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Turn a bunch of mint leaves into a refreshing mint syrup! It requires only 4 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and it’s brilliant for sweetening and adding a lovely mint flavor to your drinks.

You’ll love it because it’s easy, delicious, economical and keeps well in the fridge. Added bonus? It doesn’t contain artificial flavor, preservatives or food coloring.

A small glass bottle full of mint syrup and mint leaves over a white background.

Jump to recipe

If you’ve got a vigorous mint plant in your backyard like me, this mint syrup recipe is for you. It’s really a no brainer and it’s great to use up all that fresh, amazing mint.

And it’s so easy, budget-friendly and delicious!

So if you wonder what to use fresh mint leaves for, this should be definitely on your to-do list this summer.

Here is what you need…

List of the ingredients

Fresh mint
Water
Sugar
Lemon

The ingredients to make this mint syrup recipe are arranged over a white background.

How to make mint syrup

(Note: this is a simply description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

Wash and pat dry your mint leaves.
Place water, lemon peels, and sugar into a small pot.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and add the mint leaves.

Top view of a bunch of mint over a white tea towels and a pot full of water, sugar and lemon peel.

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat off and let it rest until cool.
Discard mint leaves, lemon peal, and pour the syrup into a glass bottle.
Add some mint syrup to your drinks!

Top view of a pot full of syrup and mint leaves and glass bottle pouring some mint syrup into a glass full of mint leaves and water.

Recipe notes & FAQ

How to use mint syrup?

Add one or two tablespoons of mint syrup to a glass of cold water and garnish with ice cubes and mint leaves. It’s also great to add a twist to frozen desserts or to sweeten your cups of tea, mojitos, cocktails or any other beverages.

How long can you keep it?

It keeps well in the fridge, stored in a a glass bottle or container, for up to 1 month.

Note: this mint syrup contains plenty of sugar which works as a preservative. It’s sweet, but it’s intended to be used in small quantities.

Top view of a glass full of water, ice, mint leaves and mint syrup over a white background.

Looking for more mint recipes?

What to use fresh mint leaves for? Here are a few delicious recipes to use up all those bright, fresh mint leaves:

Mint pesto
Pea soup with mint
Crostini with peas, ricotta and mint
Fava bean salad

Close-up of a glass full of water, ice and mint surrounded by mint leaves and a bottle containing mint syrup.

If you make this recipe for mint syrup or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Mint Syrup

Turn plenty of mint leaves into a refreshing mint syrup! It's delicious, economical, and it requires only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.

Course: syrup

Keyword: mint syrup

Author: Katia

Ingredients

1 cup (240 ml) water
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
1 cup mint
½ lemon, peel (optional)

Instructions

Remove the mint leaves from the sprigs, measure about 1 cup of packed leaves and rinse them well.
Place water, sugar, lemon peel into a small pot and bring to the boil.
Add mint leaves, reduce the heat, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat off and let it rest for about 1 hour or until cool.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove mint leaves, pour into a glass bottle and keep refrigerated.

Thank you!