Mint Extract
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You’re going to love homemade mint extract. It’s a quick and easy process that results in BIG flavor!
I’ve got a few tips and tricks to help keep your extract looking and tasting fresh and bright. PLUS I’ll include a free printable label to keep your cupboard looking great and gifted extracts feeling extra luxurious.
Although making homemade extracts take a little patience, they are so worth the time invested!
This mint extract recipe is dedicated to fresh and bright.
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Tips
- This process extracts the menthol from the mint, but it also extracts the green! Be careful when working with your extract because it could stain clothes, tools, or countertops.
- Use a jar thats only as big as you need it. A larger jar with space to shake and jostle your ingredients has air space which can increase the oxidization of your mint leaves, which can contribute to off-tastes and colors.
- This process sees you infusing the alcohol with mint leaves for 2-3 days, the straining and replacing the mint leaves before repeating the process at least twice, 3-4 times is better. I find this to be the best solution to keeping the extract bright green and smelling minty. After more than 4-5 days, the mint leaves start to turn brown and your extract will too.
- I’ve included some harvesting guidelines, so if you’re growing your own mint you can maximize the quality!
- If you love making extracts, I have recipes for homemade vanilla extract and cinnamon extract!
Key Ingredients
Fresh Mint Leaves: If you don’t have fresh mint growing in the backyard, you can check the farmers market for the freshest possible version. If all else fails, you can use a bundle of mint from your grocery store. The fresher the better as the volatile oils in the mint leaves responsible for flavor do evaporate during storage.
Alcohol: I recommend high-proof grain alcohol for this recipe because we are using fresh leaves. I use Everclear with 90% ABV (180 proof) because I find it doesn’t have any overpowering tastes (beyond the alcohol burn!!). High proof alcohols work better with leafy herbs with lots of moisture in them, like mint – starting with a higher ABV keeps the alcohol content high enough, even after extraction to prevent mold, degradation, and waste.
If you don’t have access to Everclear, you can use vodka or rum. Be sure to choose a quality brand, to ensure that off flavors don’t present in your extract. Many people recommend the cheapest bottle you can find, and I disagree. Quality inputs equals quality outputs!
How To Make Mint Extract
Prepare Mint:
- Rinse mint stems under cool running water, then transfer to a salad spinner and spin dry.
- Remove mint from the salad spinner and place on a clean kitchen towel to dry while you prepare your jars. Removing as much moisture as possible before we place the mint into the alcohol is an important step.
- Wash your infusion jars, lids, and weights (if using) in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry. I like to work with half pint jars – not only do they make a ton of extract, they also store well and aren’t too large that we can’t use it all within a reasonable time.
Muddle:
- Pick all the leaves from the stems.
- In order to dissolve the most of the volatile essential oils as possible, we need to muddle the leaves and bruise the cells. Some people chop their mint leaves, others crush in their hand, I personally like to give rub them back and forth between my hands. However you choose to do it will work!
Fill Jars:
- Transfer the muddled mint leaves to the prepared canning jars, then pour Everclear over the mint leaves, ensuring they are covered. I like to toss a Pickle Pebble over my leaves to make sure they stay down in the liquid. This helps to stop oxidization of the organic matter, which in turn helps to prevent murky brown extracts!
- Cover the jar with the lid and set somewhere that you’ll see at least daily – I keep mine by the coffee pot – so you can give it a swirl a couple of times a day for the next 2-3 days.
Strain And Replace:
- After 2-3 days, strain the mint leaves out of the alcohol using a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve.
- Refill the jar with fresh mint leaves, add the strained alcohol, then add your weight.
- Cover the jar with the lid, give it a swirl a couple of times a day for the next 2-3 days before repeating the strain and replace process at least once more.
Strain And Store:
- After 2 days, strain extract to remove the mint leaves out of the alcohol using a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve.
- Meanwhile, wash your airtight storage container and lid. Dry well.
- Transfer mint extract to cleaned storage container and store. I store my bulk mint extract in a pint sized mason jar at the back of the spice cupboard, and every day mint extract in a frosted glass dropper bottle.
Batch + Storage
Batch:
Each pint jar yields just under a half pint. You lose some volume due to the leaves and the weight, if using.
Storage:
Like all extracts, your homemade mint extract should be stored in a cool, dark place. Aim to keep it in the smallest glass jar possible to reduce oxidization. I keep mine in small bottles in my spice cupboard. This helps to prevent oxidization and keep your extract fresher longer.
The shelf life of your extract is 6-12 months!
Harvesting Fresh Mint
If you’re like me and have 4-5 different kinds of mint scattered around your garden, you’re in luck, this is a super easy process.
