Mint: Peppermint, Spearmint, the Compounds Behind the Cool, and How to Cook With It

Peppermint is sharp and cold, almost medicinal; spearmint is softer, sweeter and greener. In the kitchen, “mint” nearly always means one of those two, and what sets them apart is which compounds dominate their oil: menthol and menthone in peppermint, carvone in spearmint.¹ Peppermint is itself a hybrid, a cross of water mint and spearmint. Below: the main mints, the chemistry behind their flavor, their history, how to use and handle them, and what the health evidence actually shows.

At a glance

What mint is

True mints have square stems and opposite, aromatic leaves, and every Mentha species carries volatile oil in tiny resin dots on its leaves and stems. Britannica counts about 25 species, and Singh and Pandey’s 2018 review gives 25 to 30.²¹ You’ll sometimes read that there are “hundreds” of mint species, but neither source backs that up.

Peppermint and spearmint

• Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is an accepted species whose native range Kew gives as Europe to China. It’s been introduced across the Americas, Australia and New Zealand.
• Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a hybrid. Kew lists its parents as water mint (M. aquatica) and spearmint, and NCCIH calls it a natural cross between the two.⁴⁵ Kew gives its native range as Europe to Central Asia and notes that it’s mostly known as a cultivated plant that sometimes goes wild.

Other culinary mints have their own pages: watermint, apple mint, ginger mint, orange mint, chocolate mint, Moroccan mint and Korean mint. For an overview, see types of mint.

Flavor and aroma

Both main mints taste fresh and sweet with a cooling finish, but they’re easy to tell apart. Peppermint is sharper and more penetrating, with a cold, almost medicinal edge. Spearmint is softer, sweeter and greener. Here’s the chemistry behind that.

The compounds

It all comes down to the oil. Peppermint oil is prized mostly for its two major components, menthol and menthone, while spearmint is rich in carvone.¹ Proportions vary by sample. The figures below come from the tables in Singh and Pandey’s review, which collects results from many separate studies:

Each of those is a single sample, so don’t average them into one typical value. What they show every time is the split: menthol and menthone for peppermint, carvone for spearmint.

Origin and history

• Greek myth. The geographer Strabo records a mountain near Pylos named after Minthe. In the myth she became the concubine of Hades, was trampled by Core (Persephone) and was turned into garden mint.⁶ Versions that call it a Roman myth, or name the nymph “Metha”, don’t match this source.
• Rome. Pliny the Elder praised the smell of mint and noted that it was a common ingredient in Roman sauces. He also listed a long series of medicinal uses for it.
• The Bible. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus rebukes those who tithe “mint and anise and cummin” while neglecting weightier matters.⁷ Britannica says the mint of the Bible is presumed to be Mentha longifolia, not peppermint.² So the popular idea that “mint” in old texts usually means peppermint doesn’t hold up. Peppermint is a hybrid, and no source we found shows which mint most historical writers meant.
• Traditional medicine. NCCIH notes that mint plants were used for digestive complaints in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.⁵

A few other historical claims get repeated a lot: dried mint leaves found in Egyptian tombs from about 1000 BC, mint as a Greek symbol of hospitality and a funeral herb, Romans bringing mint to England, a 15th-century mention by “John Gardiner”, and the Pilgrims carrying it to North America. We couldn’t trace any of them to a source we could open, so we’ve left them out.

How mint is used

Mint is used as a flavoring in confectionery, cough drops and chewing gum, and as an ingredient in spice mixtures. Some well-documented kitchen uses:

• England. Mint sauce, made from fresh mint, sugar and vinegar, is the traditional partner for roast lamb. Saveur quotes the view that serving lamb without it is an offense to taste and tradition.⁸
• Rome. Pliny describes mint as a common ingredient in sauces.
• Drinks. In cocktails like the mojito, hard muddling can bruise the leaves and bring out vegetal, bitter flavors. Tasting Table suggests shaking the leaves with ice instead.⁹

Mint also shows up in yogurt sauces, salads, fruit, peas, desserts and tea. For more, see mint uses and cooking with mint.

Technique

LSU AgCenter groups mint with the delicate herbs (basil, chives, cilantro, dill leaves, parsley) that are best added near the end of cooking, because long heat costs them flavor and aroma. Its rule of thumb for swapping is one tablespoon of finely cut fresh herbs to one teaspoon of crumbled dried. That’s a general guide, not a measurement on mint.¹⁰ If a dish has gone overboard, see too much mint.

Buying and quality

We couldn’t find a grading standard for fresh culinary mint. Look for bright, unwilted leaves that smell strong when you rub them, with no black or slimy patches. And make sure you know which mint you’re buying, since peppermint and spearmint don’t taste the same.

Storage

No regulator or extension service we found publishes a shelf life for fresh or dried mint. The flavor rides in a volatile oil, so for dried mint, trust your nose: crush a little, and if the smell is faint, it’s faded. For methods, see how to store mint, can you freeze mint and how to dry mint.

Health and safety

Most of the health research on mint is about peppermint oil, not the leaf, and NCCIH says very little research has been done on peppermint leaf.⁵ Here’s what it reports:

• Irritable bowel syndrome. A small body of research suggests enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules may improve IBS symptoms in adults. A 2022 review of 10 studies with 1,030 participants found peppermint oil better than placebo, and a 2021 American College of Gastroenterology guideline recommended it.⁵
• Indigestion. Some combination products with peppermint and caraway oil may help, but NCCIH found no evidence that peppermint oil alone does, and it may make indigestion worse in some people.⁵
• Side effects. Oral peppermint oil can cause heartburn, nausea, abdominal pain and dry mouth, and rarely allergic reactions. Don’t apply it to the face of infants or young children.⁵
• Food amounts. Peppermint tea appears to be safe, though the long-term safety of large amounts of peppermint leaf isn’t known. Peppermint in amounts commonly found in food is likely safe in pregnancy.⁵

Peppermint and spearmint oils are on FDA’s list of essential oils generally recognized as safe for their intended use.³ We’re not claiming mint treats or prevents any condition. We also couldn’t trace claims that mint fights prostate cancer, protects against ulcers, or works as a weight-loss diuretic to any human evidence.

Substitutes and comparisons

One mint swaps for another fine, with a shift in character. Spearmint for peppermint gives a gentler result; peppermint for spearmint, a sharper, colder one. For other options, see mint substitutes and peppermint substitutes.

Comparisons:

• Spearmint vs. peppermint
• Apple mint vs. peppermint
• Basil vs. mint
• Oregano vs. mint
• Lemon balm vs. mint

Profiles: spearmint, peppermint.