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Lemon Balm Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Lemon Balm Is Doing

By · Reviewed · 21 sources

lemon balm substitute

Out of lemon balm? Reach for another lemon herb: lemon verbena for tea, lemon thyme for cooked dishes, and lemon zest with a little mint for raw ones. Lemon balm’s scent is mostly citral, a pair of compounds (geranial and neral) that’s also behind lemongrass and lemon verbena,12 and that shared chemistry is why the other lemon herbs make the best stand-ins. Just watch the strength: lemon verbena and lemon myrtle both hit harder than lemon balm does.

Quick answer

What lemon balm is doingBest substituteStarting amount, per 1 part lemon balmTreatment
Herbal tea or a sweet infusionLemon verbena1 part (same volume) in a mixed tea blendAttributed
Fresh lemon note in salads, fruit and cold saucesFinely grated lemon zest with a little fresh mint1/4 part zest plus 1/2 part mintMethod
Lemon note in cooked savory dishesLemon thyme1/2 part, then tasteMethod
You have dried lemon balm, not freshDried lemon balm1 teaspoon dried per 1 tablespoon freshComputed

How the ratios on this page are labeled

  • Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
  • Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
  • Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
  • Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

If lemon balm is going into tea or a sweet infusion

Lemon balm’s uses include herbal teas, fruit drinks, liqueurs and wine, and Penn State Extension says its leaves flavor teas, infusions and iced water.3 Here you want a lemon scent that steeps well.

1. Lemon verbena

Lemon verbena isn’t a close relative. The overlap is in the oil: geranial and neral, the major compounds of lemon verbena oil in a 2023 study,4 are the two halves of the citral that leads lemon balm oil.1

Lemon verbena is the stronger of the two. Penn State says its leaves “have the brightest and most intense lemon scent and flavor” of the lemon herbs.3 What it doesn’t have is lemon balm’s soft green, faintly minty background.

Ratio (Attributed): The Herb Society of America’s Sunshine Tea blend calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon verbena “or substitute lemon balm,” mixed with chamomile, green tea and lavender.5 That treats the two as interchangeable by volume in a mixed blend. If lemon verbena will be the only flavor in the cup, start with half the volume, since Penn State rates it more intense.

2. Lemongrass

Lemongrass oil is also led by citral, and the stems are widely used in teas and other drinks. Its scent is grassier. PROSEA describes the oil as fresh-grassy, lemon-like and tea-like.2 Bruise or slice the stalk so it gives up its flavor to the water.

Ratio (Method): Start with a 2- to 3-inch piece of fresh stalk, sliced, for each tablespoon of fresh lemon balm leaves. Steep and taste.

3. Lemon myrtle

Lemon myrtle, the leaf of an Australian tree, is loaded with citral.6 Gernot Katzer groups it with lemon verbena, lemon balm and lemongrass as the herbs with the purest lemon scent.7 It’s much more concentrated than lemon balm.

Ratio (Method): Start with about a quarter of the lemon balm volume and taste.

A note on the calming reputation

People often drink lemon balm tea to relax. The European Medicines Agency accepts lemon balm leaf as a traditional herbal medicine for mild stress and to aid sleep, based on long-standing use, and concludes the evidence doesn’t establish that it works.81 The same agency gives lemon verbena leaf the same kind of traditional-use status for mild stress and sleep.9 For lemongrass, Memorial Sloan Kettering reports that in clinical studies lemongrass tea didn’t lower anxiety or have a calming effect.10 None of these substitutes, and not lemon balm itself, has been shown to treat anxiety or insomnia.

If lemon balm is a fresh lemon note in salads, fruit and cold dishes

In salads and raw dishes, lemon balm gives you lemon scent without the fruit’s sourness. Two pantry ingredients can rebuild that together.

