Native to Greece, oregano gets its name from the Greek words oros and ganos, which translate to the mountain of happiness or joy of the mountain. It’s a beautiful phrase, especially for a herb that adorns modern gardens and frequently makes its way into cooking.
Many Americans already use dried oregano regularly. It’s a popular ingredient in dry rubs, as a pizza topping, and in many Italian dishes. However, the fresh version may be less familiar, especially as it has an intense flavor and is used in different situations than dried oregano.
Still, it’s worth learning how to use fresh oregano, especially if you’re growing it yourself. After all, oregano can be prolific in the right conditions. It grows much like a weed, so you get an insane amount of the herb, which you then need to decide what to do with.
There’s actually no shortage of ways to use oregano, you can stuff a chicken with it, create oregano infused olive oil, use it in a marinade, or simply serve oregano leaves as a garnish. Just be sure to watch the amount of oregano you use, as the flavor can be intense. The right amount will make your meal taste wonderful, while too much risks ruining the dish entirely.
How To Use Fresh Oregano (17 Exciting Ways!)
Add To Fish
Fresh oregano has a fairly intense taste, which is too much for some meals. One way around this is to use the oregano indirectly, where you get the flavor from the herb without needing to eat it.
A fantastic approach involves stuffing fresh oregano into the cavity of a fish before roasting it. Doing so adds notes from the oregano, without overwhelming the fish. You could add other herbs as well or perhaps different ingredients, like chopped onions.
Stuff A Chicken With It
You can take a similar approach with chicken too. Or, you could try something more complex, like including a bundle of herbs in the chicken cavity to create a delicious and aromatic meal.
Another cool approach is a combination of lemon halves, onion, garlic, and oregano. These flavors all work exceptionally well with each other and with chicken. And, because you’re not actually eating the oregano, the flavors shouldn’t be too intense.
Make Oregano Infused Olive Oil
Infused olive oil is another excellent indirect way to use oregano. The simplest approach is to warm oregano in olive oil for 10 minutes or so, then allow the mixture to cool and bottle it. The oil can then be left to infuse for a week or two. After this, it’s best to strain the oregano leaves out.
Fresh herbs can contain botulism spores, so it’s best to keep your olive oil in the fridge, even once the herbs have been removed. Some bloggers also suggest soaking the herbs in a 3% solution of citric acid before the infusion step, which should kill any microbes.
Now, there is considerable debate about whether to worry about botulism, as this is a pretty rare type of food poisoning (that said, it’s also extremely serious). Many people simply keep their olive oil at room temperature and haven’t ever experienced a problem. You’ll need to decide for yourself how much risk to take.
The infusion process leaves you with delicious oregano-flavored olive oil. With this, you can easily add a little oregano flavor to your meals.
Use It In A Marinade
Oregano is also a delightful addition to a marinade. Try mixing it with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings. This simple marinade can then be used with chicken to impart a delightful flavor.
It’s often best to just marinate the chicken for an hour. A longer marinade period risks giving the chicken a mushy texture that’s not very nice at all.
Of course, this is just one example. There are plenty of other oregano-based marinade recipes, including ones designed for red meat rather than chicken.
Make Oregano Tea
Most types of fresh herbs can be easily used as the base for a herbal tea. All you need to do is pour hot water over the oregano and allow it to steep for five to ten minutes.
Admittedly, the tea won’t appeal to everyone, as it has a distinct peppery taste and can be a little bitter. Still, you may enjoy it and there are potential health benefits.
Smoke A Brisket With It
It’s even possible to use oregano to smoke a brisket. Doing so creates a strong herb flavor in the meat, especially if you also use an herb-based rub.
This approach can be too intense for some. But, for others, it’s the perfect way to enjoy brisket. You’re also using a decent amount of oregano during the smoking. That’s fantastic if you have tons of it on hand.
Chimichurri
Chimichurri is a delicious and vibrant sauce that’s often paired with grilled meat. Fresh oregano is one of the main ingredients, along with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley.
The exact ingredients vary depending on the recipe, but the sauce is always delicious. You can even try using it as a sandwich ingredient or on top of a pizza.
Make Oregano Infused Honey
Oregano infused honey is simple and delicious. You just need to fill a clean jar with washed and dried oregano leaves, pour honey on top, and stir until the ingredients are well mixed.
The honey and oregano can then be left in the same jar for a month, after which point you can strain the oregano out if you wish to. The process gives your honey a distinct oregano flavor that works well in many meals (and in hot drinks!). You could include other ingredients in the mix too, like other herbs or ginger.
You can even eat the oregano leaves from this infusion if you wish to. However, they’ll be somewhat candied, giving them an unusual texture.
