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Levantine · Lebanese · Palestinian

Za'atar

Vegetarian

زعتر · zaʿtar

Dried wild-thyme-style herbs mixed with tart sumac, toasted sesame and salt. The Levant's everyday table blend, stirred into olive oil for bread, sprinkled on labneh and baked onto manakish.

Za'atar is a Levantine condiment from Lebanon, ready in about 19 minutes and made with dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. It serves 10 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
4 min
Rest
10 min
Total
19 min
Serves
10
Level
Beginner
Calories
22

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (about 6 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until pale golden and starting to jump. Tip onto a plate and cool completely, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Crush the thyme (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab) and marjoram (opens in a new tab) with the salt in a mortar for a minute so the herbs break into fine flakes — do not grind to dust.

  3. Step 3

    Mix the herbs with the sumac (opens in a new tab) and the cooled sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) in a bowl. Leave the sesame whole.

  4. Step 4

    Store in an airtight jar.

About this dish

Origin
The Levant, Lebanon · Well documentedZa'atar is both a wild herb (Origanum syriacum) and this blend. Outside the region a mix of dried thyme, oregano and marjoram stands in for the herb.Also popular in Syria, Palestine, Jordan, IsraelMore food from Lebanon
Dish
Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted, No-cook
Taste
herby, tangy, nutty, salty
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Dried thyme · Sumac · Sesame seeds · Dried oregano · Dried marjoram
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

22 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 6 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy22 kcal361 kcal
Protein0.8 g13 g
Carbohydrate2.7 g45 g
Net carbohydrate1.1 g18 g
Sugars0.2 g3.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.6 g27 g
Fat1.3 g22.2 g
Saturated fat0.2 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium157 mg2623 mg
Salt equivalent0.4 g6.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
67 mg
Calcium
63 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
15 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
41 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
8 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Sumac: Paprika (FDC 171329) as a stand-in dried ground red spice; values are approximate.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • For manakish, mix 1 part za'atar with about 1.5 parts olive oil to a loose paste.
  • Palestinian blends are greener and more herb-heavy; Lebanese blends often use more sumac.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the sesame while warm, which makes the herbs damp and clumpy.

Serve with

  • Manakish za'atar, ka'ak al-Quds, labneh with olive oil, fattoush, roast chicken and eggs.

Food safety

  • Store in a clean, completely dry, airtight jar away from light and heat; always use a dry spoon. Ground blends lose aroma steadily after the first month.
  • Contains sesame.

Storage

  • Airtight jar, cool and dark, up to 3 months (the toasted sesame eventually goes stale).

Variations

  • Za'atar halabi (Aleppo style) (Syria): Adds Aleppo pepper and sometimes cumin and roasted chickpea for a redder, spicier mix.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Coarse powder
One batch makes
about 60 g
Keeps
about 3 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Traditional

The Levant. Makes Za'atar, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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