1. Lemon zest plus fresh mint

Zest brings the lemon aroma, and mint the cool green background. In cooking, “mint” usually means spearmint or peppermint. Spearmint is the gentler pick here. Add both at the end. LSU AgCenter counts mint among the delicate herbs and says long cooking costs flavor and aroma.11

Ratio (Method): For each tablespoon of chopped fresh lemon balm, start with about 3/4 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest and 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped fresh mint, then taste. For scale, NDSU Extension counts 1 to 2 teaspoons of rind from one medium lemon.12

2. Lemon verbena, chopped very fine

Ratio (Method): Start with half the volume, since Penn State rates verbena more intense, and chop the leaves finely or use only the most tender ones.

If lemon balm is seasoning a cooked savory dish

Lemon balm also goes into soups, sauces and stuffings. Its scent fades with long cooking, though we found no measurement of it. In cooked dishes, a sturdier herb may do better.

1. Lemon thyme

Penn State describes lemon thyme as having “a distinct thyme flavor with just overtones of lemon,”3 and UF/IFAS Extension says it adds a citrus overtone to the usual thyme flavor.13 It suits chicken, fish and stuffings, but its thyme character makes it a poor fit for desserts and tea.

Ratio (Method): Start with half as much lemon thyme as lemon balm, then taste.

2. Lemongrass

Lemongrass gives a rich lemon flavor without acidity. The fibrous stalks are usually steeped and removed, while the tender center can be chopped and eaten. Use it in soups, broths and sauces where a piece can simmer and come out.

Ratio (Method): Start with one 2- to 3-inch piece of bruised stalk per tablespoon of fresh lemon balm. Simmer, taste and remove.

3. Makrut lime leaves

Makrut lime leaf oil is dominated by citronellal,14 which lemon balm oil has too, though far less.15 The leaves taste more of lime than lemon and suit Southeast Asian soups and curries better than European dishes.

Ratio (Method): Start with one leaf, torn, per tablespoon of fresh lemon balm, and take it out before serving.

Fresh or dried lemon balm

Fresh to dried (Computed): NDSU and Penn State Extension both give the general herb rule of 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried.1216 It’s a generic rule, not one measured for lemon balm. In America’s Test Kitchen’s tests of dried herbs, tasters preferred fresh in all but one use,17 so expect dried lemon balm to taste flatter than fresh.

What isn’t known

  • You’ll sometimes read that makrut lime leaves are never used in tea or desserts, or that lemon thyme is never used for tea. We found no source either way.

Footnotes

  1. Assessment report on Melissa officinalis L., folium, European Medicines Agency. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. L.P.A. Oyen, Cymbopogon citratus, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  3. Smith and Marquesen, “Lemon-Scented Herbs in the Garden and the Kitchen”, Penn State Extension, 2025. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Sprea et al., “Volatile Compounds and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil of Aloysia citrodora Paláu”, Molecules, 2023. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

  5. Paola Legarre, “Lavender in the Kitchen”, The Herb Society of America, 2025. blog.herbsociety.org · Publication ↩

  6. Ian Southwell, “Backhousia citriodora F. Muell. (Lemon Myrtle), an Unrivaled Source of Citral”, Foods, 2021. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

  7. “Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora F. Muell.)”, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩

  8. “Melissa leaf”, summary for the public, European Medicines Agency, 2014. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩

  9. European Union herbal monograph on Aloysia citrodora Paláu, folium, European Medicines Agency. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩

  10. “Lemongrass”, About Herbs, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2022. mskcc.org · Reference work ↩

  11. “Flavorful Herbs”, LSU AgCenter. lsuagcenter.com · Reference work ↩

  12. Julie Garden-Robinson, “Ingredient Substitutions” (FN198), NDSU Extension, 2018. ksre.ksu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩2

  13. Busbee, Andrews and Criss, “Lemon Thyme”, UF/IFAS Extension, 2024. sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu · Reference work ↩

  14. Al Othman et al., “Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Citrus hystrix, Citrus limon, Citrus pyriformis, and Citrus microcarpa Leaf Essential Oils”, Plants, 2023. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩

  15. Abdellatif et al., “Minerals, Essential Oils, and Biological Properties of Melissa officinalis L.”, Plants, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · Peer-reviewed ↩

  16. “Preserving Herbs by Drying”, Penn State Extension. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩

  17. “Science: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩

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