These 80+ mint recipes for food and medicine are sure to please! Use up all of that mint in your garden with these recipes for food, drinks, desserts, bath & body, and remedies.
Cooking and Using Mint
There are many reasons to grow mint, but we all know the best reason, that delicious intense flavor that adds sharpness to savory and sweet dishes alike.
Mint coats the inside of our mouths with a cold sensation that can only be described as similar to how when we consume foods containing capsaicin, a burning heat lingers on.
Not only does mint shine in the culinary world, but it’s also a highly prized medicinal herb with many benefits.
That’s why today I’m going to share with you 80 recipes to utilize all that mint you have growing in your garden.
Peruse this list for tonight’s dinner, a refreshing beverage, or bookmark it for later when you find yourself wanting all things mint!
Mint Tea & Drinks
One of my favorite ways to use this amazing herb is in tea. Try this mint iced tea, Moroccan mint hot tea, or an orange mint lemon sweet tea.
Sometimes I’ll even make mint infused honey and drop spoonfuls into my herbal tea as a way to add sweetness and depth of flavor.
If you’re short on time, another option would be this easy mint simple syrup.
If tea isn’t your thing, maybe this fresh mint iced coffee or chocolate mint tea latte is more your speed?
You can also make fresh mint ice cubes and add them to your seltzer, mineral, or strawberry, lime, and cucumber water.
For a sweeter beverage, this mint limeade looks like it would be especially refreshing on a hot summer day.
For a satisfying meal replacement, blend up this paleo-friendly creamy watermelon, strawberry, and mint smoothie!
Mint extract (or better yet, chocolate mint extract) can be used to make a healthy alternative to a popular fast foods’ seasonal shamrock shake!
Fermented drinks are full of probiotics that keep your gut happy and healthy. With the addition of mint, you have a medicinal powerhouse that supports the digestive tract.
Make this rosemary and mint kombucha, ginger, mint, and lime soda, or this beautifully colored blueberry mojito kombucha.
Mint Homebrew, Cocktails & Mocktails
Fermented beverages with a touch more alcohol are a great choice for imbibing. A mojito mead sounds like a refreshing take on a classic cocktail, or try this homebrewed mint wine!
(Interested in making mead? I have an eBook for beginner mead making that can be super helpful for the first-timer.)
Cucumber mint sangria and raspberry and mint infused wine are excellent ways to take advantage of the delightful flavor of mint and are simple to make when you’re short on time but want some mint in your life.
Mixing up spirits with spearmint can have some flavorful results. Both rhubarb and strawberry shrub mojito and garden mint julep look incredibly tasty.
With the holidays upon us, festive cocktail and mocktail ideas are a must. Look no further than this sparkling mint and cranberry mocktail or this creative pomegranate and peppermint Moscow mule that uses candied mint leaves!
Mint Sweets & Baked Goods
Peppermint, apple mint, and chocolate mint (yes, that’s a thing!) are typically used in desserts of all kinds.
One of my favorite ways to use mint is paired with chocolate in fresh mint brownies or fresh mint cake with dark chocolate mint frosting.
This beautiful Mediterranean inspired labneh cheesecake makes good use of any dried mint you may have around waiting to be turned into a cake. Isn’t it stunning?
Mint isn’t restricted to only becoming cake in its next life though! In this classic mint chocolate chip cookies recipe, fresh mint is infused with the butter before creaming it together with sugar.
Perhaps even using mint infused sugar? Yes, please!
Simplest of all are these chocolate-covered mint leaves with coconut oil or mint chocolate chip energy bites.
Another option is a beautiful fresh mint ganache tart or fresh mint chocolate chip muffins.
Try drizzling simple mint syrup with honey over them for a touch more sweetness.
Are you growing rhubarb in your garden and need ways to store it for later? This rhubarb mint jam sounds lovely and makes a great first jam of the season!
Mint also pairs well with citrus. Do you have an abundance of lemons, limes, or oranges? Make this mint curd with whatever citrus you have available. I can see it being wonderful smeared on a croissant or scone.
In the heat of the summer, what’s the best way to keep cool? By making ice cream, of course! This mint chocolate chip ice cream is made with a classic custard base and looks like the definition of perfection.
For a version made with coconut milk, vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream with bananas should satisfy your sweet tooth.
Also made with coconut milk is a paleo mint chocolate chip ice cream that contains only six all-natural ingredients and is sweetened with maple syrup.
Not a chocolate fan? Skip the chocolate and go all-in on a mint leaf ice cream.
