Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (2024)

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Learn how easy and affordable it is to make your own Homemade Peppermint Extract! This homemade mint extract recipe makes wonderful gifts. If you have a pressure cooker, I’ll even teach you to make it in the Instant Pot.

Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (1)

Innocently plant some mint in your garden and within a few weeks, you’ll be a full-fledged mint farmer. Trying to decide what to do with some of that excess? Homemade peppermint extract is the answer you have been looking for.

If you have mint left over after making the extract, try your hand at freezing mint, drying mint, or making mint syrup to keep a delicious stash in your freezer.

Are peppermint oil and extract the same thing?

Nope. Extract has a weaker flavor profile and the oils/flavors are suspended in a liquid. Quality essential oils are only pure oils in a bottle and are more heavily concentrated.

While some people will advocate using essential oils in cooking or in capsule form, this should only be done under strict supervision. Extracts, on the other hand, are safe for internal consumption assuming you don’t have any sensitivity to alcohol.

What Kind of Mint Should I Use?

Honestly? Any kind works fine. The fresh mint available in most stores is actually spearmint and not peppermint. It’s a mad, mad world we live in.

How Do I Use Homemade Peppermint Extract?

Use it in a 1:1 ratio as you would store-bought peppermint extract. It’s great for cooking, in Fantasy Fudge, in Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, or Mojito Mocktails.

Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (2)

Can we be frank about appearance here for a minute? The pressurized leaves are butt-ugly after they have been processed. If giving this as a gift I like to strain the finished extract from the old leaves, decant it to another bottle, and add a few fresh mint leaves.

Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (3)

Want printable labels for your own homemade peppermint extract?

Click this link to get and print the template I use. Labels print to Avery print to edge round labels in kraft brown (Avery 22808).

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:

  • You may notice that the Instant Pot extract still smells of alcohol after the extract process. This is normal and the alcohol smell should fade over the next week.
  • I have an 8 quart Instant Pot and chose to use two 8 oz jam jars for this process.
  • Some recipes will have directions to place the jars in the Instant Pot uncovered. I find this caused too much evaporation of the vodka during the pressure cooking process.
  • Fingertip tight means you tighten the lid and ring and then loosen it just a tiny bit. This should prevent the jar from forming an actual seal. If that does happen, use a bottle opener and pop it loose when it has cooled. There is no harm in it sealing.
  • I made multiple batches of this to test it out and found that a longer processing time in the Instant Pot did not result in a more “minty” flavor.
  • This homemade mint extract recipe has a pretty infinite shelf-life as long as it is stored with an air-tight lid.

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5 from 15 ratings

Homemade Peppermint Extract

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Pressurizing/depressurizing: 1 hour hr

Total: 35 minutes mins

Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (4)

Learn how easy and affordable it is to make your own Homemade Peppermint Extract! Homemade mint extract makes wonderful Christmas and holiday gifts.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups peppermint leaves {packed}
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1 cup water {only needed for Instant Pot method}

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

  • Rinse mint leaves and add them to a canning jar. You may need to pack them in with a spoon to get everything to fit.

    3 cups peppermint leaves

  • Pour vodka over the leaves. Add the lid and ring and tighten to fingertip tight.

    1 cup vodka

  • Place 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot and place a wire rack inside. Add the jars.

    1 cup water

  • Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to “sealing” and press Manual>high pressure>30 minutes.

  • Allow for a natural release. Carefully remove the hot jars from the Instant Pot and place on a towel to fully cool.

  • Store in a cool dry place and use in a 1:1 ratio as store-bought extracts.

Traditional Method:

  • Rinse mint leaves and add them to a canning jar. You may need to pack them in with a spoon to get everything to fit.m

    3 cups peppermint leaves

  • Pour vodka over the leaves. Put a lid on the jar and shake a few times.

    1 cup vodka

  • Store in a cool dark place, shaking once a day for the first few weeks. After that, shake it whenever you think of it.

  • The mint extract will be ready when the liquid smells strongly of peppermint and not alcohol.

Notes

You may notice that the extract still smells of alcohol after the Instant Pot extract process. This is normal and the alcohol smell should fade over the next few weeks.

