What Are Spearmint leaves and How Can I Use Them?
Wondering what to do with spearmint leaves? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 7 recipes to put them to work.
Key Points
- Spearmint is the mild, sweet everyday mint behind mojitos, tabbouleh, and savory cooking.
- Low in menthol, so it freshens dishes without the cold blast of peppermint.
- Add it at the end, since heat quickly dulls its fragrance.
- For general mint prep and storage, defer to mint leaves.
What are spearmint leaves?
Spearmint is the everyday cooking mint, the soft, sweet, grassy one most people picture when they hear the word mint. It has very little menthol compared to peppermint, so instead of a cold blast you get a gentle, herbal freshness that plays well with food.
That mildness is why spearmint is the leaf in your mojito and your tabbouleh. It folds into savory dishes without taking over, and it stays bright and green when chopped fresh.
For general mint prep and storage, see mint leaves. Here the focus is on what makes spearmint the workhorse.
Cooking With Spearmint
Spearmint is the default fresh mint for both the kitchen and the bar. It muddles into cocktails, scatters over a lamb dish, and lifts grain salads, where its sweetness balances lemon and olive oil.
It shows up across this site in savory company: Lamb Baked in Paper, the herb-heavy Roasted Tomato & Mint Salsa, and the orzo stew Manestra (Meat with Orzo). It also turns up in fruit preserves like Brandied Peach Butter with Spearmint.
Add chopped spearmint at the end. Heat dulls its fragrance fast, so a long simmer leaves you with green flecks and not much flavor. Stir it in off the heat or use it raw.
Substitutes
Peppermint can stand in, but it is much stronger and colder, so cut the amount roughly in half and accept a sharper edge. Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley can cover the green-herb role in a savory dish if you are out of mint entirely.
Dried mint works for cooked dishes and dressings, though it loses the lift that makes fresh spearmint worth using raw. Use about one teaspoon dried for a tablespoon of fresh.
Buying & Storage
Look for bright green leaves with no dark or slimy spots, and a clean sweet smell when you rub one. Spearmint leaves are usually more rounded and crinkled than the smoother, darker peppermint leaf.
Keep it stems-down in a glass of water with a bag over the top in the fridge, where it holds for a week or so. Spearmint also dries well for tea. See mint leaves for the full storage rundown.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 薄荷叶
- British (UK) term
- Spearmint leaves
- en français
- feuilles de menthe verte
- en español
- hojas de menta verde
Recipes using spearmint leaves
There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Pomegranate Ariel
Pomegranate Ariel with jewel-toned pomegranate seeds, currants, and slivered almonds under a blended papaya-orange sauce. A no-cook tropical fruit dessert served in goblets.
Brandied Peach Butter with Spearmint
Velvety peach butter simmered with brandy, lemon, and fresh spearmint then canned for year-round spreading. A sophisticated twist on a Southern pantry classic that makes a stunning homemade gift.
Roasted Tomato & Mint Salsa
Roasted tomato and mint salsa with fire-blackened Roma tomatoes, serrano chiles, cilantro, fresh spearmint, lime, and orange zest. A smoky, herbaceous Southwestern salsa for grilled meats or chips.
Manestra (Meat with Orzo)
Manestra is a Greek one-pot dish of slow-braised beef or lamb with orzo pasta in a cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce. Topped with grated cheese and ready to warm you up.
All Purpose Seasoning
A simple seasoning that can be used for any kind of dish you prepare for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