If making ice cream isn’t something you want to invest your time in, there’s always honeydew mint popsicles, cantaloupe ice pops, or vibrantly colored mint chocolate popsicles.
These delightful wild mint sorbet sandwiches are sure to please any child or adult alike. Can you say, yummy?
Remember the mint extract I mentioned earlier? Use it to make a batch of peppermint patties, chocolate mint marshmallows or these tiger nut flour paleo mint chocolate chip muffins.
Another favorite of mine, herbal marshmallows, are especially flavorsome with the addition of chocolate mint!
This fresh mint semifreddo looks fancy, but it only contains six ingredients, two of which are optional! I bet you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now, what are you waiting for?
Mint Savory Dishes
Some varieties of mint are best suited for savory dishes, like ginger mint for example. It has a slight gingery flavor that would lend itself well to a mint coriander chutney.
Pineapple mint is slightly sweet and fruity, perfect for a pineapple mint chutney or fresh pineapple mint salsa!
This cucumber mint jam would be an excellent way to use up some of your garden’s cucumbers. Try pairing it with cheese and crackers on a grazing board!
Every salad needs to be dressed to impress! Don’t you love how fresh and vibrant the colors are of both of these: fresh mint dressing and lemon mint dressing?
A watermelon cucumber salad is fresh, minty, and refreshing. You can bet this is on my summer to-do list!
Homemade tzatziki and mint and lemon hummus are favorites of mine and I love serving them with toasted pita wedges and crisp raw vegetables from my garden.
Try drying fresh mint with your homemade drying screen and whip up a unique take on a spinach yogurt dip.
By now you know how much I love cooking with cast iron. Try cooking lamb loin chops in your favorite cast iron skillet and top it with mint chimichurri.
Pescatarian? Maybe this grilled branzino with cilantro mint relish is more to your liking.
Mint pesto is another delicious twist on the ever versatile recipe!
Who doesn’t love a fritter now and again? These pea and mint fritters would make the perfect Meal Prep Sunday dish! Pack them in school lunches or snack on them on your lunch break.
Mint can also be used as a flavor accompaniment to many lacto fermented vegetables. Try this lacto fermented celery mint salad or preserving mint with lacto fermentation.
Mint Bath & Body
Mint can be invigorating for your scalp and hair follicles. It is also said to reduce hair loss. Give your hair the boost it needs with my rosemary and mint shampoo bars. This will be your family’s new favorite, I promise!
Garden mint soap bars tantalize the senses and heal minor skin irritations with the help of French green clay. Another option is to make natural peppermint soap.
This cucumber mint bath soak makes a soothing and relaxing end to a busy day when you just need some me-time.
A homemade mint sugar scrub made with coconut oil is an efficient way to slough off dead or dry skin.
Do you ever wake up to a face full of smelly dog breath? Offer your furry friend some breath freshener treats, your nose will thank you!
Mint Remedies
Mint can be used in a multitude of herbal remedies. One of my personal favorite ways to use it is in an herbal sun tea with hibiscus, lemon balm, and rose.
Get your probiotic fix with this lacto fermented herbal tea that has added whey or powdered starter culture.
Rub some peppermint and pine headache salve into your temples after a long day and decompress.
Mint infused oil can be used in this recipe for natural wasp control around the homestead or a peppermint salve.
I don’t know about you, but I love lollipops just as much as children do. These anti nausea ginger mint lollipops are so simple to make and only contain four natural ingredients. They also make a powerful sore throat soother!
Tinctures are a potent way to get the most out of your medicinal herbs. A peppermint tincture and herbal digestion tincture are both great at relieving bloating, gas, and upset stomachs.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, try this valerian mint cordial at bedtime to help you rest!
I also have several recipes and remedies that use mint in my book Healing Herbal Infusions, such as Lavender & Peppermint Sore Muscle Oil, Thyme, Peppermint & Honey Tea for Coughs, and Sunflower, Violet Leaf & Mint Vinegar Hair Rinse.
Do you grow mint in your garden? Which mint recipes are you most looking forward to trying?
I have been getting your emails for a while now and I like the very much. There is one thing that would make things a little easier, when there is so much information when there are so many recipes to go through. If it would be possible to put them in a PDF or some kind of file, it is easier to download them so a person can look at them when they have more time. thank you for all the work you do gathering this information. I am a big fan, :-). I am growing 3 different mints this year, I grow many herbs and veggies every year and I make a lot of my own teas, salves, beauty products and cleaners usually for gifts.
Remember, be kind, be calm and be safe, :-)
Respectfully
Shelagh Drew (drewgida(1))
Smile, maybe someone will smile back, :)