Lemon basil substitutes
Lemon basil substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Sweet basil + lemon zest
Same amount by volume of leaves as the lemon basil
Plus ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest per cup of leaves
The closest easy swap is sweet basil plus lemon zest: use the same volume of leaves and add about ½ teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest per cup of leaves. A mix of basil and mint, roughly two parts to one, is better if the herb is being eaten raw. Thai basil works only if you accept a licorice note that kemangi does not have, so use about two thirds as much and add zest.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- pepes
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of lemon basil | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweet basil + lemon zestpepes | Same amount by volume of leavesPlus ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest per cup of leavesWorks | Works |
| 2 | Sweet basil + mintraw lalapan and vegetable platters | 2 parts basil to 1 part mint, same total volume as the lemon basilWorks | Works |
| 3 | Thai basilcooked dishes | About 2/3 the volume, plus ½ tsp lemon zest per cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Holy basil (tulsi)cooked stir-fries | About half the volume, cooked onlyTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Lemon verbena or lemon thymegarnishing | About half the volume, raw or added at the very endTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Cilantro + lemon zestlalapan | Same amount by volumePlus ½ tsp lemon zest per cupTweak it | Tweak it |
Sweet basil + lemon zest
similar taste and texture
Ordinary Italian basil with citrus added back, the most available answer in any supermarket.
- Best for
- pepes, ayam penyet, lalapan platters, nasi ulam, soups and stir-fries
What changes: sweet basil carries a soft anise sweetness that kemangi does not, so the plate tastes a little rounder and more Mediterranean, and the citrus sits on top rather than running through the leaf. Grate the zest fine and toss it with the torn leaves a minute before serving so it perfumes them. Avoid lemon juice here, which wilts the leaves and makes the dish sour rather than fragrant.
Sweet basil + mint
similar taste and texture
Aimed at the cooling, slightly menthol side of kemangi rather than the lemon side.
- Best for
- raw lalapan and vegetable platters, karedok, fresh salads, rice paper rolls
This is the better blend when the herb is served raw alongside sambal and rice, because kemangi's job there is a cool, clean mouthful between bites of chilli. It reads as fresher and more minty than the original and less lemony, so a little zest on top improves it further. Mint bruises fast, so tear it rather than chopping and add it at the last moment.
Thai basil
different taste, similar texture
Widely available in Asian groceries, but a genuinely different herb, so worth being clear about.
- Best for
- cooked dishes, stir-fries, curries, soups
Thai basil is anise and licorice forward with sturdier purple-stemmed leaves, so it stands up to heat much better than kemangi but pushes the dish towards Thai flavours. Used cup for cup in something like ayam penyet the licorice takes over, which is why you cut the quantity and add zest. It is a good swap in a cooked curry and a poor one on a raw lalapan plate.
Holy basil (tulsi)
different taste, similar texture
Sometimes sitting next to kemangi in the same shop, and often confused with it.
- Best for
- cooked stir-fries, braises
Holy basil is clove-like and peppery with a slightly medicinal edge, further from lemon basil than sweet basil is. Raw it tastes harsh and drying, so only use it in something cooked, use half as much, and add lemon zest. If a recipe lists kemangi and your market sells the two side by side, sweet basil plus zest is a closer result than grabbing holy basil because the name looks similar.
Lemon verbena or lemon thyme
similar taste, different texture
The best match for the lemon aroma alone, with none of the basil character underneath.
- Best for
- garnishing, broths, steamed fish, when you grow herbs but not basil
Lemon verbena is the purest lemon perfume of any common herb and is genuinely lovely here, but the leaves are leathery so slice them thin and use less, or they taste soapy. Lemon thyme is more resinous and woody, so it suits cooked dishes better than a raw platter. Either way you get the citrus lift and lose the soft, slightly peppery basil body, so the dish smells right and tastes simpler.
Cilantro + lemon zest
different taste, similar texture
A different herb family entirely, used for the same job: the raw green counterpoint.
- Best for
- lalapan, nasi ulam, raw platters, noodle bowls
Nobody will mistake this for kemangi, and that is worth saying plainly. What it does do is fill the same slot on the plate, which is a big pile of fresh raw leaves to eat with rice and sambal, and Indonesian cooks do use other raw herbs in ulam. Expect a soapy-citrus green flavour instead of lemon-mint. If you dislike cilantro, this is the worst option on this list rather than the best.
Questions
5 questionsIs kemangi the same as Thai basil?
No, and swapping them blind is the most common mistake here. Kemangi is lemon basil, all citrus and mint with tender pale leaves. Thai basil has purple stems and a strong licorice flavour. Both are basils and both are used raw in Southeast Asia, but a dish built around kemangi's lemon lift tastes wrong when it is anise instead, so cut the quantity and add lemon zest.
Can I just leave lemon basil out?
In a cooked curry or soup, yes, and you will lose a fresh top note rather than the backbone of the dish. On a lalapan or ayam penyet plate, kemangi is close to the whole point, since it is the cool fragrant thing you eat between mouthfuls of hot sambal. In that case put something raw and fresh on the plate, even if it is only cucumber slices and a wedge of lime, rather than nothing.
Is lemon basil the same as lemon verbena or lemongrass?
No, they are three unrelated plants that happen to smell of lemon. Lemon basil is a basil with soft leaves. Lemon verbena is a shrub with narrow leathery leaves and a much stronger lemon perfume. Lemongrass is a stalky grass used for its fibrous base and needs long cooking. They are not interchangeable at the same quantities: verbena needs roughly half as much, and lemongrass is not a swap for a raw herb at all.
What does hoary basil mean on the label?
It is another English name for the same plant, and you may also see lemon basil, Thai lemon basil, or the botanical name Ocimum africanum or Ocimum basilicum var. citriodorum. If the leaves are small, pale green and smell strongly of lemon when you rub one, you have the right herb whatever the sign says.
Can I use lemon basil in place of sweet basil in Italian cooking?
For pesto and for tomato dishes it is a real change rather than a swap. Lemon basil makes a bright, unusual pesto that many people like, but a caprese or a marinara built on it tastes lemony and lacks the sweet anise note the dish expects. Use about the same volume and taste as you go.
Tips for substituting lemon basil
5 tips- Add lemon basil raw or in the last twenty or thirty seconds of cooking. The lemon compounds are volatile and a couple of minutes of simmering leaves you with a vaguely grassy leaf and no citrus at all, which is why kemangi is piled on raw for lalapan and only tucked into pepes parcels where it steams gently.
- The soft stems and the little flower heads are edible and are some of the most fragrant parts of the plant, so do not strip the bunch down to bare leaves the way you would with sweet basil. In pepes and steamed fish the whole sprig goes in.
- Do not reach for dried basil for this. Drying destroys the lemon note first, so dried leaves give you hay and faint anise, which is worse than leaving the herb out and adding a strip of lemon zest instead.
- Buy it in bunches at Southeast Asian groceries, where it is usually labelled kemangi rather than lemon basil, and pick a bunch with pale flower spikes still attached. Stand it stem-down in a glass of water on the counter, loosely covered, and it revives within an hour and keeps three or four days; the fridge blackens the leaves.
- It is very easy to grow from seed and much easier to find as seed than as a plant, which is the real answer if you cook Indonesian food often. One pot on a windowsill supplies a household, and the leaves are best picked young before the plant flowers hard.