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Creme de Menthe substitute

Best substitute

Simple syrup plus peppermint extract

Use 1 tbsp simple syrup + a scant ⅛ tsp peppermint extract for every 1 tbsp creme de menthe

Best for grasshopper pie

Close match

The direct rebuild: sugar syrup supplies the sweetness and body, extract supplies the mint.

Other creme de menthe substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Creme de Menthe with ratios

  1. 2Peppermint schnapps

    Different texture

    Use the same amount plus about ½ tsp sugar per tablespoon

    Clear peppermint liqueur, similar in flavour but drier and stronger in alcohol.

    What changes
    Best for
    grasshopper cocktails, hot chocolate, mint chocolate desserts, peppermint bark

    Schnapps is usually 40 to 60 proof against creme de menthe's 40 or below, and it carries far less sugar. Swapped straight across, a Grasshopper comes out noticeably thinner, sharper and boozier, and the mint tastes cooler and more medicinal rather than syrupy. Stirring in half a teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon closes most of that gap.

  2. 3Bottled mint or creme de menthe syrup

    Close match

    Use the same amount

    The non-alcoholic mint syrup sold for coffee and soda, built on the same sugar-plus-peppermint idea.

    What changes
    Best for
    grasshopper pie, milkshakes, hot chocolate, kid-friendly desserts, frostings

    The easiest swap of all: same sweetness, same thickness, same mint, no alcohol. It is usually a touch sweeter than the liqueur and a little less complex, so if the recipe is already very sweet, pull back a tablespoon of the sugar elsewhere. Many of these syrups are already green, which conveniently solves the colour question.

  3. 4Fresh mint simple syrup

    Different taste

    Use the same amount

    Fresh mint leaves steeped in hot simple syrup, then strained.

    What changes
    Best for
    cocktails, cream-based drinks, sorbets, fruit desserts

    Bring equal parts sugar and water to a simmer, take it off the heat, drop in a generous handful of mint, steep 15 minutes and strain. The flavour is genuinely different: garden mint is grassy, sweet and spearmint-ish, where creme de menthe is sharp cool peppermint. A Grasshopper made this way is lovely but tastes like a mint julep crossed with a milkshake rather than an after-dinner mint. Also pale green at best, so no dramatic colour.

  4. 5White creme de menthe when the recipe says green

    Close match

    Use the same amount

    The clear version of exactly the same liqueur, with the colouring left out.

    What changes
    Best for
    grasshopper pie, stingers, mint chocolate desserts, cream cocktails

    Green and white creme de menthe taste the same. The only difference is dye, so this is a true 1:1 with no flavour change whatsoever. Your grasshopper pie or Grasshopper cocktail will just come out pale cream or greyish-green instead of mint green. If you want the colour, two drops of green food colouring gets you there. It does not work the other way around in a clear drink like a Stinger, where green liqueur would tint the glass.

  5. 6Peppermint oil plus simple syrup

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 1 tbsp simple syrup + 1 toothpick-tip of peppermint oil for every 1 tbsp creme de menthe

    The last-resort version if extract is all out and food-grade peppermint oil is what you have.

    What changes
    Best for
    chocolate work, candy, frostings

    Peppermint oil is roughly three to four times the strength of extract, so it is very easy to ruin a whole batch of brownie batter with one careless drop. Dip a toothpick, stir it through, taste, repeat. The upside for chocolate work is that oil is not water-based, so it will not seize melted chocolate the way a splash of liqueur or syrup can. The mint note is cleaner and more piercing than the liqueur's.

What is Creme de Menthe?

Creme de Menthe is a sweet, fairly low-proof mint liqueur sold either as the bright green version or as a clear white one, and it is essentially peppermint flavor dissolved in sugar syrup and alcohol, so it sweetens a recipe as much as it flavors it.

Cooking tips

  • Green and white creme de menthe are the same liqueur, and the green is coloured. Buy whichever is cheaper unless the recipe depends on the colour, which really only matters for grasshopper pie and a Grasshopper cocktail.
  • Mint goes from pleasant to toothpaste in about a quarter of a teaspoon. Whichever route you take, put in two-thirds of what you calculated, taste, then add the rest. This is the single most common way people wreck mint brownies.
  • If you are dropping the liqueur and using extract in a no-bake pie or a chilled filling, replace the missing liquid with milk, cream or water tablespoon for tablespoon. Those fillings set on a specific liquid-to-fat ratio, and taking two tablespoons out can leave you with a stiff, pasty layer.
  • Never add a water-based mint syrup or liqueur to chocolate you are melting. It will seize into a grainy paste. Flavour the chocolate with oil-based peppermint oil, or add the liqueur to the cream or butter component instead.
  • In a no-bake dessert the alcohol does not cook off, so a grasshopper pie made with real creme de menthe stays mildly alcoholic. If children are eating it, use the syrup or extract route rather than assuming chilling removes it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the creme de menthe out?

Not really, because in most recipes that call for it the mint is the entire point. A grasshopper pie without it is a plain cream pie. What you can do is leave out the alcohol and replace what it was contributing: a tablespoon of simple syrup and an eighth of a teaspoon of peppermint extract per tablespoon of liqueur gets you the same dessert. In a cocktail where creme de menthe is a small float or accent rather than the base, omitting it is fine.

Is peppermint extract the same as creme de menthe?

No, and swapping one for the other by volume is the classic mistake. Extract is an intense flavouring with essentially no sugar; creme de menthe is mostly sugar syrup with mint in it. Use roughly an eighth of a teaspoon of extract in place of a tablespoon of liqueur, and add a tablespoon of syrup or sugar to replace the sweetness you removed.

What is the difference between green and white creme de menthe?

Colour, and nothing else worth caring about. Both are the same sweet peppermint liqueur; the green one has food colouring added. Recipes specify green when they want a visibly mint-green pie, frosting or cocktail, and white when the drink is meant to stay clear, as in a Stinger.

Can I make grasshopper pie without any alcohol?

Yes, and it works well. Replace the creme de menthe with the same volume of bottled mint syrup, or with simple syrup plus peppermint extract, and replace any white creme de cacao with the same volume of chocolate syrup or a teaspoon of cocoa powder whisked into a little cream. The filling sets the same way because you have kept the liquid volume constant.

Can I use peppermint schnapps instead in baking?

Yes, 1:1, with about half a teaspoon of sugar added per tablespoon to make up for schnapps being much drier. In a baked item like brownies the difference is barely detectable. In an unheated cream filling you will notice schnapps as sharper and a bit more alcoholic, since there is nothing softening it.

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