- Season
- Available all year as a shelf-stable dried herb; fresh coriander leaf is sold all year in Czech supermarkets, and locally grown bunches are most common from late spring to autumn.
- Price
- Low
- Nutrition per 100 g
- 318 kcal
- 21.9 g protein
- 4.8 g fat
- 41.5 g carbs
Dried Coriander
Spices
Dried Coriander
Koriandr sušený, as Czech shoppers buy it, is the dried and crumbled leaf of the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum), sold in small sachets or jars by Czech spice brands and online spice shops. It is often labelled "koriandr list" or "sušené listy koriandru" to set it apart from the seed spice ("koriandr celý" or "koriandr mletý").
In practice
How to store
- On the counter
Keep it in a tightly closed jar or resealable pouch in a dark, dry and cool cupboard, away from the stove and steam. Under these conditions producers give a shelf life of up to about one year, but the flavour is best within a few months of opening. Always use a dry spoon, because moisture causes clumping and mould.
- In the fridge
Not needed and not recommended. Condensation from going in and out of the fridge can make the leaves damp.
- In the freezer
Not needed for the dried herb. If you want a stronger coriander flavour all year, freeze chopped fresh coriander leaves in oil or in ice-cube trays instead. That works better than drying.
How to choose
Read the label to make sure you are getting leaf and not seed. Look for "list", "listy" or "nať" in the name, or for flat green flakes in a transparent pack. Ground seed is a beige-brown powder. Good dried coriander leaf should be green, not yellow or grey-brown, and should still smell faintly of herbs when you rub it between your fingers. Small packs (around 10–25 g) are best for home cooks, because the aroma fades within months of opening. Larger gastro packs only make sense if you use it often. Check the best-before date and choose the freshest stock.
What to swap in
Best swap
Fresh coriander leaf, about three times the amount by volume. It gives a much brighter and more typical flavour than the dried herb.
In a pinch
Dried or fresh parsley leaf with a little lime or lemon zest, which imitates the green, citrusy note. Do not swap in ground coriander seed, which tastes completely different.
Preparation
Crumble the leaves between your fingers as you add them to wake up the remaining aroma. Add them towards the end of cooking (in the last few minutes for soups, curries and sauces) so the delicate flavour is not cooked away. For dressings, dips and marinades, stir the leaves into the liquid or oil and let them rest for 10–15 minutes so they soften and release their flavour. As a rough guide, use about 1 teaspoon of dried leaf for 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander. Then taste and adjust, because the dried form will never fully match the fresh herb. Food safety: dried herbs are not a sterile product. Most of the time they are cooked into a dish, but when you use them raw in cold dips or dressings, buy from reputable producers, keep the pack dry, and refrigerate and eat the finished dish promptly.
Don't toss it
Use up the last, fading leaves in a pot of rice, a lentil soup or a homemade spice-and-herb salt, where a weaker aroma doesn't matter. If you grow coriander or buy fresh bunches, you can dry surplus leaves yourself in a dry, airy, shaded place. Save the stems for stocks and curry pastes, because they hold much of the plant's flavour.
In the kitchen
Cooking
In Czech kitchens dried coriander leaf is mainly used for dishes from abroad: curries, dal, Thai-style soups, Mexican-style bean dishes, salsas and guacamole when there is no fresh herb. Stir it into soups, sauces and rice near the end of cooking. Mix it into marinades for chicken or fish. Use it in yoghurt dips and salad dressings, or add it to homemade herb and spice blends. It is not suited to long simmering on its own, and it cannot be used as a garnish the way fresh leaves are. Where coriander is meant to be the main flavour, as in a fresh chutney or a pho garnish, fresh leaf is the better choice.