Make A Greek Salad
Greek salad is delicious and vibrant, featuring ingredients like bell peppers, cucumber, feta, and olives. Many versions also use fresh oregano as an ingredient, either on its own or along with dried oregano.
Combining fresh and dried oregano like this is a fantastic idea. Doing so gives you the best aspect of both flavor profiles, plus an interesting texture contrast.
Mix It Into A Dip
Fresh oregano leaves are an easy way to make dips more exciting. You simply need to cut the leaves up finely and mix them into the dip. This works well for dips that are mild or already have herbal notes. Why not start by trying chopped oregano in tzatziki or hummus?
You could also try the same approach with condiments, like mixing chopped oregano into mayo or aioli. You could then use this mayo or aioli in a burger or something similar. Fantastic, right?
Try Homemade Pasta Sauce
Oregano is often used in Italian recipes, partly because it pairs so well with tomatoes. This means you can use it in a wide variety of tomato-based recipes, including homemade spaghetti sauce.
Some recipes involve roasting tomatoes with oregano and garlic as one of the first steps, while others add oregano later on, perhaps when you’re cooking meat as part of a full meal.
This is a fantastic approach because pasta sauce has such strong flavors. As such, it will be hard to overdo it with the oregano.
Make Pesto
Pesto is traditionally made using a combination of basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic, but this isn’t the only approach. You can easily drop the basil and use a different type of herb instead – like oregano.
The simplest version of oregano pesto simply uses oregano leaves instead of basil. All other ingredients remain the same.
You can also mix things up more, like this recipe, which includes oregano, parsley, lemon juice, and walnuts. Then there’s this one, which uses oregano leaves, chopped pistachio nuts, and even an anchovy filet.
Experiment With Oregano Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is a classic cocktail ingredient, used to add sweetness to cocktails without the graininess of sugar. To make it, you need to heat water with an equal amount of granulated sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved. The trick is to heat the water without letting it boil.
Oregano simple syrup follows the same approach, except that you add a handful of fresh oregano leaves to the pot along with the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, take the liquid off the heat and allow the oregano to steep for at least a few more minutes (a longer steeping time means a more intense oregano flavor in the syrup).
After the oregano has steeped, you can strain it out, which leaves you with the flavored simple syrup.
Use It As A Garnish
Fresh oregano leaves can also simply be used as a garnish. They’re especially good on rich meat-heavy meals, like a stew or spaghetti.
That said, you can certainly experiment. Oregano works well with many flavor combos. You can even use the leaves as a garnish for chicken, salads, and vegetable stir-fries.
Serve It On Bruschetta
The garnish approach isn’t limited to complete meals. You can also use oregano leaves on top of bruschetta or open faced sandwiches. Doing so adds vibrancy and a little visual flair.
What about doing this for bruschetta that you’re serving at a party? Or, perhaps for a picnic?
Make Oregano Butter
As with other fresh herbs, you can easily make compound butter using oregano. This is as simple as softening butter, mixing in some chopped oregano, and allowing it to harden again. You can add other ingredients for flavoring if you like, such as garlic and ground black pepper.
You can then keep the flavored butter in the fridge and use it in many situations – like for frying a steak.
Dry It
Finally, drying is your best option if you’re getting overrun with oregano. This can be as simple as hanging bundles of oregano springs upside down and allowing them to dry naturally. You can also dry oregano in the oven or in a dehydrator.
Once dried, oregano leaves can be easily crumbled and used in plenty of recipes.
Dried oregano has the advantage of lasting much longer than fresh oregano. However, the drying process does make oregano taste earthier and less complex, so you wouldn’t use dried oregano in all the same situations as fresh oregano.
5 Delicious Recipes Using Fresh Oregano
Fresh Oregano Bread Scrolls
Dinner rolls are a fantastic and versatile side, one you can serve with countless meals. There’s just one problem – they get a little boring after a while. So, why not try something like these Fresh Oregano Bread Scrolls?
The filling for the scrolls includes fresh oregano leaves, chopped onion, lemon juice, and olive oil, which combine to give you a fantastic flavor profile. These scrolls would be perfect alongside any savory main. You could even take them on a picnic or serve them at a party.
Feta Oregano Salad
Few dishes are as straightforward as this Feta Oregano Salad. It relies on feta cheese, olives, oregano, lemons, olive oil, and black pepper. That’s it.
You don’t even need to make a separate dressing. Instead, you simply arrange the ingredients on a platter and drizzle them with olive oil, followed by some black pepper and lemon juice.
Spaghetti With Mushrooms, Oregano, And Garlicky Breadcrumbs
What about pasta? This Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Oregano, and Garlicky Breadcrumbs is a fantastic option and it isn’t even that complicated.
