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What is Mexican oregano? And do you really need it in addition to regular oregano in your pantry?
When it comes to adding a punch of flavor to your dishes, Mexican oregano stands out as a vibrant, distinctive herb that’s more than just a spice rack staple. Learn all about Mexican oregano, including its flavor, usage, and more.
What Is Mexican Oregano?
Mexican oregano comes from a flowering plant that is native to Mexico, Central America and the southwest United States. It’s known for its earthy flavor with citrus undertones, making it a staple in Mexican cooking.
It’s a popular seasoning for pozole, black beans, and lots of meat dishes. In Latin American kitchens, it is an all-purpose seasoning that can be found in just about any dish.
Mexican Oregano Versus Regular Oregano
These two types of oregano share a name, but that’s about it. They are from different plant families and have different tastes and aroma.
Regular oregano is an Italian and Mediterranean spice with minty undertones. It matches perfectly with dishes from that region. You will commonly find it added to pasta sauces, grilled meats and pizza.
Mexican oregano has lemon and citrus flavors as well as some tones of licorice. These flavors are a better fit with Mexican dishes. It is often found in chili and salsas because it pairs beautifully with spicy chile peppers. Its intense peppery, grassy, and earthy flavor compliments tacos, beans, burritos, and heavy meat dishes like birria and carnitas. While it can be eaten raw, it tastes much better in its dry form.
How to Use Mexican Oregano
The intense grassy taste of this spice is fantastic in spicy foods. To enhance the flavor, rub the leaves between your fingers before using it. This will start to release the flavor hidden in the leaves. Include it in these dishes for great, unique flavor:
- Beans: Charro beans, black bean soup, and refried beans
- Tacos: Ground beef tacos and chicken tinga tacos
- Soups: Chicken pozole verde, pozole blanco, and red pozole
- Chilis: Spicy vegetarian chili and chorizo chili
- Meats: carnitas, carne asada, and pollo asado
Where to Find Mexican Oregano
You can easily find Mexican oregano in Mexican grocery stores or even some big-name grocery stores in the international food aisle. You can also order it online.
Mexican Oregano Substitutes
- Marjoram: Marjoram tastes like a milder, smoother version of oregano. It has earthy, woodsy, and warm notes, undercut with a hint of sharpness and bitterness.
- Coriander: Coriander also has citrus notes, making it a great substitute for Mexican oregano.
- Regular Oregano: Regular oregano is probably the most common substitute for Mexican oregano. It’s peppery but not as citrusy and sweet as its Mexican counterpart. Its best suited with greek or italian flavor profiles but can be used in place of Mexican oregano if you’re in a pinch.
Keep in mind that one spice will not make or break your meal. But if Mexican oregano is available near you or you’d like to try it, it will add a deep, earthy taste to your food that is amazing! I highly recommend you give it a taste.
Learn More About Other Mexican Ingredients
This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated with more helpful information.
Can I make pozole with pork? Do you have a recipe? Just returned from Zihuatnejo and still savoring the lovely vibes and great meals we enjoyed. In zihuat they eat pozole every Thursday .
Hi Brigitte! Yes we have a red pork posole recipe on the blog if you wanted to check that out.
Fascinating — thank you! I was googling to see if there were any central-American uses for canned tuna, and I found one recipe calling for Mexican oregano which I’d not heard of. Marjoram and coriander I have!
You probably know that Mexican Oregano is an entirely different plant than the Mediterranean. It also has different chemical issues. Some people are highly allergic to the Mediterranean oregano, but have no trouble at all with Mexican. It’s an important difference for those of us who have this allergy.
Thank you for explaining the difference in the oregno
You forgot to mention Menudo, you can not eat mexican menudo without oregano.
You also forgot to mention that in some parts of mexico, oregano is added to the salsa.
Hi Luis! Thank you for your tip!
I bought a mexican oregano plant and found out I could root cuttings in water. I am glad to find out how to use it in cooking! It grows well in South Florida.
Could lemon verbena be used instead.
Hi Lynne! It would give a different flavor than using oregano but you can definitely give it a try!
When the recipe calls for dry oregano, how do I substitute fresh oregano?
Hi Claudia! In general, 1 Tablespoon of fresh herb= 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Look like great recipes, can’t wait to try them.
Would you suggest the ground or whole oregano?
I like buying whole oregano, and then when you’re ready to use it in a recipe, simply rub it in the palm of your hands to crush it up. That will release some of the natural oils and really activate some of the flavor!
Whats with the borracho beans, its not right, its Frijoles Charros, its a ranch type dish.
Hello Luis. We have both recipes, one for frijoles charros and one for borracho beans on the site. We apologize for the confusion!