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What to use instead of salt
Salt-free cooking means leaving out added table salt, not leaving food unseasoned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing or replacing cooking salt with options such as garlic, citrus juice, salt-free seasonings, and spices. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also suggests fresh or dried herbs and spices, salt-free blends, and lemon or lime juice.
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These ingredients add different kinds of flavor. Herbs and spices bring aroma and warmth; garlic and onion add savory depth; citrus juice and vinegar contribute brightness. You can use one or combine several, matching the flavor to the main ingredient. Taste as you cook and adjust rather than assuming a salt-free recipe needs a one-for-one substitute.
That distinction matters because salt supplies a familiar salty taste, while herbs, spices, aromatics, and acids contribute other qualities. A dish can have more aroma, warmth, savory character, or brightness without tasting exactly like a salted version. Instead of looking for one seasoning that imitates salt in every recipe, start with the ingredient you are cooking and select flavors that pair with it.
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For a simple approach, choose a direction before seasoning: fresh and bright with lemon or lime; aromatic with herbs such as basil, dill, or rosemary; warm with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, or cumin; or savory with garlic and onion. You can combine categories—for example, lemon juice with dill for fish, or garlic with oregano for pork. Add a little, taste, and decide whether the food needs more of that particular quality. This lets you build flavor without treating any single ingredient as a universal substitute.
- Herbs: Try basil, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, or thyme, fresh or dried.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, cumin, curry powder, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, and pepper can bring sweetness, warmth, earthiness, or heat.
- Aromatics: Garlic and onion, including their powdered forms, add savory flavor.
- Acid: Lemon or lime juice and vinegar can brighten a dish. Add a little, taste, and add more if needed.
- Blends: A salt-free blend is convenient, while separate herbs and spices let you control the ingredients and tailor the flavor.
“Without salt” can also mean different things in practice. You might be reducing the amount of table salt you add, avoiding added table salt in a recipe, or choosing products that are low in sodium. These are not identical goals. The ingredients in a meal and the packaged foods used to prepare it can contribute sodium even if you never reach for the salt shaker, so use the label checks below if you are monitoring sodium.
Seasonings that pair well with common foods
There is no single best blend for every meal. These pairings are practical starting points from MedlinePlus, which cites the NHLBI guide “Use Herbs and Spices Instead of Salt.” Choose one or two flavors to start, then adjust to suit the dish.
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| Food | Seasonings to try |
|---|---|
| Carrots | Cinnamon, cloves, dill, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, or sage |
| Corn | Cumin, curry powder, paprika, or parsley |
| Green beans | Dill, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, or thyme |
| Tomatoes | Basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, or pepper |
| Fish | Curry powder, dill, dry mustard, lemon juice, paprika, or pepper |
| Chicken | Poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, or thyme |
| Pork | Garlic, onion, sage, pepper, or oregano |
| Beef | Marjoram, nutmeg, sage, or thyme |
These are combinations to explore, not ranked products or tested flavor winners. For example, you could begin with dill and lemon on fish, or rosemary and thyme on chicken, then add other ingredients from the table if the dish needs more aroma or warmth.
The vegetable pairings offer several different routes, rather than one fixed formula. Carrots can take warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or nutmeg, or more herbal notes such as dill, rosemary, sage, and marjoram. For corn, try cumin or curry powder when you want a warmer profile, paprika for another spice option, or parsley. Green beans work with either herbs or lemon juice: dill, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, and thyme are all listed options. Tomatoes have a particularly broad set of matches, including basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, and pepper.
For main dishes, use the table to narrow the possibilities. Fish can be paired with lemon juice and dill, or seasoned with curry powder, dry mustard, paprika, or pepper. Chicken has a set of herb-forward options: poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme. For pork, the listed choices include garlic and onion as well as sage, pepper, and oregano. Beef pairs with marjoram, nutmeg, sage, or thyme. The examples are useful whether you select individual seasonings or look for a blend that contains compatible ingredients.
You do not need to use every seasoning listed for a food. Pick one or two as a starting point, then consider whether another flavor would add something useful. If the dish already has a prominent flavor, a simpler pairing may be enough. If a meal combines several ingredients, choose seasonings that suit the main ingredient or the overall flavor you want. These pairings are suggestions, not rules, and the guidance does not rank one option above another.
Ready-made blends, homemade mixes, or individual spices?
Ready-made blends
A packaged salt-free blend is the quickest option: its ingredients are already combined, so it can be easy to reach for during everyday cooking. But blend names and front-of-package claims are not a substitute for checking the current label. Formulas can vary, and a package may include ingredients you want to avoid.
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When comparing two blends, start with what you plan to cook. A blend intended for fish may have a different flavor profile from an Italian-style mixture, and neither is automatically the best choice for every dish. Next, compare the ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts panels. Check whether salt is listed, look for other sodium-bearing ingredients, and note sodium per serving. Serving size matters: a product’s values apply to the amount on the label, so compare that amount with how much you expect to use.
