What Goes With Mint? 29 Best Flavour Pairings

Mint goes best with lamb, yogurt, peas, cucumber, feta and lemon or lime, plus juicy fruit like strawberries and watermelon. Its cool, menthol-bright aroma cuts through rich, salty and spicy food, so a little lifts a lot.

Herbs

• Parsley — grassy parsley and cool mint are the herb duo behind tabbouleh.
• Cilantro — complementary green aromas that team up in chutneys and Vietnamese salads.

Spices

• Sumac — tart, lemony sumac and cooling mint finish fattoush and grilled meats.
• Cumin — earthy cumin and mint share the bowl in yogurt raitas and lentil dishes.

Acids & Citrus

• Lime — sharp lime lifts mint's cooling aroma in mojitos, salads and dressings.
• Lemon — lemon's acid and mint's menthol make a bright, clean contrast.
• Preserved lemon — fresh mint lifts salty preserved lemon in salads and couscous.
• Vinegar — mint steeped in vinegar with a little sugar is classic British mint sauce.

Sauces & Condiments

• Harissa — fresh mint cools harissa's heat in salads and yogurt dips.
• Olive oil — olive oil carries mint's volatile oils in dressings and salsas.

Vegetables & Sides

• Peas — mint's menthol freshens sweet peas, as in minted pea soup.
• Cucumber — two cooling flavours that make crisp, refreshing salads and tzatziki.
• Tomato — mint's cool oils lift tomato's sweet acidity in Middle Eastern salads.
• Zucchini — mint brightens soft, mild zucchini in fritters and salads.
• Potato — buttery new potatoes with chopped mint are a spring classic.

Fruit

• Strawberry — mint adds a refreshing contrast to strawberry's sweetness.
• Mango — cool mint freshens sweet, floral mango in salsas and lassis.
• Grapefruit — mint's cool freshness sharpens grapefruit's bitter-bright flavour.
• Watermelon — watermelon, mint and feta is the ultimate hot-weather salad.

Dairy & Cheese

• Yogurt — mint's coolness heightens yogurt's tangy creaminess in raita and tzatziki.
• Feta — mint's cooling effect balances feta's sharp, salty tang.
• Paneer — cool, sharp mint chutney cuts through grilled paneer.

Grains & Starches

• Couscous — mint gives neutral couscous a refreshing lift.
• Lentil — mint's freshness lightens hearty, earthy lentils.

Proteins

• Lamb shoulder — mint's menthol cuts through lamb's rich fat; the top pairing.
• Chicken thigh — a mint and yogurt marinade keeps thighs juicy and bright.

Nuts & Seeds

• Pistachio — buttery pistachio rounds out cool mint in sweets and salads.

Sweet Things

• Cocoa — icy mint cuts through chocolate's bitterness, the after-dinner classic.
• Sugar — sugar softens mint's menthol bite in syrups, drinks and sauces.

Classic combos

• Mint + lamb + vinegar — British mint sauce, sharp and sweet beside the Sunday roast.
• Mint + yogurt + cucumber + garlic — tzatziki or raita, cooling and creamy.
• Mint + parsley + tomato + lemon + bulgur — tabbouleh, the herb salad of the Levant.
• Mint + lime + sugar — the heart of a mojito or a fresh limeade.
• Mint + watermelon + feta — sweet, salty and cool in one bite.

Pairings to avoid

• Anchovy — cool mint and salty anchovy fight, and neither lets the other through.
• Black beans — mint's cooling menthol jars with black beans' deep, earthy taste; cilantro is a better choice.
• Too much at once — mint can quickly take over, so start with a little and taste before adding more.
• Long cooking — heat drives off menthol, leaving mint dull; add it at the end.