Spice Comparisons · Comparison
Lemon Verbena vs. Lemongrass: A Shrub Leaf and a Grass Stalk, Both Built on Citral
Lemon verbena and lemongrass smell alike for a simple reason: the main compounds in both oils are the same, geranial and neral, the two forms of citral.12 Past that, they don’t have much in common. Lemon verbena is the leaf of a South American shrub, usually steeped and strained. Lemongrass is a tropical grass whose fibrous stalks get pounded into pastes or simmered and pulled out. They can trade places in teas and broths, but much less well in a curry paste or a stir-fry.
Side by side
| Lemon verbena | Lemongrass | |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Aloysia citrodora Paláu (syn. Lippia citrodora, Aloysia triphylla) | Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf |
| Family | Verbenaceae (verbena family) | Poaceae (grass family) |
| Native range | Southern Bolivia to northwestern Argentina (Kew) | Disputed: southern India and Sri Lanka, or Indonesia, both on Kew’s page; PROSEA says it is known only from cultivation32 |
| Plant | Shrub with rough, lance-shaped leaves in whorls of three | Tufted perennial grass with many upright stems |
| Part used | Leaves, fresh or dried | Fibrous stalks and the slight bulb at the base; leaves for tea |
| Main oil compounds | Geranial and neral (citral), often with limonene; varies widely by origin1 | Citral (geranial and neral), plus myrcene, limonene and geraniol2 |
| Flavor | The brightest and most intense lemon of the lemon herbs (Penn State) | A rich lemon without the acidity (Britannica) |
| Typical uses | Drinks and teas, liqueurs, puddings, jams, sorbet and ice cream | Southeast Asian curry pastes, stocks and soups, teas |
| Forms sold | Fresh sprigs, dried leaf and tea, essential oil | Fresh stalks, dried and powdered lemongrass, essential oil |
| US food status | Listed among natural flavoring substances, with a use limitation carried from an earlier entry (see Safety)4 | Lemongrass oil is GRAS5 |
| Price | No dated, sourced comparison found | No dated, sourced comparison found |
For each in depth, see lemon verbena and lemongrass.
How much citral? Not one number for either
Both oils are citral-led, but the figures come from different studies of different plants, and they swing a lot within each herb:
| Oil and scope | Geranial | Neral | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon verbena, Sprea et al. 2023, their own samples | 18.7 to 21.1% | 15.3 to 16.2% | 1 |
| Lemon verbena, Portugal (as reviewed by Sprea et al.) | 26.8 to 38.3% | 20.8 to 29.6% | 1 |
| Lemongrass, PROSEA’s general range for C. citratus oil | 40 to 62% | 25 to 38% | 2 |
| Lemongrass oil from the Ethiopian highlands | total citral about 14% | 2 |
Some lemon verbena oils reviewed by Sprea and colleagues, from Morocco, had no geranial at all and were led by other compounds.1 So a higher citral range for lemongrass oil in one reference doesn’t mean a stalk of lemongrass is “more lemony” than a sprig of lemon verbena. These are distilled oils, not the leaves and stalks you cook with, and no study compares the two herbs directly.
Differences that change the dish
Leaf versus stalk. This is the big one. Lemongrass stalks are woody and tough. They’re commonly steeped in oil with other spices and removed, or tied in a bundle and simmered in stock. Less often, the outer layers get peeled back to reveal tender young shoots that can be chopped and added directly. Lemon verbena leaves usually get steeped in tea, cream or syrup and strained out. Because of their texture, Penn State suggests grinding them fully with sugar and using that sugar in shortbread or pound cake.6
Perfume versus grass. Penn State ranks lemon verbena’s leaves as having the brightest and most intense lemon scent and flavor of the lemon herbs.6 Lemongrass oil smells fresh-grassy, lemon-like and tea-like. Lemon verbena tastes sweeter and more floral, lemongrass greener and more savory.
Where each belongs. Lemongrass is a staple of kitchens across Southeast Asia, where cooks pound it with garlic, makrut lime leaf and other herbs into thick curry pastes. Its leaves go into Asian stir-fries and meat dishes, and into teas. Lemon verbena’s uses lean sweet and drinkable: refreshing drinks, liqueurs, puddings and jams, and teas, sorbet, ice cream and whipped cream. Taking either one off its home turf is fine. Just know that lemon verbena in a Thai curry paste makes a different dish.
