If you like flavorful food but struggle with identifying herbs, you’ll benefit from this herb list! Though often decorative (think chives on baked potatoes), cooking with herbs is often a must — as in mojitos made with muddled fresh mint. Cooking herbs are essential ingredients in some of our top-rated recipes, like Roasted Pepper and Basil Skewers and Marinated Zucchini & Parsley Salad. This herb list offers you pictures to help in identifying herbs, common scenarios of cooking with herbs and recipes you’ll find herbs in. For example, sage is great in many stuffing recipes, as is thyme — which also is often used in meatloaf, soups and stews. Take a look at different meat and fish collections for more examples. You’ll also find cooking herbs well represented in our chicken recipes and salmon recipes. And definitely check out our farmers’ market recipes for terrific dishes with veggies and more.

Basil

Fresh basil has a pungent flavor that is very common and popular. Use it in tomato sauces, pesto sauces, vinegar, and with lamb, fish, poultry, pasta, rice, tomatoes and Italian dishes.

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Parsley

This fresh-flavored cooking herb, slightly green and piney, is commonly used as a flavoring or as a garnish. Use to flavor grilled meat, poultry, soups, omelets, mashed potatoes and salads. It may be used in herbal butters and vinegars or as a garnish.

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Oregano

This cooking herb has a strong flavor and aroma. Use it to flavor tomato sauces, vinegar, omelets, quiche, bread, marinated vegetables, beef, poultry, black beans and pizza.

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Cilantro

Use in Asian and Mexican cooking or as a garnish. Popular in salsa, guacamole, Thai peanut sauce, enchiladas and chicken dishes. Cilantro is also called coriander and has a pungent fragrance.

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Tarragon

This aromatic cooking herb, with narrow, pointed, dark green leaves, is known for its distinctive anise-like flavor. Use to flavor vinegars, herbal butter, shellfish, mayonnaise, sour cream dressing, poultry, turkey, mushrooms, broccoli and rice. Use the fresh leaves in salads, tartar sauce and French dressing.

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Rosemary

Rosemary's silver-green, needle-shaped leaves are highly aromatic and their flavor is one of both lemon and pine. Use for poultry, lamb, veal, pork, and tomato dishes, stews, soups and vegetables. Also good finely chopped in breads and custards.

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Sage

This slightly bitter and musty-mint tasting cooking herb has narrow, oval and gray-green leaves. Use in chicken and turkey stuffing and to flavor sausages.

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Dill

This tangy and pungent flavored cooking herb is known for its feathery green leaves. Use to flavor fish and rice, sprinkle over potatoes and cucumbers and add to sauces and dips.

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Chives

This mild onion flavor cooking herb has a slender, vivid green and hollow stem. Use as topping for baked potatoes, fish & poultry and vegetables. It can be used as a substitute for green onions or as a garnish. It is also great in soups and sauces.

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Thyme

This cooking herb has pungent minty, light-lemon scent. Use in stews, soups, casseroles, meatloaf, stuffing, marinades and vegetables.

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Mint

This aromatic cooking herb has a sweet smell and a cool aftertaste. Use to make teas, beverages and desserts. It can also be used as a garnish and is popular in Indian cuisine.

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