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This easy Za’atar Recipe is a Middle Eastern spice blend made with just 4 ingredients. Try it on meats, vegetables, homemade bread, dips, soups, or salads.
Za’atar Spice is like chili powder or chai: The name itself is generic and there are as many blends as there are cooks.
My blend consists of dried thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. That’s it! It’s an easy way to spice up recipes already in your repertoire, especially if you are considering a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean menu.
How to Make Za’atar
In addition to thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt, you could also add dried oregano or marjoram.
Sometimes everything is pulsed in a food processor or blend until finely ground while other times the spices are left whole (as in my recipe).
Or, instead of using dried herbs, some recipes used a pile of fresh, finely chopped hyssop or oregano.
In addition to sprinkling Za’atar on pita brushed with olive oil, sprinkle it on Hummus, roasted vegetables, chicken and beef, or anything you can think of!
Save this Za’atar Recipe to your “Spice Blends” Pinterest board!
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Za'atar
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sumac (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- Salt to taste (see note 2)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid, add sesame seeds, sumac, dried thyme, and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Sumac: This popular Middle Eastern spice is bright red in color and made from dried sumac berries that have been ground into a powder. It has a tart, citrusy flavor that tastes a lot like lemon (and if you can’t find sumac, lemon zest is a good substitute). Buy sumac on Amazon.
- Salt: Control the salt in your recipes by omitting it from the blend. When you cook with the Za'atar seasoning, you can salt your meat, vegetables, or anything else at that time and use just what you need.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 3 tablespoons Za'atar seasoning (or more depending on how much salt you add).
- Storage: Store Za'atar covered in an airtight container in a dark place for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This is WOW site. I needed to know how to make za’atar and your site came through. Many thanks!!
I agree that zaatar should contain no more than four ingredients. May I suggest a website that sell the best zaatar so far. http://www.eatzaatar.com they offer a real zaatar herb (hyssop) which I found is different than the regular thyme.
Kindly send us some recipes like Indian Thai continental Chinese snacks etc.
Hey there, I’d love to! Could you please give me some exact names of recipes so I can work on them for you? I am not super familiar with the snacks you are talking about and don’t want to make the wrong thing. Any details would be appreciated! I would be so excited to do this. Thank you!