Drying. Penn State says lemon verbena leaves dry easily and keep their scent and flavor for two to three years. That figure is theirs.6 Dried lemongrass only works in dishes with liquid. In America’s Test Kitchen’s tests it was fine in a curry paste and a soup, but in a stir-fry it kept the texture of hay.7
How big is a lemon verbena plant?
Sources give different heights, and the gap comes down to where the plant grows:
| Source | Height |
|---|---|
| EMA assessment report | 1 to 3 meters8 |
| Penn State Extension | Up to 15 feet in its native habitat; about 3 feet in Pennsylvania6 |
Safety and regulation
- Lemon verbena. The European Medicines Agency accepts the leaf as a traditional herbal medicine for mild stress, sleep and mild digestive complaints, based entirely on long-standing use. Its monograph says use in children hasn’t been established, for lack of adequate data.9 In the US it’s not on FDA’s GRAS lists for spices or essential oils. It’s listed under 21 CFR 172.510 as “Lemon-verbena, Lippia citriodora”, with “Do.” (ditto) in the limitations column, meaning the same use limitation as an earlier entry in the table.4
- Lemongrass. FDA lists lemongrass oil among essential oils generally recognized as safe.5 Memorial Sloan Kettering says human studies are limited, and that in clinical studies lemongrass tea didn’t lower anxiety or have a calming effect.10 Kew notes that the oil can cause contact dermatitis.3
We don’t claim either herb treats or prevents anything.
Can one stand in for the other?
In teas, syrups and broths, yes. In pastes, stir-fries and salads, only partly. The amounts below match our lemon verbena substitutes and lemongrass substitutes pages.
| Swap | Starting amount | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon verbena for lemongrass, in tea and drinks | About 1 tablespoon fresh leaves per stalk, steep and taste | Method |
| Lemongrass for lemon verbena, in infusions or savory dishes | About the same volume of thinly sliced fresh stalk as lemon verbena leaves, then taste; remove before serving | Method |
| Dried lemongrass for fresh | Half as much dried as fresh, in dishes with liquid only | Attributed: America’s Test Kitchen7 |
- Lemon verbena for lemongrass. Works where the herb gets steeped: tea, a poaching liquid, a soup broth. It’ll taste sweeter and more perfumed. In a pounded curry paste it can’t give you the stalk’s body, and in a raw salad its leaves are tough.
- Lemongrass for lemon verbena. Slice and bruise a fresh stalk for infusions, and expect a greener, grassier result. For a dessert where you eat the leaves, like lemon verbena sugar, lemon zest is the closer swap; see lemon verbena substitutes.
- A ratio you’ll see around says to use half as much lemon verbena as lemongrass, or twice as much lemongrass as lemon verbena. We couldn’t find a source for it.
What isn’t known
- The citral figures above come from separate studies of oils from different places. No study analyzes both herbs side by side.12
- Lemongrass’s native range is unsettled, even within Kew’s own page.3
- We couldn’t find a dated price comparison.
Related
- Lemon verbena and lemon verbena substitutes
- Lemongrass, lemongrass substitutes, lemongrass uses and cooking with lemongrass
- Lemon balm vs. lemon verbena and lemon balm vs. lemongrass
- Lemon balm, lemon myrtle, lemon thyme and kaffir lime leaves
Footnotes
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Sprea et al., “Volatile Compounds and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil of Aloysia citrodora Paláu”, Molecules, 2023. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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L.P.A. Oyen, Cymbopogon citratus, Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA), via Pl@ntUse. uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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21 CFR 172.510, Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors. ecfr.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩2
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21 CFR 182.20, Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives. ecfr.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩2
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Mandy L. Smith and Susan Marquesen, “Lemon-Scented Herbs in the Garden and the Kitchen”, Penn State Extension, 2025. extension.psu.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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“Dried vs. Fresh Lemongrass”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩2
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Assessment report on Aloysia citrodora Paláu, folium, European Medicines Agency, 2019. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩
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European Union herbal monograph on Aloysia citrodora Paláu, folium, European Medicines Agency, 2019. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩
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“Lemongrass”, About Herbs, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2022. mskcc.org · Reference work ↩
Also drawn on
- Aloysia citrodora Paláu, Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org
- Lemongrass, by Tony Hill, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com