An authentic Za’atar Spice Recipe, a Middle Eastern spice blend that can be used in a multitude of ways. Use this as a rub for chicken, beef, lamb or fish, sprinkle it over hummus, Labneh or baba ganoush! Video.
Looking for more spice blends? Try our Chinese Five Spice and our Garam Masala Recipe!
The true miracle lies in our eagerness to allow, appreciate, and honor the uniqueness, and freedom of each sentient being to sing the song of their heart. ―
What is za’atar?
Here is a simple recipe for Zaatar Spice – a flavorful Middle Eastern spice blend used in many dishes throughout the Middle East, and like curry, varies from region to region depending on where you are.
What is Zaatar made of?
Za’atar Spice is a blend of savory dried herbs like oregano, marjoram or thyme, and toasted earthy spices like cumin and coriander, with sesame seeds, salt and the most important ingredient of all… sumac! Sumac gives it the delicious unexpected tanginess that to me, is the key to the best zaatar.
How to make Zaatar | 60-second video
How to use Zaatar Spice?
My Egyptian father would make his own version of zaatar (this one here!) and would sprinkle it over hummus, labneh, baba ganoush or over fresh pita bread drizzled with olive oil before going in the oven to toast. But there are a multitude of uses for Za’atar spice and I’m so excited for you to get acquainted with it and discover your own delicious uses!
- Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs, Arugula and Zaatar
- Zaatar Meatballs with Green Tahini Sauce
- Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf)
- Roasted Eggplant with Zaatar
- Grilled Zucchini with Zaatar, Garlic and Labneh
- Roasted Sunchoke and Barley Bowl with Zaatar Tahini Sauce
- How to Make Labneh
- Authentic Baba Ganoush (Grilled or Baked!)
You can also purchase Za’atar Spice here at our Bowl and Pitcher Store and most Middle Eastern stores or upscale specialty grocery stores. I really love this Villa Jerada Zaatar Spice Blend! We also have their sumac.
I hope you enjoy making the Za’atar. Please share how you use it in the comments below.
xoxo
Other flavorful Spice Blends to try:
Authentic Za’atar Spice Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: ½ Cup 1x
- Category: Spices
- Method: Toasted
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
An authentic recipe for Za’atar Spice – a flavorful Middle Eastern Spice that can be used to season hummus, baba ganoush, vegetables, meats, etc. (My Egyptian Dad’s recipe.)
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme- crushed (or sub oregano)
- 1 tablespoon cumin (see instructions about whole or ground)
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon or more aleppo chili flakes- optional
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.
- For the most flavor, toast whole seeds (cumin seeds and coriander seeds) until fragrant, then grind. This will make the most flavorful zaatar. If you don’t have whole seeds, feel free to use ground spices.
Notes
There are many variations of Zaatar. This was my dad’s recipe- he was Egyptian. Other regions have different versions. There is not one “right” way. It varies from area to area, and even household to household.
This Villa Jerada Zaatar Spice Blend is lovely if you rather purchase it! Made in Seattle!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 tablespoon
- Calories: 15
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 88.2 mg
- Fat: 1.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.8 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Please tell me about sumac. It grows. On my farm. Would I dehydrat the sumac. Berries and grind. Fine? .looking forward to trying this. Spice. Blebd as shared. Above. Looked up as star for a soup recipe.. Had no idea what it was other than I heeded 4 t bsp in lentil soup.
Thank uou
You can dry the seed and grind them (not too fine). They should have a very sour tart taste.
Thank you for sharing your spice recipe for Za’atar
what a wonderful addition to my spice repertoire!
excellent
Thanks for a great recipe. I used grated lemon peel as that was a suggestion from the internet for a sumac substitute. Thanks for the tip on toasting the cumin, coriander, and sesame. We’re going to use this in olive oil to dip bread in (trying to avoid butter).
Oh perfect! lemon peel is a great option!
Thanks so much for this tip! Very helpful!