Aim to harvest your mint before it flowers, if possible. I have found my spearmint and peppermint always flower earlier than my chocolate mint, so I usually end up making chocolate mint extracts in the fall. Harvesting can be done after flowering, but I just find that once the plant starts putting a ton of energy into the flowers, it stops putting as much energy into the leaves and the flavor can suffer.
The best time of day to harvest is in the morning, usually after the dew has dried off the leaves but before the sun’s intense heat starts to evaporate off the volatile oils in the leaves, sapping their flavor. Either pinch off a few leaves from multiple growing stems if you’ve got bunches, or using sharp garden snips, nip the growing stem off about 1/3 of the way down, directly above a leaf node.
Types Of Mint
If you’re buying at a farmers market or the grocery store, you’ll likely be limited to spearmint or peppermint, but if you’re growing mint the world is your oyster!
Each variety of mint has it’s own quirks and flavor characteristics and may compliment different recipes differently. This is one benefit that homemade has over store bought extract.
Peppermint
Peppermint is the classic mint flavor you’re thinking of. It’s got more menthol, gives a cooling sensation, and can have a bit of a spicy quality to it. Peppermint can be differentiated from spearmint by using your senses; it has a spicier flavor, stronger mint scent, and the leaves are generally darker and less pointed.
Peppermint is most commonly used in sweet dishes and paired with chocolate. You cannot go wrong with peppermint!
Spearmint
Spearmint has less menthol that peppermint, by a large margin – 0.5% versus 40%. The leaves of a spearmint plant can be almost sweet tasting. Spearmint can be differentiated from peppermint by using your senses; it has a milder sweetish flavor, different scent – more like Wrigley’s gum, and the leaves are generally lighter green and quite pointed at the end.
Reach for spearmint when you’re making savory dishes. While it is delicious, it can be off-putting to eat mint brownies that remind you of toothpaste!
Chocolate Mint
Chocolate mint is a newer cultivar in the mint world, I have one variety called “chocolate mint” and another called “After Eight mint”. These mint plants are easily distinguished in the garden by their reddish-brown stems.
While there is no actual chocolate in the mint, the aroma is reminiscent of mint chocolates. Think Andes or After Eights. I LOVE my chocolate mint extract in chocolate recipes.
Using Homemade Mint Extract
The uses for your mint extract are only limited by your imagination! Here are some suggestions:
Baking: Add a smidge of extract to amp up the flavor in your crushed candy cane cookies, mint sourdough brownies, or even a dash to a chocolate cake to add an interesting flavor – or better yet, add it to frosting!
Desserts: Consider adding a dash to your chocolate ice cream base or sub it for vanilla in your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe.
Drinks: Make a peppermint latte but adding a dash to your morning brew, or add some to yummy homemade hot chocolate for a minty treat.
Printable Labels
Handmade extracts are such a lovely Christmas gift for the foodie on your list, but if you’re making these for yourself, don’t let that stop you from labeling your jars!
I used my Munbyn thermal printer with 2″ round labels to make the labels as seen in these photos, but you could very easily use Avery labels and their templates to print on a regular printer.
Simply input your name in the boxes below and I’ll send the file right to your inbox so they are ready when you are!
📖 Printable Recipe
Homemade Mint Extract
Ingredients
- 3 cups mint leaves packed, divided
- 1 – 2 cups high proof grain alcohol Everclear
Instructions
Prepare Mint:
- Rinse mint stems under cool running water, then transfer to a salad spinner and spin dry. Remove mint from the salad spinner and place on a clean kitchen towel to dry while you prepare your jars.
- Wash your infusion jars, lids, and weights (if using) in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry.
Muddle And Fill Jars:
- Pick all the leaves from the stems, then crinkle or smash 1 packed cup of mint leaves before adding them to your prepared jar.
- Pour Everclear or other high proof grain alcohol over the mint leaves, ensuring they are covered. I like to toss a Pickle Pebble over my leaves to make sure they stay covered.
- Cover the jar with the lid and set somewhere that you’ll see at least daily and give it a swirl a couple of times a day for the next 2 days.
Strain And Replace:
- After 2 days, strain the mint leaves out of the alcohol using a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve. Refill the jar with fresh mint leaves, add your weight, and add back the alcohol.
- Cover the jar with the lid, give it a swirl a couple of times a day for the next 2-3 days before repeating the strain and replace process at least once more.
Strain And Store:
- After 2 days, strain the mint leaves out of the alcohol using a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve.
- Meanwhile, wash your airtight storage container and lid. Dry well.
- Transfer mint extract to cleaned storage container and store.
Notes
Batch:
Each pint jar yields just under a half pint. You lose some volume due to the leaves and the weight, if using.Storage:
Like all extracts, your homemade mint extract should be stored in a cool, dark place. I keep mine in my spice cupboard. This helps to prevent oxidization and keep your extract fresher longer. Use your extract within 5-6 months for best results, but the extract should have a shelf life of 12 months!Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
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