Lemon Myrtle substitute

Best substitute

Dried Lemon Verbena

Use the same amount as the lemon myrtle you are replacing

Best for shortbread and biscuits

Different texture

Dried lemon verbena is the closest single swap at 1:1, because it is the same kind of intensely lemon-scented leaf. If you have none, use 2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest for every 1 teaspoon of ground lemon myrtle: that gets the lemon aroma, though it tastes sharper and fresher where lemon myrtle is sweeter and creamier. Lemongrass works at 1 tablespoon minced per teaspoon in savoury dishes but is too grassy for shortbread.

Other lemon myrtle substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Fresh Lemon Zest
Taste and texture differ
Use 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest for every 1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
The aroma most people are actually after, from an ingredient in every kitchen, though it comes from a fruit peel rather than a leaf.
What changes
Best for
shortbread and sugar cookies, cakes and scones, cheesecake, fish, dressings and marinades
Zest smells sharper, fresher and more sour than lemon myrtle, which has a rounder, sweeter, almost lemon-sherbet quality with a faint eucalyptus edge behind it. It also adds a trace of moisture and visible flecks. Rub the zest into the recipe's sugar before creaming and you get noticeably closer on intensity.
3Lemongrass
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp finely minced tender lemongrass, or 1 tsp dried for every 1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
A stalk with a lemon aroma built on the same citral chemistry, but wrapped in a grassy, faintly gingery character.
What changes
Best for
fish and chicken, coconut soups and curries, marinades, syrups and cordials, iced tea
Excellent in savoury cooking and genuinely wrong in shortbread, where the grassy note tastes out of place next to butter and sugar. Use only the pale tender core of the stalk, and mince it very fine or the fibres stay stringy no matter how long it cooks.
4Lemon Zest Plus a Drop of Lemon Oil
Different texture
Use 2 tsp lemon zest + ⅛ tsp food-grade lemon oil for every 1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
A rebuilt version for when you want lemon myrtle's sheer intensity, not just its general direction.
What changes
Best for
shortbread and biscuits, buttercream and icings, cheesecake, candy
The closest match on power, which matters because lemon myrtle is remarkably strong for a dried leaf and a straight zest swap can taste thin by comparison. Go carefully with the oil: a few drops too many and the whole batch tastes soapy, which cannot be fixed.
5Makrut Lime Leaves
Taste and texture differ
Use 2 leaves, deveined and slivered very fine for every 1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
An intensely aromatic citrus leaf, though it points towards lime and pine rather than lemon.
What changes
Best for
curries and coconut soups, syrups and poaching liquids, steamed fish, sorbet
A clear change of direction rather than a match: the dish becomes floral and resinous instead of bright and lemony. It is a good swap in anything Southeast Asian and a poor one in Australian native-style baking, where the sweet lemon-sherbet quality is the whole point.
6Fresh Lemon Balm
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm, added at the end for every 1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
A mild mint-family herb with a soft lemon scent, easy to grow and often the only lemon leaf in a home garden.
What changes
Best for
herbal tea, fruit salads and desserts, garnishes, cordials and lemonade
Honestly weak by comparison, perhaps a quarter of lemon myrtle's intensity, and it fades to almost nothing with heat. Fine for tea or a cold dish, not enough to carry a biscuit. Add it off the heat and use generously.

What is Lemon Myrtle?

Lemon Myrtle is Lemon myrtle is the dried and ground leaf of an Australian rainforest tree, Backhousia citriodora, and it is one of the most intensely lemon-scented plants in the world, used as a dry spice rather than as a source of acid.

Cooking tips

Use less than the recipe tempts you to. Lemon myrtle is extremely high in citral, and past a certain dose the pleasant lemon-sherbet character flips into a medicinal, eucalyptus-like taste. Start with half of what you planned and add more next time.
It is a dried spice in practice, not a fresh herb. The ground leaf is what recipes mean, and it disperses evenly into shortbread dough, sugar, salt or a spice rub, whereas fresh leaves stay leathery and need to be steeped and removed.
Heat is the enemy of its top notes. Add it into biscuit or cake dough, where it is protected, but stir it into a syrup, cream, or a pan sauce off the heat, and steep it for tea in water just off the boil rather than boiling water.
A jar loses its punch within a few months in a warm, bright cupboard, going from vivid lemon to something like hay. Store it in a sealed opaque container away from the stove, and if it no longer smells sharply lemon when you open it, double the amount or use zest instead.
Lemon myrtle contributes zero acid, which is why it is so useful: it lemons a cream, a custard or a cheesecake without any risk of curdling or splitting, in a way lemon juice cannot. Keep that in mind before swapping in juice.

Frequently asked questions

What does lemon myrtle taste like?

Sweeter and rounder than lemon itself, closer to lemon sherbet or lemon meringue than to a squeeze of juice, with a faint cooling eucalyptus note in the background. It is aroma without sourness, since there is no acid in the leaf at all.

Can I use lemon zest instead of lemon myrtle?

Yes, and it is the practical answer for most people. Use about 2 teaspoons of finely grated zest per teaspoon of ground lemon myrtle. Expect a sharper, fresher, more obviously lemon-fruit flavour, plus a small amount of moisture and visible flecks, rather than the creamy sherbet quality of the myrtle.

Can I just leave lemon myrtle out?

Yes. It adds only flavour, so a shortbread or cake will bake exactly the same without it and simply becomes the plain version. If you want to keep the lemon character, a couple of teaspoons of lemon zest costs nothing and gets you most of the way there.

Is lemon myrtle the same as lemon verbena?

No, they are different plants, one Australian and one South American, but they do a very similar job in the kitchen and both get their aroma largely from citral. Swap them 1:1 and expect the verbena version to taste a little more floral and slightly less intense.

Is lemon myrtle the same as lemongrass?

No. Lemongrass is a stalk with a grassy, gingery edge that suits curries and soups, while lemon myrtle is a dried leaf with a sweet, sherbet-like lemon aroma that suits baking. They share a lemon note, so they swap in savoury dishes, but lemongrass tastes noticeably out of place in shortbread or cheesecake.

Related substitutes

More spices & herbs substitutes

Lemon Myrtle substitute

Other lemon myrtle substitutes

2Fresh Lemon Zest

3Lemongrass

4Lemon Zest Plus a Drop of Lemon Oil

5Makrut Lime Leaves

6Fresh Lemon Balm