Peppermint Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Peppermint Is Doing

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a natural cross between water mint and spearmint,¹ and its oil consists principally of menthol and menthone.² The European Pharmacopoeia, as quoted by the European Medicines Agency, sets menthol at 30 to 55 percent of peppermint oil and menthone at 14 to 32 percent.³ That menthol is what sets peppermint apart from its relatives: McCormick describes spearmint as milder and lacking menthol.⁴ So the right substitute depends on whether you need peppermint’s flavor, which extract or oil can supply, or fresh leaves, which only another mint can.

Quick answer

The rest of the page explains each choice.

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship, such as converting fresh herbs to dried, with the source named.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. We show each one and do not average them.
• Method: we found no published ratio. We give a direction and a cautious starting point, and say so.

The extract and oil figures below are manufacturers’ guidance for their own products. No published measurement compares the strength of fresh peppermint leaves with any substitute.

If peppermint is the flavor in a sweet or a drink

By Katzer’s account, true peppermint is used almost exclusively for confections and sweet liqueurs, and its freshness goes extremely well with chocolate.⁵ In these uses you want the peppermint oil itself, and an extract delivers it.

1. Peppermint extract

McCormick’s Pure Peppermint Extract lists alcohol, water and oil of peppermint as its ingredients,⁶ so it carries the same oil that gives the leaves their flavor. It adds no green color or leaf texture, and it brings a little alcohol.

Ratio (Attributed): McCormick suggests stirring a few drops into hot cocoa, frosting or brownie batter, and gives 1/8 teaspoon of its extract in place of 3 candy canes.⁶ We found no published figure for replacing chopped fresh peppermint leaves with peppermint extract. Start with a few drops, taste, and add more a drop at a time. In a cold drink or fruit salad, stirring the extract into a little simple syrup first makes it easier to spread evenly; that is kitchen practice, not a tested method.

2. Peppermint flavoring oil

Concentrated flavoring oils are stronger than extracts. LorAnn says its peppermint super-strength flavor is 3 to 4 times stronger than alcohol-based extracts.⁷

Ratio (Attributed): LorAnn advises using 1/3 to 1/4 of the extract amount a recipe calls for.⁷ That figure is for LorAnn’s product. Other brands may differ, so check the label.

3. Mint extract

McCormick’s Pure Mint Extract is a blend: its label lists oil of spearmint and oil of peppermint in alcohol and water.⁸ It tastes milder than straight peppermint, in our judgment, because of the spearmint.

Ratio (Attributed): McCormick’s label gives 1 bunch of mint leaves as equal to 1 teaspoon of its mint extract.⁸ It does not define a bunch, and the figure is for mint leaves in general, not peppermint specifically.

If you need fresh leaves

For mint tea, a muddled drink or a fruit salad, the leaves are part of the dish. Here another mint is the only real substitute.

1. Spearmint

Spearmint is one of peppermint’s two parents.² Its oil is built on a different compound: carvone is its principal component,⁹ and a 2018 review contrasts carvone-rich spearmint with peppermint’s menthol and menthone.¹⁰ Katzer calls spearmint minty but not pungent.⁵ Expect a sweeter, softer mint flavor without peppermint’s cold bite.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start with the same amount of spearmint as peppermint, taste, and add more if the drink or dish needs more lift.

2. Watermint, if you have it growing

Watermint (Mentha aquatica) is peppermint’s other parent.² Its oil is not a stronger version of peppermint’s. Two studies of wild watermint found menthofuran as the main compound: 38.4 to 55.9 percent in plants from two habitats in Tuscany,¹¹ and 19.0 to 24.5 percent across three growth stages in a second study.¹² Menthol, the lead compound in peppermint oil, was not among the main components either study reported. In peppermint oil, menthofuran is a minor compound, 6.8 percent in one sample in the 2018 review.¹⁰ Watermint will taste minty, but different from peppermint.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start with about half the peppermint amount and taste, since its flavor varies from plant to plant.

Dried peppermint

Dried peppermint works in tea or in a cooked dish, but not as a fresh garnish. America’s Test Kitchen lists mint among the herbs that are better fresh, saying such delicate herbs are much weaker in flavor when dried.¹³

Ratio (Computed): ATK’s tests found that 1 part dried herb to 3 parts fresh came closest to equal strength,¹⁴ and LSU AgCenter’s rule is 1 tablespoon finely cut fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon crumbled dried.¹⁵ These are general rules for herbs, not a peppermint test.

Herbs that are sometimes suggested but don’t taste like peppermint

Basil

Basil is a member of the mint family,¹⁶ but its oil runs on different compounds. PROSEA reports a French-type basil oil at 53.3 percent methyl chavicol and describes its aroma as sweet-spicy, slightly green and fresh.¹⁷ It has no place in a peppermint dessert or tea. In a savory dish where fresh peppermint is one green herb among several, basil can fill the gap.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start with about half the peppermint amount and add it at the end; LSU AgCenter lists basil and mint among the delicate herbs best added late.¹⁵

Huacatay

Huacatay, also called black mint, is the main flavoring of Peru’s ocopa sauce.¹⁸ Despite the name it is not a mint. USDA’s GRIN taxonomy lists huacatay as a name for Tagetes minuta,¹⁹ a marigold,²⁰ and its oil is characterized by a group of ketones (tagetone, dihydrotagetone and tagetenone) that peppermint does not share.²¹ It is not a substitute for peppermint. See huacatay for its own uses.

What isn’t known

• No published measurement compares the strength of fresh peppermint leaves with peppermint extract, oil, spearmint or watermint. The extract and oil figures are manufacturers’ guidance for their products.
• A widely repeated claim puts spearmint at 1 percent menthol and watermint at up to 48 percent. We found no source for either figure; the watermint studies reviewed here report menthofuran, not menthol, as the main compound.¹²¹¹
• McCormick gives peppermint’s menthol as about 40 percent.⁴ The Pharmacopoeia range is 30 to 55 percent,³ and one sample in the 2018 review held 29 to 48 percent.¹⁰ These describe peppermint oil, not the leaf, and the content varies by sample.
• A claim that Thai basil shares peppermint’s pungency could not be traced to a source.

Related

• Peppermint, spearmint, watermint and spearmint vs. peppermint
• Mint, types of mint, mint substitutes and apple mint vs. peppermint
• Basil, basil vs. mint, huacatay and huacatay substitutes
• Cooking with mint, how to dry mint and too much mint