What to use instead of dill seed
Quick answer
The closest option is Caraway, rated good. One of the better substitutions in the dataset, and for a chemical reason rather than a culinary one: both seeds are dominated by carvone, which is why dill seed tastes of caraway despite coming from a plant that does not. Caraway is the more assertive and lacks the citric brightness limonene gives dill seed, so the result is warmer, heavier and slightly more anise-like.
It will not do for: Dishes where the citric lift of dill seed is doing identifiable work; Substitution by volume without reduction, since caraway is stronger; Anywhere the visible flat pale seed is part of the presentation, as on a loaf.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Caraway
Good matchOne of the better substitutions in the dataset, and for a chemical reason rather than a culinary one: both seeds are dominated by carvone, which is why dill seed tastes of caraway despite coming from a plant that does not. Caraway is the more assertive and lacks the citric brightness limonene gives dill seed, so the result is warmer, heavier and slightly more anise-like.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| close | close | partial | n/a |
Works for
- Rye and soda breads, where both are traditional anyway
- Cabbage, potato and cured-fish dishes
- Pickling brines, at slightly reduced quantity
Does not work for
- Dishes where the citric lift of dill seed is doing identifiable work
- Substitution by volume without reduction, since caraway is stronger
- Anywhere the visible flat pale seed is part of the presentation, as on a loaf
Cuisine: Both belong to the same Northern and Eastern European register, so the dish stays where it was and moves a little towards the Central European end of it.
Use around three-quarters as much caraway as the dill seed called for. The substitution runs both ways and the same adjustment applies inverted.
Fennel seed
PoorReached for because the seeds look alike and they are not alike at all. Fennel is sweet and anise-like from anethole; dill seed is sharp and slightly bitter from carvone. A pickling brine made with fennel tastes of liquorice rather than of pickle, which is not a subtle difference.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | different | close | n/a |
Works for
- Breads, where a sweeter anise note is a legitimate variation rather than an error
- Dishes already carrying sweetness that can absorb it
Does not work for
- Pickling, where the sweetness is conspicuously wrong
- Cabbage, potato and cured fish, the dishes dill seed is chosen for
- Anywhere caraway is available, since caraway is the correct substitute
Recorded because the visual similarity makes it a common mistake. Caraway is the right answer to a missing jar of dill seed and fennel is not.