The most notable parts of the recipe are breadcrumbs that get toasted in butter, plus mushrooms sauteed with plenty of garlic and oregano. These aspects elevate this beyond a regular pasta dish, creating something truly exceptional.
Oregano And Blood Orange Simple Syrup
This Oregano and Blood Orange Simple Syrup is a riff on traditional simple syrup – made with fresh oregano leaves and a sliced blood orange. The blood orange gives the syrup a light pink tinge, while also adding to the flavor profile.
The combination of blood orange and oregano should be exceptional in a gin-based cocktail. You can even use it to sweeten tea or other non-alcoholic drinks.
Oregano Pistachio Cakes
Want something different? These Oregano Pistachio Cakes are a great option. They’re actually savory cakes, so you could serve them alongside soup or even a meat-based meal. The cakes also rely on brown rice flour rather than wheat flour, making them gluten free.
There aren’t many bold flavors in these cakes, so the oregano and pistachios get the chance to shine through. Of course, this means you should be cautious with the amount of oregano you use. Try not to overdo it or the cakes will be far too intense.
Fresh Oregano Vs Dried Oregano
Most differences between dried and fresh oregano will be familiar. The dried version has less water, making it crisp and brittle. Plus, fresh oregano only lasts a few weeks, while dried oregano lasts a year or even longer.
Of course, the most significant difference is the flavor. This is where oregano is unusual, as fresh oregano tends to be more intense than the dried version. Some people even prefer dried oregano to fresh, as the fresh version can easily overpower other flavors.
The intensity difference also makes dried oregano more forgiving than fresh oregano. So, using too much dried oregano in a dish isn’t a huge problem, but using too much fresh oregano certainly is.
Still, as we’ve highlighted today, there are many fantastic ways to use fresh oregano as well. The goal is to find the right approach and be cautious with the amount of oregano you use.
Types Of Oregano
Greek Oregano
This is the most familiar version of oregano and the type you’ll find in most grocery stores. The flavor is strong and distinct, with some peppery notes.
If you’re unsure, this is always the type of oregano to fall back on. It’s also the one that features in most recipes.
Syrian Oregano
Syrian oregano has the scientific name Origanum syriacum and belongs to the same genus as Greek oregano. It has a strong scent and somewhat salty taste, along with some citrus notes.
Because of the flavor profile, Syrian oregano features in different recipes than Greek oregano. It’s most commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, including in the Middle Eastern spice mix za’atar.
Marjoram
Marjoram is a close relative to oregano, as it belongs to the same genus. Dried marjoram and dried oregano are similar to each other, while fresh marjoram is lighter, sweeter, and more floral than fresh oregano.
Ornamental Varieties
There are also many ornamental varieties of oregano, like Hopley’s Purple Oregano and Golden Oregano. Many of these have edible leaves and can be used in cooking just like other varieties.
Of course, the flavor changes between varieties (for example, Hopley’s Purple Oregano tends to be milder than Greek oregano). Where the plant is grown and the climate may have an impact as well.
Flavor differences mean you may need to experiment with different types of oregano. Try starting with just a little bit. This helps you learn the flavor profile and decide how to best use the herb.
Just be sure to research the variety first, as some varieties don’t have a great flavor, while others might not be edible at all.
Mexican Oregano
Despite the name, this herb isn’t technically a type of oregano. Still, it’s used in the same way and is popular in Mexican cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Fresh Oregano Last?
Fresh oregano is a fairly resilient herb. It often lasts around two weeks and can occasionally last up to three if you store it carefully. If you need it longer than this, you’ll need to dry or freeze the oregano.
Is Oregano Better Cooked Or Raw?
When raw, fresh oregano leaves have a distinct peppery flavor, often with some bitter notes. They’re delicious but can easily overpower dishes, so you need to be cautious with them. Cooked oregano mellows somewhat and contains more earthy tones. The best type is determined by what you’re making and the flavor profile you hope for.
Can You Substitute Dried Oregano For Fresh Oregano?
Dried oregano can be used instead of fresh oregano in many recipes. To do so, you should be using one teaspoon of dried oregano for every tablespoon of fresh oregano in your recipe. That’s a 1:3 ratio of dried oregano to fresh oregano.
Can Too Much Oregano Be Bad?
Too much of anything can cause harm, including oregano. At high doses, there’s a risk of toxicity, stomach pain, and constipation. However, such side effects are most common with oregano oil rather than using the herb on its own. Regular food amounts of oregano aren’t likely to cause any problems.
What Herbs Are Similar To Oregano?
If you don’t have fresh oregano on hand, fresh thyme is a good alternative. They look and taste similar to each other, although you will notice some flavor differences. If you’re considering dried oregano instead, try using Italian seasoning in Italian dishes. For Mexican ones, dried marjoram is a better option.
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