Mint
MINT
Mentha spicata
Also called spearmint, garden mint, common mint.
Cool, sweet, green, menthol.
Mint is the cool, aromatic leaf of Mentha spicata, the spearmint that stands in for mint in most kitchens, also sold as garden mint. Its menthol gives it a sweet, green, cooling bite that works in both savory and sweet cooking, from lamb and peas to yogurt sauces, tea, and chocolate. Spearmint is the everyday culinary mint; peppermint is a separate, sharper plant with far more menthol, better suited to tea and sweets than to savory dishes. Mint is at its best fresh and added late, since heat and drying strip the fresh lift. By Greek legend the herb takes its name from the nymph Minthe, though the word traces more plainly through Latin mentha to a likely older Mediterranean root.
What it pairs with
Goes wrong with: long-cooked dishes, which mute its fresh, cooling lift.
Common in Middle Eastern, Indian, Thai, Moroccan cooking.
Whole vs ground
Mint is usually used fresh, stirred in at the end for its cool lift. Dried mint is a different ingredient, more concentrated and earthy, and common in Middle Eastern and Turkish cooking.
How to handle it
Tear or chop the leaves just before using, and stir them in off the heat, since cooking dulls the cooling aroma. Bruising the leaves releases more of their scent.
Storage
Keep fresh mint stem-down in a glass of water, loosely covered in the fridge, or wrapped in a damp paper towel. Use within a week.
Buying note
Choose bright, perky bunches with no dark or slimy leaves. Spearmint is the all-purpose kitchen mint; peppermint is stronger and more menthol-heavy, sold mainly for tea and sweets.
Classic dishes
tabbouleh, mint tea, raita, mint sauce.
Out of mint? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| fresh basil or parsley, in a pinch | to taste | green and fresh, but without mint's cooling menthol |
| dried mint, for fresh mint | use about a third as much | more concentrated and earthy, lacks the bright, fresh lift |
Peppermint is not the original mint but a natural hybrid of spearmint and watermint, which is why it tastes sharper and carries far more menthol than the garden mint used in cooking.
Common questions
- What does mint taste like?
- Mint is cool, sweet, green, menthol. Its overall intensity is medium.
- What can I use instead of mint?
- The closest swaps are fresh basil or parsley, in a pinch (to taste, green and fresh, but without mint's cooling menthol); dried mint, for fresh mint (use about a third as much, more concentrated and earthy, lacks the bright, fresh lift). No substitute is exact, so taste and adjust.
- Should I buy mint whole or ground?
- Mint is usually used fresh, stirred in at the end for its cool lift. Dried mint is a different ingredient, more concentrated and earthy, and common in Middle Eastern and Turkish cooking.
- How do you store mint?
- Keep fresh mint stem-down in a glass of water, loosely covered in the fridge, or wrapped in a damp paper towel. Use within a week.
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