Fingertip tight means you tighten the lid and ring and then loosen it just a tiny bit. This should prevent the jar from forming an actual seal. If that does happen, use a bottle opener and pop it loose when it has cooled. There is no harm in it sealing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tspCalories: 16kcalCarbohydrates: 0gProtein: 0gFat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 19mgFiber: 0gSugar: 0gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 1.1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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Homemade Mint Extract Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make mint extract from mint leaves? ›

Put leaves inside of your glass jar. Fill jar with vodka, completely submerge mint leaves. Place lid on jar and give it a good shake. Place jar in a cupboard or out of direct light, but somewhere you'll remember to shake it every few days.

What is the difference between mint extract and peppermint extract? ›

Mint extract is a mixture of spearmint and peppermint, whereas peppermint extract is just that. Whether you prefer the subtle flavor of spearmint or the in-your-face flavor of peppermint, we have a recipe to suit your taste. Below, we've shared some of our favorite mint recipes.

How much fresh mint is equal to mint extract? ›

In answer to your question, you can substitute ½ cup fresh mint with 3 tsp (teaspoon) or 1 Tbs (tablespoon) mint or peppermint extract. Extracts come in different concentrations.

What is the extraction method of mint? ›

Peppermint essential oil

The essential oil is extracted from the foliage using traditional techniques such as steam and hydrodistillation. The need for better quality and higher yield lead to some improvements in essential oil extraction and use of modern techniques such as ohmic and microwave assisted extraction.

How much alcohol is in mint extract? ›

From what I could find online, pure peppermint extract is about 89% alcohol by volume. 2 fl oz contain 1.78 fl oz of alcohol, or the amount in 4.45 fl oz of 80-proof liquor, just under three shots.

How long does it take to make mint extract? ›

Making your own mint extract is super easy! Time does most of the work. It does take about 30 days, so if you're making this as a Christmas gift (and it makes a lovely gift for bakers!) you need to start it ahead of time.

Will peppermint extract keep mice away? ›

Mice have a strong sense of smell, so the very strong, minty scent of peppermint oil can overwhelm their senses and cause them to leave an area. The problem is, depending on how it's applied, the scent doesn't always last very long and they may just come back.

Is peppermint extract stronger than mint extract? ›

Peppermint has a strong, spicy flavor and is actually a natural hybrid of spearmint and watermint. This is why it tends to be so much more potent than spearmint alone and works well with dark chocolate recipes.

Why do you slap mint? ›

When you smack the mint, you release the essential oils inside of the leaves. The oils are, after all, what gives the mint its flavor. Once added to the drink, the mint oils will infuse just enough for you to taste it.

Can you make your own mint essential oil? ›

Making your own peppermint oil at home is really simple. You basically just need peppermint leaves, olive oil (or a similar oil) and a jar. That's it! Pretty soon you'll have some homemade peppermint oil that will last you for months.

Where do you find mint extract in the grocery store? ›

In the grocery stores, if they have a natural food and products section, peppermint oil would be with the other essential oils.

Is it OK to drink mint extract? ›

Taking peppermint extract by mouth and inhaling peppermint oil seems to reduce nausea and vomiting after cancer drug treatment. Indigestion (dyspepsia). Taking peppermint together with caraway by mouth seems to improve symptoms of indigestion.

Is dried mint as good as fresh? ›

Dried mint has a much stronger, more concentrated flavor. That's because when you dry something out, it loses most of its moisture content. The same goes for dried herbs in general, which lose even more moisture than fresh herbs because they aren't being kept hydrated by water molecules surrounding them.

What can you do with mint leaves? ›

There are so many ways you can use it to freshen up your cooking.
  1. 1Feta and mint dip. ...
  2. 2Creamy lime ice blocks with Mojito ice. ...
  3. 3Cucumber and mint raita. ...
  4. 4Mint and dukkah labne. ...
  5. 5Apple, spinach and mint juice. ...
  6. 6Orange mint iced tea. ...
  7. 7Peas with mint & garlic butter. ...
  8. 8White chocolate mojito cheesecakes.

Can you substitute mint leaves for peppermint extract? ›

Peppermint has a significantly higher concentration of menthol, which gives the herb its signature cooling flavor and aroma. Because of the difference in menthol concentration, they are not ideal substitutes for one another despite having similar properties.

How do you extract menthol from mint leaves? ›

a process for the recovery of menthol from naturally-occurring mint oils containing menthol and menthone, the steps of distilling the mint oils under vacuum to remove menthone and lower boiling fractions, distilling with steam the non-vaporized material to recover a volatile fraction containing menthol, digesting the ...

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