Hi that’s how we make zaatar in Lebanon too just the zaatar itself which is the oregano+sumac+sesame seeds and salt and it best for manakish but i think the recipe that is presented here is probably from Palestine:)
Yes, there are many versions! This was actually my father’s Egyptian version. He spent time in Lebanon too, but not sure how this evolved.
Whats the option for zataar and sumac as wherw i live we dont get this powder or herbs. Thanx for your recipe wil wait to make this.
You can order Za’atar online from Penzey’s Spices.
WhT would Gordon Ramsey do?
I will be making your version this weekend.
In the Gulf countries we used Za’atar especially in the months that changed weather to winter…drinking za’atar tea was a must in every office and prevented illness. Especially flu.(it was an acquired taste. I will try adding your other ingredients, but we used Thyme, Sumac and Sesame in olive oil on breads.
I was so excited to find this authentic recipe …thank you so much.
I was turned on to zataar last year and started using it a lot. As an Iranian chef commented on a video, you can never use too much zataar. I ran out and didn’t take time to get more at the market, so I googled a recipe and settled on this one. Loved it so much, when that ran out I made a triple batch. I much prefer the thyme over oregano and improvised a ghost pepper salt over the sea salt aleppo pepper combo. Yummy.
My mother always adds cumin and coriander. She is from Egypt. I think it is different depending on the country. Where are you from?
My dad was from Egypt too!
Do you mean thyme, sumac and sesame seeds?
This spice mix is new to me and I want to try it. I’m grateful for finding this recipe. I have found other recipes fonzaatar that include the following: –
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cumin
Coreander
Parsley
Paprika.
Could you tell me if these last ingredients are necessary?
Hi Colin- My recipe includes coriander and cumin- as for the rest- you could add granulated garlic and onion powder if you like? Each Zaatar recipe is slightly different. No rules here. Feel free to play around and create your own version.
Thank you for the recipe, it was great. We used it to make roasted carrots to pair with homemade labneh for a recipe included in a group called Eat the World. We’ll mention where we got the recipe and link back to your site.
Perfection. Plus it can be altered to your own specifications…more/less Aleppo pepper, sumac, cumin, coriander…..
I’ve never been to The Middle East… But I love za’atar, I worked with a Lebanese lady and she made some with bread every weekend… I always look forward to it
Now I’m going to make my own.
If I can’t find sumac I heard I could use fresh lemon rind. How much and would it store the same? It sounds yummy
You could add lemon zest to the dish you are making with the zaatar spice, but don’t add it to the spice itself, unless it is dried.
I don’t have Aleppo chili flakes, and cant’ buy them in my town. Could I use ancho chili peppers instead?
Just use chili flakes!
Delicious! Put It on thinly rolled out pizza dough with olive oil and it ṭastes just like the one at my local Arab bakery!
Such a great idea! Love the pizza dough, kind of middle eastern flat bread!
Came out wonderfully. I added some marjoram, too. Lovely! Putting it on everything!
Great to hear~!
Thanks to AltonBrown, I look up this recipe and yours came up. Made it within minutes – dropped some naan bread in the toaster oven and WOW! This will be a staple in my seasoning library. Thank you for posting it.
Awesome. Thanks
My only question is what is up with the salt content? I can buy zaatar at many local stores here in Chicago where salt is not listed as an ingredient.
I’m trying to do a low salt diet and was hoping to make my own salt-free zaatar.
Feel free to leave it out!
My experience has been that the salt content is on point. Not too much or too little. One knows its there however it is not the case that anyone of the mixed ingredients over power…balanced perfectly. I alter my mix and augment certain spices i.e. sumac or marjoram or cumin depending on the use/flavoring of certain dishes….
Excellent!
I have been looking for this for years! My mom got some when I was younger and we didn’t know what it was called and couldnt remember where we got it lol thank u!
This is a very good recipe. Thank you. I see on the internet that each region and each country from ME has their own special take on this spice mix, so people claiming to know better should realise that there is no one version which is the true version. I used sumac for the first batch I made and it was excellent. But now I have run out of sumac so I will try Persian ground dried lemon.