There is no basis here for naming a best-tasting brand or declaring one commercial blend a winner. Product formulas can change, and a blend that suits one dish or cook may not suit another. The useful comparison is practical: which flavor profile fits the food, which ingredients are in the package, how much sodium is in the amount you use, and whether the product includes anything you need to avoid.
Homemade mixes
Making a mix at home gives you control over its ingredients and lets you adjust the flavor to your cooking. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nutrition and Food Services suggests these ingredient combinations:
- Italian mix: Onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and basil.
- Stir-fry mix: Onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper.
- Fish mix: Lemon pepper, rosemary, and black pepper.
The handout does not specify quantities, so treat these as ingredient lists rather than fixed recipes. Combine the flavors in proportions that suit your taste, and keep the ingredients identifiable so you can tailor the mix later.
These examples also show how a homemade blend can be matched to a use. The Italian mix brings together onion, garlic, oregano, and basil. The stir-fry mix uses onion and garlic powders with ground ginger and black pepper. The fish combination includes lemon pepper, rosemary, and black pepper. You can use the named combinations as starting points without assuming that a particular ratio is required. If you prefer a stronger flavor from one component, adjust the mix to suit your cooking.
For sodium-conscious cooking, homemade does not automatically mean sodium-free: check each ingredient you add, especially if using a packaged component such as lemon pepper. The VA advises checking store-bought blends to make sure salt is not listed and reviewing the Nutrition Facts panel for added sodium. That same label check is useful for any packaged ingredient you use in a homemade mix.
Individual herbs and spices
Buying individual seasonings gives you the most control: you can choose one flavor for a particular dish, combine your own pairings, and avoid ingredients you do not want. It takes more decisions than using a ready-made mix, but the pairing table above can help narrow the choices.
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Individual seasonings are also useful when your meals vary. You can reach for dill and lemon juice with fish, select rosemary or thyme for chicken, or choose cinnamon or ginger for carrots. If you often cook one type of dish, a ready-made blend may be more convenient; if you want to vary the flavor or control every ingredient, individual herbs and spices or a homemade mix may fit better. These are different tradeoffs, not a contest with a single winner.
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How to check a seasoning label for sodium
“No added table salt” and “low sodium” are not interchangeable. A seasoning may contain no table salt and still list sodium on its Nutrition Facts panel. Packaged ingredients and some food additives can contribute sodium even when you are not salting the dish yourself.
It helps to distinguish salt from sodium. Table salt is sodium chloride, a compound that contains sodium. Sodium can also come from other ingredients, so checking only whether the word “salt” appears may not answer how much sodium is in a serving. The package’s ingredient list and Nutrition Facts panel provide complementary information: the ingredient list identifies what is included, while the panel gives the sodium amount per serving.
- Read the ingredient list. Check whether salt is listed, as the VA advises for store-bought blends. Also look for ingredients that contain sodium, not just the word “salt.”
- Find the serving size. Nutrition Facts values apply to the stated serving. Compare that amount with how much you actually plan to use.
- Check sodium per serving and % Daily Value. The FDA’s general guide is that 5% Daily Value (DV) or less per serving is low, while 20% DV or more is high.
- Consider the whole meal. The FDA’s sodium Daily Value is less than 2,300 mg per day. Its consumer guidance says more than 70% of dietary sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods, rather than salt added while cooking or eating; the page accessed in October 2026 does not date the underlying estimate.
The FDA’s 5% and 20% Daily Value guides are general ways to judge a serving: 5% DV or less is generally low in sodium, and 20% DV or more is generally high. Use the actual sodium amount alongside the percentage, rather than treating the product name or a front-of-package phrase as the full answer. MedlinePlus also advises checking milligrams of sodium per serving and noting how many servings are in the package.
FDA guidance names monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, sodium nitrite, and sodium benzoate as ingredients that contain sodium. Their presence does not make a seasoning automatically unsuitable for everyone, but it is a reason to read the label if you are tracking sodium. For a product comparison, look at the actual sodium amount, serving size, and ingredients—not only the product name or a “salt-free” claim.
The FDA says more than 70% of dietary sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods rather than salt added while cooking or eating. That is a reason to consider the entire meal and its ingredients, not only the seasoning shaker. A salt-free blend can help you avoid adding table salt, but it cannot by itself determine the sodium content of a dish made with packaged foods or other ingredients.
The FDA lists a sodium Daily Value of less than 2,300 mg per day. That is a general labeling reference, not a personalized limit for every person. If you have been given individual sodium guidance, use that advice alongside label information. The important shopping habits remain the same: look at sodium per serving, check serving size, and read the ingredients.
Potassium-based salt substitutes are a separate choice
Potassium chloride salt substitutes are not the same thing as herb-and-spice blends. They are designed to replace some or all of the sodium chloride taste with potassium. The American Heart Association notes that potassium salt can taste similar to sodium chloride, but may leave a bitter aftertaste when heated.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11More importantly, potassium-based substitutes are not suitable for everyone. Kidney disease and some medications can affect potassium levels. Ask a healthcare professional whether a potassium-containing substitute is appropriate for you, especially if you have chronic kidney disease or have been told to manage potassium. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends individualized nutrition guidance for people with CKD; herbs and sodium-free seasonings can be alternatives to salt, but personal dietary needs still matter.
