onion bite. |
| Cilantro tender | no ratio | Stop | Stop | Stop | All of it — the raw green aroma is the whole ingredient. |
| Dill tender | 3 : 1 | Yes | Yes | Stop | The grassy lift, and the feathery texture entirely. |
| Marjoram woody | 3 : 1 | Care | Yes | Stop | The floral sweetness that separates it from oregano. |
| Mint tender | 3 : 1 | Yes | Yes | Stop | The cooling snap of the fresh leaf. |
| Oregano woody | 3 : 1 | Yes | Yes | Stop | A little of the fresh green top note; the peppery body survives. |
| Parsley tender | 3 : 1 | Care | Stop | Stop | The green bulk and the clean finishing lift. |
| Rosemary woody | 6 : 1 | Care | Care | Stop | The pine-resin freshness; what is left is more medicinal. |
| Sage woody | 3 : 1 | Care | Care | Stop | The soft velvety leaf and the gentler fresh aroma. |
| Thyme woody | 3 : 1 | Yes | Yes | Stop | The lemony lift at the top; the woody base gets louder. |