Goes well with
- Lime
- Garlic
- Chilli
- Cumin
- Coconut Milk
- Rice
- Lentils
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Ginger
- Yoghurt
- Chicken
What it is
Koriandr sušený, as Czech shoppers buy it, is the dried and crumbled leaf of the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum), sold in small sachets or jars by Czech spice brands and online spice shops. It is often labelled "koriandr list" or "sušené listy koriandru" to set it apart from the seed spice ("koriandr celý" or "koriandr mletý"). In Czech the fresh herb is sometimes called "čínská petržel" (Chinese parsley). The dried leaf is a convenience form of that herb. It is not the round, orange-scented seed that goes into Czech gingerbread spice and sausage seasonings.
How it tastes
Drying takes away most of the sharp, bright aroma that fresh coriander leaf is known for. What is left is gentle, grassy and slightly citrusy, with a faint anise-like note that some producers mention. The flavour is noticeably weaker and more hay-like than the fresh herb, and it does not taste like the warm, orange-peel flavour of coriander seed. People who find fresh coriander leaf "soapy" usually notice this much less in the dried form, because the aroma compounds behind that impression are among the first to evaporate.
Common questions
Is koriandr sušený the same as ground coriander?
How much dried coriander leaf replaces fresh coriander?
When should I add dried coriander leaf to a dish?
How long does dried coriander leaf keep?
Does dried coriander taste soapy like fresh coriander?
Deep dive
3 min read
Varieties
Dried coriander leaf (koriandr list sušený).
This is the product described here: flaked or crumbled green leaves sold by Czech spice brands and online herb and spice shops, in small retail packs and larger catering packs.
Fresh coriander leaf (koriandr čerstvý, "čínská petržel").
The same plant sold as a fresh bunch or potted herb in Czech supermarkets and Asian groceries. Its aroma is much stronger and brighter than the dried form.
Freeze-dried coriander leaf.
Some brands sell a freeze-dried version that keeps more colour and aroma than air-dried leaf. It is usually more expensive.
Related but different products: coriander seed (koriandr celý / koriandr mletý).
These are the dried fruits of the same plant, sold whole or ground. They have a warm, orange-peel and slightly sweet flavour. In Czechia the seed has a long tradition in gingerbread spice, sausage and meat seasonings, pickling and bread. It is a separate spice and cannot replace the leaf.
Related but different products: culantro (Eryngium foetidum) and Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata). These are other plants with coriander-like aromas, used in Latin American and Southeast Asian cooking. They are rarely sold in Czech shops and are not the same as koriandr sušený.
History
Coriander is an old cultivated plant of the Mediterranean and Near East. In Central Europe, though, it was known mainly for its seed, which became part of traditional spice blends. The leaf was not a traditional herb in Czech cooking.
The Czech interest in coriander leaf is fairly recent. It grew with the popularity of Asian, Indian and Mexican food, and dried coriander leaf was added to Czech spice ranges as a shelf-stable alternative to fresh bunches.
Science
Fresh coriander leaf gets its typical aroma mainly from volatile aliphatic aldehydes (such as decenal isomers). These compounds evaporate and break down easily when the leaf is dried, which is why dried leaf tastes much milder and more grassy than fresh. The seed's aroma comes mainly from linalool, a different compound, which explains why leaf and seed taste so different.
Whether a person finds fresh coriander leaf pleasant or "soapy" has been linked partly to genetic differences in smell receptors. Because drying removes much of the aldehyde content, the dried leaf is usually less divisive.
Coriander belongs to the Apiaceae (carrot) family, along with celery, parsley, dill and fennel. Coriander is not one of the 14 allergens that must be declared under EU Regulation 1169/2011, but celery is. People with a known allergy to plants in this family should check labels and be cautious, because cross-reactions within the family have been reported.
Sourcing and ethics
Dried coriander leaf sold in Czechia is mostly imported and packed by Czech or Central European spice companies. The country of origin is not always shown on the label. Coriander is an undemanding annual crop that grows well in the Czech climate, so it is easy to grow on a balcony or in a garden and dry at home, which cuts down on packaging and transport.
Under EU food law, herbs and spices are monitored for contaminants and pesticide residues, and dried herbs have been subject to official checks and occasional recalls. Buying from established brands and checking for intact, well-sealed packaging is a sensible precaution. Organic (BIO) versions are available from some Czech herb and spice shops.