Gordon Ramsay’s mint sauce is sharp, sweet and punchy, made with white wine vinegar, sugar, shallot and fresh mint, ready in about 10 minutes. The vinegar and sugar reduce by half before the mint goes anywhere near the pan, which is the step that turns harsh raw vinegar into something you actually want on your lamb.
The recipe comes from Make It Easy, where he serves it with Barnsley chops off the barbecue. Most mint sauce recipes just pour vinegar over chopped mint and call it done. Ramsay boils the vinegar with sugar and shallot first, reduces it by half, then adds the mint off the heat so it stays bright green and fresh instead of turning brown and bitter.
The shallot is the detail nobody else includes. It adds a soft, sweet onion depth underneath the sharp vinegar and mint. In Sunday Lunch he takes mint and lamb even further with a minted hollandaise, folding shredded mint leaves into a full olive oil hollandaise with coriander seeds. Two different mint sauces for lamb, one takes 10 minutes, the other takes 20.
Gordon Ramsay Mint Sauce Recipe
Course: SaucesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings3
minutes7
minutes15
kcal10
minutesGordon Ramsay’s fresh mint sauce from Make It Easy, served with Barnsley chops. Vinegar and sugar reduced with shallot, mint added off the heat. Sharper and fresher than anything from a jar.
Ingredients
2 tsp sugar
125ml white wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
Large handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Directions
- Reduce the base: Combine the sugar, white wine vinegar and chopped shallot in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and let it bubble until reduced by half. The kitchen will smell strongly of vinegar but that sharpness cooks off as it reduces.
- Add the mint off the heat: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped mint leaves. Adding them off the heat preserves their bright green colour and fresh flavour.
- Cool and serve: Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before serving. It thickens slightly as it cools and the mint flavour deepens as it sits.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay reduce the vinegar before adding the mint?
Raw white wine vinegar is aggressive enough to strip paint. Boiling it with sugar and shallot until it reduces by half concentrates the flavour while cooking off the harshness. What you’re left with is a sharp but balanced syrup that actually tastes of something beyond pure acid.
Adding mint to raw vinegar, which is what most recipes do, wilts the leaves and turns them brown within minutes. Ramsay’s method means the mint hits a warm liquid, not a boiling one, so it stays green and fresh.
Why does Ramsay add shallot to his mint sauce?
Traditional British mint sauce is just mint, vinegar and sugar. The shallot is his addition and it makes more difference than you’d expect. It softens and sweetens during the reduction, adding a layer of savoury depth underneath the sharp vinegar and bright mint.
It’s the same thinking behind his béarnaise sauce where shallots reduce in vinegar before the egg yolks go in. He uses vinegar reductions as flavour bases across multiple sauces, not just this one.
Can you make mint sauce ahead?
Yes. It keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed jar. The mint darkens slightly but the flavour stays. Bring it back to room temperature before serving because cold mint sauce tastes flat and the vinegar dominates.
For longer storage, make the vinegar reduction without the mint and keep it in a jar for up to two weeks. Chop fresh mint and stir it in just before serving. That way you get a bright green sauce every time.
What is the difference between mint sauce and minted hollandaise?
In Sunday Lunch, Ramsay makes a minted hollandaise for lamb using egg yolks, olive oil, white wine vinegar, coriander seeds and shredded mint. It’s rich, creamy and takes 20 minutes. The Make It Easy mint sauce is sharp, thin and takes 10 minutes.
Use the mint sauce for barbecued or grilled lamb where you want something acidic to cut through the char and fat. Use the hollandaise for a Sunday roast where you want something richer alongside the potatoes and gravy.
