• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • Privacy Policy, Disclosures & Disclaimers
    • Contact / PRs / Review Policy / Link Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Ingredients
  • As Seen
  • Credit Crunch Munch
  • Extra Veg
  • Work With Me
Fuss Free Flavours

Fuss Free Flavours

Easy recipes you will make again | Travel | Reviews

  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Quick & Easy
    • Recipes by Course
      • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
      • Main Meal
      • Side Dishes
      • Drinks
      • Starters & Light Bites
      • Desserts & Puddings
      • Baking
        • Biscuits and cookies
        • Bread Recipes
        • Cake
        • Cupcakes
        • Muffins
        • Pie
      • Soup
      • Salad
      • Dips, Dressings, & Sauces
      • Easy Jam, Jelly & Preserve Recipes
    • Recipes by Cuisine
      • American
      • Chinese
      • French
      • Italian
      • Other Cuisines
      • Vegetarian Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
  • Recipes by Main Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Poultry
    • Pork
    • Lamb
    • Game
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Beans & Lentils
    • Pasta
    • Grains & Rice
    • Fruit
    • Vegetables
    • Dairy
    • Booze
  • Travel
    • Rest of Europe
    • French
    • Rest of the world
    • Food Origins and Stories
You are here: Home / Recipes / Recipes by Course / Dips, Dressings & Sauces / Homemade Mint Sauce

Homemade Mint Sauce

Published on September 17, 2020 by Helen Best-Shaw 36 Comments
Last Updated on January 27, 2021

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

 Mint sauce is the classic British accompaniment to roast lamb.

Fresh and vibrant, sharp and sweet, homemade mint sauce is the easiest of recipes and will give your Sunday lunch a real lift. 

A small bowl of mint sauce, sitting on a wooden board. More mint in the background.

Everything You Need To Know

  • Homemade Mint Sauce – A British Classic 
  • The British Love Lamb! 
  • Mint Sauce Recipe – Ingredients 
  • How to Make Mint Sauce – Recipe Step-by-Step 
  • Can I Use a Blender or Food Processor? 
  •  Mint Sauce Hints & Tips 
  • When to Serve Mint Sauce
  • More great sauce recipes
  • Easy Mint Sauce
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes

Homemade Mint Sauce – A British Classic 

Mint sauce is a British classic and it pairs perfectly with roast lamb, for a classic British Sunday roast. 

Lamb is a fatty meat. Less so than in years gone by due to modern farming methods, but it still needs a little astringency and our grandmothers knew what they were doing. The sharpness of mint sauce cuts through it perfectly.

The combination of the sweet lamb with fresh herby tang of the mint, sour vinegar and a little sugar all produce one of those wonderous culinary effects that is greater than the sum of its parts.

It is very easy and so much better when it’s fresh, and homemade mint sauce couldn’t be easier to make.

Making mint sauce at home also avoid the strange dyes and preservatives added to some of the bought versions, so do try making your own.    

The secret to good mint sauce is to keep some texture in the mint, whilst extracting as much flavour as you can. In this mint sauce recipe, I’ve got a couple of helpful tricks to do this, taught to me by my mother. 

The British Love Lamb! 

We eat lots of lamb here in the UK and it always surprises me that in North America it hardly seems to feature at all. But sheep farming is a traditional way of life here, especially in the exposed hilly regions of Wales and the far north of England, and lamb is essential to our food heritage.

A roast is probably my favourite way to serve. New season spring lamb, slowly roasted, is the classic Easter lunch. Easter without lamb would be like Christmas without turkey and Easter lamb without mint sauce would be all wrong.   

Once past its first flush of youth, lamb responds well to long slow cooking which tenderises and brings out the flavour.

Many of our traditional British dishes use lamb or mutton that has been slowly cooked, warming, comforting, “rib sticking”, affordable food, perfect for the long dark cold winter nights. Dishes like Lancashire hot pot, lamb stews, shepherd’s pie… 

Of course, lamb (or goat)  is also key to the food of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Indian subcontinent, so it fills our imported takeaway menus too. There, the mint sauce is made with yogurt and chilli rather than vinegar, but we still can’t get enough of it! 

Mint Sauce Recipe – Ingredients 

Ingredients for mint sauce - fresh mint, sugar, vinegar.

  • Fresh Mint – You want regular common garden mint (mentha spicata) for this, not fierce peppermint or the fancy varieties that are supposed to taste of chocolate or pineapple. There are lots of subspecies so don’t worry if your garden mint looks darker and pointier than mine!

    Mint is remarkably easy and fast to grow and spreads like wildfire. Plant some, but keep it in a container so it doesn’t take over in the garden. Keep cutting it to keep the fresh, soft leaves coming, and cut it right back at the end of autumn for fresh growth in spring.  

  • Sugar – I use plain white granulated sugar. You can use caster sugar, but everyday sugar is just fine.
  • Vinegar – I usually use white wine vinegar, because it is sharp enough to stand out against the sugar, but not too astringent. I prefer a white vinegar as it doesn’t make your mint sauce a murky colour (You can also use a cider vinegar).  Malt vinegar is just too strong and sharp and will overpower the flavour of the mint.   Some people like to give an Italian note and add a splash of balsamic, but I’m not convinced.  

