SPICEographyMaster your spice rack
Menu

Spice Comparisons · Comparison

Spearmint vs. Peppermint: Carvone, Menthol and When to Use Each

By · Reviewed · 14 sources

Spearmint vs. peppermint

When a recipe says “mint,” it usually means spearmint or peppermint.1 The two are parent and child (peppermint is a natural cross between water mint and spearmint), but they don’t taste alike. Peppermint tastes cold and sharp, spearmint sweeter and greener, because their oils are built on different compounds: spearmint’s main component is carvone, while peppermint’s oil is mostly menthol and menthone. Either can stand in for the other in drinks, desserts and salads, as long as you’re fine with the change in character.

Side by side

SpearmintPeppermint
Botanical nameMentha spicataMentha × piperita, a hybrid
ParentsA species in its own rightWater mint × spearmint
FamilyLamiaceae (mint family)Lamiaceae (mint family)
Native rangeEurope to ChinaMostly known in cultivation, occasionally naturalized
The plantSquare stems, sharply serrated leaves in opposite pairs; spreads aggressively by creeping stolonsSquare stems, stalked dark green leaves
Leading oil compoundsCarvone2Menthol and menthone2
Flavor“Minty but not pungent” (Katzer);3 sweet and greenSharp and intensely cool
FormsFresh sprigs, dried leaf, oil and flavoringsFresh leaves, dried leaf, oil and extract
Typical usesSweets, drinks, salads, soups, cheeses, meats, fish, sauces; British mint sauce3Confectionery and sweet liqueurs; a classic partner for chocolate3
US food statusGRAS spice4GRAS spice4

What’s in the oils

ScopeCarvoneMentholMenthoneSource
One Serbian spearmint oil, as tabulated in a 2018 review69.5%not among the main compounds listed21.9%Singh and Pandey2
One peppermint oil (Clark and Menory, 1980), as tabulated in the same reviewnot among the main compounds listed29–48%20–31%Singh and Pandey2
European Pharmacopoeia requirement for peppermint oil, as quoted by the EMAnot given here30–55%14–32%EMA assessment report5

The first two rows come from the same review but from different studies, one sample each. They show what leads each oil, not a typical figure. The third row is a quality standard for medicinal peppermint oil, not a measurement.

The chemistry settles two questions:

  • Does spearmint contain menthol? A widely repeated claim puts spearmint’s menthol at 1 percent or less. We found no source for that number. McCormick says spearmint lacks menthol,6 and Katzer’s list of spearmint’s aroma compounds names carvone, limonene, dihydrocarvone, menthone, pulegone, 1,8-cineol and β-pinene. Menthol isn’t on it.3
  • Is peppermint the menthol champion? McCormick puts peppermint’s menthol at about 40 percent.6 But Katzer notes that the world’s most important source of menthol isn’t peppermint at all. It’s field mint, Mentha arvensis.3

We found no source we could open that explains how menthol makes things feel cold, or where the “pepper” in peppermint’s name comes from, so we’re skipping the usual explanations.

How each is used

Spearmint is the all-round kitchen mint. It goes into sweets, drinks, salads, soups, cheeses, meats, fish, sauces, fruits and vegetables, and Katzer names it as the mint for British mint sauce served with lamb.3 Yogurt sauces like tzatziki, mint chutneys, tabbouleh and the mojito usually take spearmint too.

Peppermint is the sweets mint. Katzer says true peppermint goes almost entirely into confectionery and sweet liqueurs, and that its freshness goes extremely well with chocolate.3 McCormick suggests a few drops of its peppermint extract in hot cocoa, frosting or brownie batter.7 As a culinary herb, peppermint leaves are usually used fresh.

Both are delicate. LSU AgCenter groups mint with the herbs best added near the end of cooking, because long heat can cost you flavor and aroma. Its general rule is 1 tablespoon of finely cut fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon of crumbled dried. That’s a guide for herbs in general, not a mint measurement.8

Can one stand in for the other?

Yes, for fresh leaves in drinks, desserts and salads, as long as you’re fine with the change in character. Our mint substitutes and peppermint substitutes pages give a cautious starting point in each direction:

SwapStarting amountTreatment
Spearmint in place of peppermintThe same amount, then more if the dish needs liftMethod
Peppermint in place of spearmintAbout half, then tasteMethod

The chemistry above is the reason. Spearmint can’t give you peppermint’s cold menthol bite no matter how much you add, and it’ll taste sweeter and softer. Peppermint in a savory spearmint dish, like a yogurt sauce or a lamb sauce, tastes like minty toothpaste if you overdo it, so start low. If the leaves themselves don’t matter, as in a frosting, McCormick’s mint extract is a blend of spearmint and peppermint oils.9

Health and safety

The FDA lists both as spices generally recognized as safe.4 Most of the research is on peppermint oil, not the leaf. NCCIH reports that enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules may improve IBS symptoms in adults, and that very little research has been done on peppermint leaf, though peppermint tea appears to be safe.10 We found no comparable summary for spearmint. We’re not claiming either mint relieves congestion or treats any condition.

What isn’t known

  • We found no study that analyzes spearmint and peppermint oils in the same lab. The oil rows above come from different studies.
  • We found no published figure for menthol in spearmint.

Footnotes

  1. “Mint (plant)”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

  2. Pooja Singh and Abhay K. Pandey, “Prospective of Essential Oils of the Genus Mentha as Biopesticides: A Review”, Frontiers in Plant Science, 2018. frontiersin.org · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Gernot Katzer, “Mint (Mentha)”, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  4. 21 CFR 182.10, US Food and Drug Administration. ecfr.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Assessment report on Mentha x piperita L., folium and aetheroleum, Revision 1, European Medicines Agency. ema.europa.eu · Regulator ↩

  6. “About Mint: Uses, Pairings and Recipes”, McCormick, 2026. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩ ↩2

  7. Pure Peppermint Extract, McCormick product page. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

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

  9. Pure Mint Extract, McCormick product page. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

  10. “Peppermint Oil”, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025. nccih.nih.gov · Regulator ↩

Also drawn on