A stiff, glossy leaf from the laurel tree, sold dried, with a subtle tea-like eucalyptus aroma that only emerges with prolonged wet heat.
What it does in a recipe: A slow background savoury note that emerges over long simmering - it does little in a quick dish. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Laurel leaf, Turkish bay, Sweet bay
4substitutes
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Herbscategory
Quick answer
Dried thyme
1 dried bay leaf = 1/4 tsp dried thyme
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace bay leaf
Dried thyme
Reliable
1 dried bay leaf = 1/4 tsp dried thyme
Both are heat-stable woody-herb flavours that release slowly into a simmering liquid, so thyme can occupy bay's background position over a long cook.
MethodAdd it at the start with the liquid, exactly as you would the bay leaf.
Trade-offMore overtly herbal and less shadowy. Bay's contribution is easier to notice by its absence than its presence, and thyme is the opposite.
California bay comes from a different tree with a far higher concentration of the same eucalyptus-like volatiles, so roughly half as much does the job.
Trade-offMore medicinal and camphorous. Used one-for-one it will dominate a stock and taste harsh.
1 dried bay leaf = 1/4 tsp dried thyme. Both are heat-stable woody-herb flavours that release slowly into a simmering liquid, so thyme can occupy bay's background position over a long cook. More overtly herbal and less shadowy. Bay's contribution is easier to notice by its absence than its presence, and thyme is the opposite.
Can I use california bay leaf instead of bay leaf?
2 Turkish bay leaves = 1 California bay leaf. California bay comes from a different tree with a far higher concentration of the same eucalyptus-like volatiles, so roughly half as much does the job. More medicinal and camphorous. Used one-for-one it will dominate a stock and taste harsh.
Can I use dried oregano instead of bay leaf?
1 dried bay leaf = 1/4 tsp dried oregano. Oregano is another dried Mediterranean leaf that survives long cooking, and in a tomato-based braise it fills the same slow savoury slot. Peppery and forward where bay is quiet. Fine in a ragù, wrong in a delicate white stock or a béchamel.
Can I use leave it out instead of bay leaf?
1 dried bay leaf = omit, and add a strip of lemon zest for a long braise. Bay works so quietly that its absence often passes unnoticed, and a piece of zest supplies a comparable aromatic lift without pretending to be bay. Honest but real: a stock loses a little depth. In a quick sauce you will not be able to tell.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.