Instead · 1
flat leaf parsley
one for one
- What it gets you
- The green, the volume and the same knife work, and half the table will prefer it.
- What it costs you
- The citrus edge that makes cilantro cilantro. A salsa without it is a tomato salad.
Substitutions · 41 dishes here use it
Out of cilantro
Citrusy and soapy in equal measure depending on who is eating it. The stems have more flavor than the leaves and stand up to a little heat, so they go in the pan and the leaves go on top.
Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.
73% of the 41 dishes here that mention cilantro already list it as optional. Before you look for a replacement, check whether you are in one of them.
Functional substitution system
Replace the job, then correct the side effects
For cilantro, the page's working definition is: Citrusy and soapy in equal measure depending on who is eating it. The stems have more flavor than the leaves and stand up to a little heat, so they go in the pan and the leaves go on top. The swap cards below are judged against that job rather than visual resemblance.
1 · Job
What is the missing ingredient doing?
2 · Candidate
Choose the shelf item that replaces that function.
3 · Side effects
Check water, fat, salt, acid, sweetness, and texture.
4 · Small test
Change a spoonful or small portion first when possible.
5 · Correct
Taste again and move only the axis that is still wrong.
What to reach for
Instead · 2
thai basil or a mix of mint and parsley
one for one
- What it gets you
- Something aromatic doing the same finishing job with a comparable brightness.
- What it costs you
- It is a different dish. This is a good outcome, not a hidden one.
Instead · 3
the stems, if you were only using the leaves
the whole bunch
- What it gets you
- More flavor than the leaves, actually. Cilantro stems are where most of it lives and they take heat far better.
- What it costs you
- Nothing. Chop them fine and put them in earlier.
Where you can just leave it out · 30
These dishes list cilantro as optional. They were written to work without it, so no ratio is needed and nothing has to be bought.
- Avocado tuna salad10m
- Cucumber raita10m
- Pinto bean salad10m
- Leftover brisket tacos12m
- Street-style skillet corn12m
- Avocado chicken bowl15m
- Leftover pork tacos15m
- Skillet elote15m
- Shrimp tacos18m
- Chicken tacos20m
- Coconut fish curry20m
- Salmon taco with slaw20m
- Shrimp rice noodles20m
- Skillet chilaquiles20m
- Black beans and rice25m
- Cauliflower tacos25m
- Coconut shrimp rice25m
- Cumin potatoes25m
- Pinto beans and rice25m
- Salsa chilaquiles25m
- Tom yum shrimp25m
- Chicken tikka skillet30m
- Gai yang30m
- Pork and clams30m
- Chana masala35m
- Crisp pork tacos35m
- Kefta tagine35m
- Caldo de pollo40m
- Chicken pho40m
- Harira40m
Where the swap will be tasted · 4
These need it and are short enough that nothing hides: 4 required ingredients or fewer. Make the swap a decision rather than a repair.
Check what else is in the pan
The company cilantro keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.