Homemade Mint Sauce tastes infinitely superior to shop-bought versions, and takes 5 minutes to make. All you need to do is boil the kettle! Here's how to make this classic British condiment.
A classic mint sauce is traditionally served with roast lamb, and it has a strong flavor of mint and a hint of acidity from vinegar. It's essential to get the balance right and take the edge off with some sugar. It was actually introduced to England by the Romans, so in that sense it is not British at all. But it is so ingrained in our culture that we have sort of adopted it.
What kind of mint for mint sauce?
Apple mint is the best mint for mint sauce, in my opinion. That's the one with larger, pale green, fuzzy leaves. However, most shops will sell Moroccan mint, which is the one with slightly smaller, slightly darker green leaves with no furry texture to them. A lot of recipes call for spearmint, which is the one with pointy leaves and a scent that clears your airways (like breathmints or toothpaste).
And this is all fine, but not optimal, in my (British) opinion. I circumvented this issue by growing my own apple mint, as it is my personal favorite. But use whichever variety of fresh mint you can get your hands on. And don't use dried mint.
There's a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post with quantities and step-by-step directions for how to make mint sauce.
How to make mint sauce from scratch
- Finely chop your fresh mint leaves and place them into a heatproof bowl.
- Pour boiling water onto the mint to just cover it, and add a pinch of white sugar. Stir to dissolve, then put the bowl in the fridge to cool it rapidly.
Measure in the same amount of white wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. And that's it! There should be a fair amount of liquid in the bowl. When people serve themselves they can strain this off if they like.
Top tip
The water must be boiling to blanch the mint and bring out the flavor and color.
How to serve
Serve mint sauce with roast lamb and side dishes including:
What if I have leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 1 day.
Can I freeze it?
No, this recipe will not freeze well.
Equipment
All you need is a bowl!
🙏🏻 If you try this recipe...
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Five Minute Mint Sauce (Perfect With Roast Lamb)
Equipment
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 60 grams (2 oz) Fresh mint leaves
- 4 tablespoon Boiling water
- 4 tablespoon White wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon White sugar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Boil the kettle and finely chop your mint leaves. Place them into a bowl.
- Measure the boiling water on top of the mint leaves and stir. They should be just covered. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve it, then either let the bowl cool naturally or place it in the fridge/freezer to do this fast.
- Measure in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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