How to Make Mint Sauce – Recipe Step-by-Step 

Ingredients for mint sauce - fresh mint, sugar, vinegar.

Step One – Grab the ingredients. If you are using freshly cut mint rather than supermarket leaves, pick the mint over thoroughly.

Mint leaves - stalks removed - on a chopping board, ready to cut. A kitchen knife is on the board.

Step Two – Strip all the leaves off the stalks.

Two pictures of a chopping board with mint leaves, pre and post chopping into small pieces.

Step Three – Put the mint leaves on a chopping board, sprinkle the sugar over, and then chop finely. The sugar adds some abrasion and makes it easier to get a fine cut, as well as starting to release the flavour.   

You can also pack the leaves and sugar into a mug and use a pair of scissors to chop (the mug holds it all together nicely and makes the chopping a breeze). I use regular kitchen scissors. I have tried those multi-bladed herb scissors and found them to be a waste of time, money and drawer space.  

Mixing the mint with a little boiling water, then adding vinegar.

Step Four – Once chopped, transfer to a small bowl or jug. Pour a little boiling water over and give the mint a good bash with the end of a wooden spoon. This will help to bring out the flavour and to dissolve the sugar. 

Finished mint sauce in a white ramekin dish, ready to serve, viewed from above.

Step Five – Stir in the vinegar and let the sauce sit for the flavours to develop and meld before serving with roast lamb.  

Can I Use a Blender or Food Processor? 

NO!!!!  Blending or using a food processor will pulp the mint. You want small pieces of mint floating in the vinegar. 

 Mint Sauce Hints & Tips 

  • Use regular ingredients, not the fancy versions – common garden mint, and regular granulated sugar. 
  • Chop the mint finely, but do not puree it.  
  • Give that mint a good pounding to extract the flavour. 
  • Use white wine vinegar or, at a pinch, cider vinegar. Malt or pickling vinegar is far too powerful and will overwhelm the mint. 
  • Make your sauce a good hour in advance, to allow the flavours to develop and serve at room temperature.  A top down view of a wooden board strewn with mint and a bowl of sauce.

When to Serve Mint Sauce

  • Homemade mint sauce is delicious with roast lamb.
  • It’s equally delicious with leftover cold lamb, or other cold cuts. 
  • Leftover mint sauce can be used on the next day’s new potatoes, or as a salad dressing. It is especially good with chickpeas or shredded courgettes.
  • Mix it with marrowfat peas to make minty mushy peas.
  • Mix into natural yogurt to make a cooling dip for Indian food, or add a little chilli too for something spicy.   
  • You can also use this mint sauce in my kebab shop chilli sauce.  

More great sauce recipes

If you like this recipe, here are more great sauce ideas:

  • Chilli sauce
  • Garlic sauce
  • Peri peri sauce
  • Allioli – Catalan garlic sauce
  • Blue cheese sauce for steak
  • Chinese curry sauce
Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe please tag #FussFreeFlavours on Instagram or Twitter. It is amazing for me when for me when you make one of my recipes and I really do love to see them. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thanks for reading Fuss Free Flavours!
Close up of mint sauce in a small bowl.
Print Recipe
BookmarkSaved!
4.87 from 15 votes

Easy Mint Sauce

Mint sauce is the classic British accompaniment to roast lamb. Fresh and vibrant, sharp and sweet, homemade mint sauce is the easiest of recipes and will give your Sunday lunch a real lift. 
Servings: 4 people
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Prep Time5 mins
Resting Time1 hr
Total Time5 mins
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 handful fresh mint (1 cup)
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp boiling water
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Instructions

  • Strip the mint leaves from the stalks. Keep the leaves and discard the stalks.
  • Place the mint leaves on a chopping board. Add the sugar. Chop with a knife until all the mint is cut into small pieces.
  • Transfer the mint and sugar mixture to a small bowl. Add the boiling water, and mix together, using the handle of a wooden spoon to give the mint a gentle pound to extract the flavour.
  • Add the vinegar and mix together. Leave to stand for an hour to allow the flavours to blend.

Notes

  • Use regular ingredients – common fresh mint, standard granulated sugar, and plain white wine or cider vinegar. I find malt or pickling vinegar too harsh. 
  • Chop the mint finely, but do not puree it.  
  • Give that mint a good pounding to extract the flavour. 
Nutritional Information 
  • This recipe is 1 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion 
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Mint Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 27 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 64mg2%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 478IU10%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Traditional British
Keyword: Mint sauce
Delicious Recipes Emailed To You!Get easy, tasty recipes for FREE when you subscribe! Click to Subscribe Now!!

