Candied Mint Leaves

Learn how to make candied mint leaves for a pretty, sparkling garnish to add to desserts, cocktails and more! Check out step-by-step details (with photos) below…

If you’re a regular Pizzazzerie reader, you know I LOVE adding a pretty garnish to any dessert, cocktail, appetizer…anything and everything! We eat with our eyes first so a pretty touch of mint can make all the difference for a simple holiday dessert. Kick it up a notch with candied mint leaves and now we’re talking!

What are Candied Mint Leaves

Candied mint leaves are another way to say sugared mint leaves. Essentially they’re “sugared” by being dipped in egg whites and then in white, granulated sugar for a beautiful, sparkling look. They’re just known as “candied” since they’re covered in sugar and sweet like candy.

You’ll sometimes see these mint leaves referred to as sugared, crystallized, sparkling, and of course – candied!

Ways to use Candied Mint Leaves:

There are SO many ways to use candied mint leaves, especially during the holiday season as the sparkling sugar coating reminds me of ice and snow in the winter! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use these sugared mint leaves…

Use as a decoration or garnish on…

• Cakes
• Cookies
• Pies
• Cocktails
• Ice Cream/Sorbet (especially mint chocolate chip and lime flavors)
• Fruit
• Adorn trays & platters

Are Candied Mint Leaves Edible?

Of course! You can eat them as a treat on their own or used as a decoration or garnish.

Step-By-Step | How to Make Candied Mint Leaves

The full tutorial is below but let’s do a quick look at the step-by-step process for making these mint leaves.

STEP 1: Selecting Your Mint Leaves

The first step is selecting your mint leaves! What is the best mint to use? You can use any mint you like! There are so many varieties of mint like Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate Mint, Pennyroyal, Apple Mint, Pineapple Mint, Ginger Mint… any will do! Just choose leaves without bruises or tears.

Lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

STEP 2: Dipping Mint Leaves in Egg White Mixture

The second step to making candied mint leaves is dipping each leaf in a mixture of 1 egg white combined with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Froth it together with a fork or whisk for a minute or two.

We found that the lemon juice helps delay any brown spots from appearing on the pretty mint leaves.

Squeeze off (or use a paper towel to pat off) any excess egg white mixture.

STEP 3: Dip the Mint Leaves in Sugar

In a separate bowl of granulated, white sugar, dip the leaves once they’re done being dipped in the egg whites. You can also lay them out on a parchment and sprinkle them with sugar too. Be sure to coat both sides.

STEP 4: Lay out to Dry on Parchment Paper

Lay the leaves out to dry for at least 3 hours on parchment paper. I don’t recommend a wire rack as the candied mint leaves will stick, the sugar is sticky. They won’t stick on parchment paper.

Once they’ve hardened, carefully lift the leaves off the parchment paper and use as desired as a garnish or decoration!

One tip is to coat the mint leaves in as much or as little sugar as you want! Love a really coated/snowy look? Add more sugar! Want just a light sparkle look? Use just a sprinkling of sugar.

I suggest using them within a day or two so they are fresh. You can store the candied mint leaves in an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper.

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