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This is a reason not to treat every salt substitute as interchangeable. Herbs, spices, garlic, citrus, and salt-free blends are flavoring choices; potassium chloride is a potassium-containing salt alternative with a different safety consideration. If you are shopping for a substitute, check what it contains rather than assuming that any product labeled as an alternative to salt is right for you. If potassium is a concern because of kidney disease or medication, discuss the specific product with a healthcare professional.
The DASH eating plan is designed to be potassium-rich, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists 4,700 mg of potassium per day for that plan. That figure belongs to the DASH plan; it is not a general instruction for everyone to increase potassium or use potassium salt substitutes. Individual needs differ, particularly for people with chronic kidney disease.
Do not treat the DASH eating plan’s potassium target as general advice to increase potassium or use a potassium salt substitute. NHLBI lists 4,700 mg of potassium per day for the DASH plan specifically. That plan-specific figure is not a universal target.
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On October 9, 2026, the FDA announced a final rule permitting salt substitutes in standardized foods whose standards specify sodium chloride. The agency said 139 food standards had previously allowed or required salt without permitting substitutes. This is a regulatory change for food standards, not a recommendation to use potassium chloride at home; shoppers should still check product labels and consider their individual health needs.
The rule concerns how manufacturers can use salt substitutes in foods covered by standards of identity. It does not establish a taste ranking, change the need to review a product’s current ingredients and Nutrition Facts, or make potassium chloride suitable for every shopper. For everyday cooking, the practical options remain herbs, spices, garlic, onion, citrus, vinegar, or an appropriately checked salt-free blend. If a product contains potassium chloride and you have a health reason to monitor potassium, seek individualized advice.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use to season food without salt?
Try herbs and spices, garlic or onion, lemon or lime juice, vinegar, or a salt-free seasoning blend. The CDC and NHLBI recommend these types of alternatives. Choose flavors that suit the dish, such as dill and lemon for fish or rosemary and thyme for chicken, and adjust to taste.
Are salt-free seasonings always low in sodium?
No. “Salt-free” or “no added table salt” does not by itself tell you the sodium amount. Check the current ingredient list and Nutrition Facts panel, including sodium per serving and serving size. Some ingredients contain sodium even when they are not table salt.
How do I compare seasoning blends?
Compare the flavor profile with the food, read the ingredients, check sodium per serving and serving size, and consider how much you will actually use. The FDA’s general guide is that 5% DV or less per serving is low and 20% DV or more is high. There is no established taste winner among brands.
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Can I use potassium chloride instead of salt?
Not without considering whether it is suitable for you. Potassium chloride is different from herbs and spices, and kidney disease or some medications can affect potassium levels. Ask a healthcare professional about a potassium-containing substitute if you have kidney disease, take relevant medication, or have been advised to manage potassium.
What are easy homemade salt-free seasoning mixes?
The VA Nutrition and Food Services suggests an Italian mix of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and basil; a stir-fry mix of onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper; and a fish mix of lemon pepper, rosemary, and black pepper. The handout does not specify quantities, so adjust proportions to your taste and check packaged ingredients for sodium.
Bottom line
To cook without added table salt, match herbs, spices, garlic, onion, citrus, or vinegar to the food rather than searching for one universal replacement. Salt-free blends are convenient, while homemade mixes and individual seasonings give you more control. Check ingredient lists, serving sizes, and sodium per serving on packaged products; if considering potassium chloride, ask a healthcare professional whether it is appropriate for you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use to season food without salt?
Try herbs and spices, garlic or onion, lemon or lime juice, vinegar, or a salt-free seasoning blend. Match the flavor to the dish—for example, dill and lemon with fish or rosemary and thyme with chicken—and adjust to taste.
Are salt-free seasonings always low in sodium?
No. Check the current ingredient list and Nutrition Facts panel, including sodium per serving and serving size. “Salt-free” or “no added table salt” does not by itself establish the sodium amount.
How do I compare seasoning blends?
Compare the flavor profile with the food, read the ingredients, and check sodium per serving and serving size. The FDA’s general guide is that 5% Daily Value or less per serving is low and 20% or more is high. No taste winner among brands is established here.
Can I use potassium chloride instead of salt?
Potassium chloride is different from herbs and spices, and it is not suitable for everyone. Kidney disease and some medications can affect potassium levels, so ask a healthcare professional whether a potassium-containing substitute is appropriate for you.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat are easy homemade salt-free seasoning mixes?
The VA Nutrition and Food Services suggests an Italian mix of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and basil; a stir-fry mix of onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper; and a fish mix of lemon pepper, rosemary, and black pepper. Its handout does not specify quantities.
The Bottom Line
To cook without added table salt, match herbs, spices, garlic, onion, citrus, or vinegar to the food rather than searching for one universal replacement. Salt-free blends are convenient, while homemade mixes and individual seasonings give you more control. Check ingredient lists, serving sizes, and sodium per serving on packaged products; if considering potassium chloride, ask a healthcare professional whether it is appropriate for you.
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