Related Posts

  • Orange peri peri sauce
    Easy Peri Peri Sauce (Homemade Nandos)
  • A crisp thick cut chip dipping into a small dish of pale tartare sauce
    Quick Homemade Tartare Sauce Recipe
  • Recipe: Healthy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
  • Bloody Mary Tomato Sauce is easy and versatile: serve as dip or dressing
    Bloody Mary Tomato Sauce

Filed Under: British, Dips, Dressings & Sauces, Easter, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Vegan Recipes Ingredients: Mint, Sugar, Vinegar

Previous Post: « How to make the Perfect Carrot Salad
Next Post: Cooking a Turkey Crown – the Complete Guide »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Riya

    5 stars
    I tried making mint sauce so many times but everytime i failed bringing the perfect restaurant taste… But, your recipe has the accurate measurement of ingredients… I tried it and I have finally made the perfect mint sauce ever.. thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Helen

      So pleased you like it!

      Reply
  2. Monica Elizabeth

    5 stars
    This really is just right to have with lamb. I didn’t realise it was so easy and much prefer this to anything you find in a jar.

    Reply
    • Helen

      It really is easy to make, you’ll never buy from a jar again.

      Reply
  3. Donna G

    5 stars
    I really like making mint yogurt sauce for chicken, but this could be my new favourite. So simple and so delicious, perfect with lamb.

    Reply
    • Helen

      So so good with lamb.

      Reply
  4. Penny

    5 stars
    Lamb is my favourite kind of roast, and the mint sauce is the perfect finishing touch. Great idea to make your own, so much flavour.

    Reply
    • Helen

      The flavour is really good isn’t it.

      Reply
  5. Trevor Ball

    5 stars
    Easy to make this sauce up as the rest of the dinner cooks. Was a lovely addition to the meal.

    Reply
    • Helen

      The perfect finishing touch.

      Reply
  6. Moira

    5 stars
    There is something rather wonderful about going out to pick mint leaves from your garden and making this. I love the fresh smell you get pounding the leaves. And utterly delicious with dinner!

    Reply
    • Helen

      It is such a lovely smell.

      Reply
  7. Vivien Ellis

    4 stars
    My children like to eat mint sauce with just about everything, not just lamb. So I do tend to go through a lot. Making it from scratch is no hassle and so much better.

    Reply
    • Helen

      It is so very easy to make.

      Reply
  8. Amelia Jenkin

    5 stars
    This really does make the loveliest mint sauce, and so good with roast leg of lamb. One of my favourite Sunday meals.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Roast lamb is one of my favourites too.

      Reply
  9. Julia

    5 stars
    Love mint sauce and this recipe is just right for the perfect accompaniment for a Sunday roast.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Perfect to go with lamb.

      Reply
  10. Sadie Porter

    5 stars
    Such a flavorsome sauce and the smell is wonderful. It made our roast lamb dinner extra special.

    Reply
    • Helen

      So glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  11. Felicity D

    5 stars
    Lamb needs mint sauce, it goes so well together. This sauce is just the thing and the fresh mint flavour is so good.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Fresh mint is so lovely.

      Reply
  12. Keira Ball

    Will going to cook it tonight. Looks like easy and tasty.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Easy and delicious.

      Reply
  13. Brenda

    5 stars
    You are completely right Helen, the flavours of mint and lamb is one of those combinations that were made to go together. The fresh mint in your homemade sauce is just perfect.

    Reply
    • Helen

      The fresh mint is so tasty.

      Reply
  14. connie

    5 stars
    Wonderfully fresh and tasty, and so very easy to make. A must have with roast lamb.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Perfect for roast lamb.

      Reply
  15. Lisa Dodds

    5 stars
    The fresh mint is so delicious and makes the sauce taste wonderful.

    Reply
    • Helen

      So good to use fresh.

      Reply
  16. Bryan B

    4 stars
    I never thought of the reason why mint is good with lamb, now I know. Great, easy to make sauce.

    Reply
    • Helen

      So very good together.

      Reply
  17. Kate

    Can I substitute the sugar with coconut sugar or honey?

    Reply
    • Helen

      Hi Kate, I think it would throw the flavour off – possibly the coconut sugar – but I’ve never used it.

      Reply
  18. Sheila

    How long will this keep for please

    Reply
    • Helen

      A couple of days in the fridge, but it really is best made fresh the day you want to use it.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Headshot of Helen Best-Shaw, Food Blogger at Fuss Free Flavours I'm Helen, full time freelance food writer, photographer and blogger. On this site you will find my fuss-free recipes, travel and reviews. Learn more here
Twitter Logo, bluw circle with a white bird Facebook logo, blue square with a white F inside You Tube Logo, a red box with the words You Tube on the inside Pinterest Logo, a red circle with white P on the inside Instagram Logo, a rainbow box with a square and circle inside of it Flipboard Logo - Red square with a white F on the inside

Press/As Seen On

Image-1

Subscribe

Footer

Latest Posts

Best Easy Fudge Recipes

Best Easy Fudge Recipes

Easy Parsnip & Apple Soup

Easy Parsnip & Apple Soup

Easy Slow Cooker Fudge

Easy Slow Cooker Fudge

Easy Coffee Fudge

Easy Coffee Fudge

Pea & Mint Soup

Pea & Mint Soup

Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

Privacy Policy, Disclosures & Disclaimers

Copyright © 2022 Helen Best-Shaw / Fuss Free Flavours - Easy Recipes You Will Make Again