Spices Low in Sodium: What to Use Instead of Salt

We pulled these numbers from USDA FoodData Central, the government’s nutrition database. They’re for pure, single-ingredient dried herbs and spices, measured per level teaspoon, so you can compare them directly against the roughly 2,300 mg in a teaspoon of salt.

Once you stray from pure single-ingredient spices, there may be more salt hiding in the jar than you realize. A label can say garlic, chili, or lemon pepper on the front and still list salt as a main ingredient on the back. Here’s where it usually hides:

• Garlic salt, onion salt, and celery salt. These are mostly salt with a little flavor added. Garlic powder, onion powder, and celery seed give you the same flavor for about 2 to 3 mg per teaspoon.
• Seasoned salt and lemon pepper. Many store-bought versions list salt as the first or second ingredient, so check the sodium per serving before you shake.
• Chili powder. Most chili powder is a blend of ground chiles, cumin, garlic, oregano, and salt. The USDA lists it at about 77 mg of sodium per teaspoon. Look for a jar labeled salt-free or use pure ground ancho or chipotle chile instead.
• Taco and fajita packets. The USDA data puts taco seasoning mix at about 205 mg of sodium per teaspoon, and a single packet holds several teaspoons.
• Sazón and adobo. Sazón packets have about 680 mg of sodium per teaspoon, according to the USDA, and adobo is usually filled with salt, too.
• Bouillon cubes and powders. Unless the label says low sodium or salt-free, most of what’s in there is salt.

The quickest test is to check the ingredient list. If salt (or any ingredient with “sodium” in the name) shows up, check the sodium per serving on the Nutrition Facts panel before it goes in your cart.

Label terms have specific definitions set by the FDA and they don’t all mean the same thing. Here’s what each one means per serving:

• Salt-free or sodium-free: less than 5 mg of sodium.
• Very low sodium: 35 mg or less.
• Low sodium: 140 mg or less.
• Reduced or less sodium: at least 25% less sodium than the regular version of that product. It can still be high in sodium.
• No salt added or unsalted: no salt was added during processing, though the food can still have sodium naturally.

Salt substitutes are something else entirely. Products like NoSalt and Nu-Salt replace some or all of the sodium chloride with potassium chloride. They work well for some people, but extra potassium can be dangerous for anyone with kidney disease or if you take certain blood pressure medicines, such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or potassium-sparing diuretics. Check with your doctor before using one.

Salt does more than make food taste salty. It brightens other flavors and makes a dish taste finished, so when you cut back, you need something else to give food that same lift. These are the tricks our test kitchen leans on most:

• Finish with acid. A squeeze of lemon or lime juice or a splash of vinegar right before serving wakes up soups, sauces, grains, and roasted vegetables. Most vinegars have less than 1 mg of sodium per teaspoon.
• Bloom your spices. Stir ground spices into a little hot oil for 30 to 60 seconds before adding the rest of your ingredients. The heat releases their aromas, so the same teaspoon of cumin or paprika tastes much more pronounced.
• Toast whole spices. Cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds turn nutty and deep after a couple of minutes in a dry skillet. Let them cool, then grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
• Be generous with fresh aromatics. Fresh garlic, onion, shallots, ginger, and scallions add big flavor with almost no sodium, so don’t be shy about doubling the garlic in a recipe.
• Know when to add herbs. Hardy dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, and oregano go in early so they can soften and release their flavor. Delicate fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, and dill go in at the very end so they stay bright and green.
• Build savory depth. Nutritional yeast, mushrooms, no-salt-added tomato paste, and smoked paprika add the rich, savory taste people often miss most when they’re not using salt. (That’s why nutritional yeast shows up in two of our house mixes!)
• Bring a little heat. Black pepper, cayenne, chipotle, and red pepper flakes make food taste bolder, so you notice the missing salt less.

Give your taste buds some time, too. Research shows that after a couple of months of eating less salt, people start to prefer lower-salt foods, and some old favorites begin tasting too salty. For more everyday strategies, see A Dietitian Shares Tips to Lower Sodium Intake. And if you’re curious which spices may also help with blood pressure, Spices and Herbs That Lower Blood Pressure Naturally takes a closer look at ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and garlic.

If you’re working on cutting back on sodium, these articles and recipe collections will help:

• How Too Much Sodium Affects Your Health & Where It’s Hiding
• Easy Tips to Lower Sodium in Your Diet
• Foods and Low Sodium Diet Recipes to Satisfy Salt Cravings
• 14 Low Sodium Salad Dressing Recipes
• 20 Low Sodium Dinner Recipes
• How to Make Low Sodium Casseroles with 7 Easy Swaps