Tarragon is a very important ingredient for recipes.
However the best tarragon for cooking and growing at home will depend on 3 items:
- The type of tarragon
- Whether you use shop bought or homegrown tarragon
- How easy it is to get your tarragon types.
Below you will find our comparison information & why we ranked them in this order:
There are 3 main Tarragon varieties.
Please find below our comparison – there is more info further down the page on the rating system we used.
No 1 – French Tarragon
One of the most important herbs in French cooking, with a very delicate aromatic flavour.
- Flavour – 5/5
- Easy to grow – 4/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
French tarragon is the key tarragon type to use if you are into cooking. This is one of the most important herbs we grow,
No 2 – Mexican Tarragon
Ideal for Mexican & Latin American recipes. Less flavour then French Tarragon but slightly different (see below). Key advantage is that you can grow it from seeds.
- Flavour – 4/5
- Easy to grow – 5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
This type of tarragon has less flavour than French tarragon, but does have a slightly stronger aniseed flavour resulting in slightly differently tasting meals.
No 3 – Russian Tarragon
Very pretty plant that is great for on the patio but not as an ingredient. Much weaker flavour than French tarragon (about 25 % of the flavour).
- Flavour – 2/5
- Easy to grow – 5/5
- Grow at home because not available in shops – 5/5
When using it for cooking use it the same way as French tarragon but add 3 to 4x as much.
The best Tarragon for cooking & growing at home
Above is our comparison of the different varieties of tarragon.
How we rated each type
We firmly believe that tarragon grown at home has some major advantages – not only in that it will have the best possible flavour but also that will allow you to grow varieties not always available in shops.
However, in our rating we have not only included the flavour they add, but also how difficult they are to grow.
Please note… The tarragon seed or plant cost is only an estimate based on the latest time we checked, follow the links for today’s cost.
The best tarragon for cooking & growing at home
Hopefully our guide will help you decide on what type of basil to grow at home.
For more information have a look at our guide to growing tarragon indoors
Or for more info follow the links below
Which tarragon for cooking?
Tarragon buy online
Tarragon
When it comes to tarragon there is a real trade off between the type of…
French Tarragon
Mexican Tarragon
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