The taste of lemongrass is a common ingredient in many Asian dishes, which are great overall.
But what if you don’t have the required amount of lemongrass? Can you use another item? Of course you can—just choose from one of the 8 effective alternatives to lemongrass!
I occasionally labor on a dish for so long that I forget to buy an ingredient even though I’ve already completed half of it. Additionally, occasionally I am even without an element that is essential to the flavor of the dish.
Fortunately, I like using my kitchen hacking skills and am keen to find a suitable substitute. I already had a variety of answers to these kinds of issues.
See also: 5 Alternatives You Can Use As A Sage Spice Substitute.
But, this time, I’m presenting you with some quality lemongrass substitutes. 🙂
Eight Replacements For Lemongrass
Kreung – Lemongrass Paste
Originating from Cambodia, Kreung is a lemongrass paste that is an excellent replacement for lemongrass in any dish. Along with lemongrass, it also contains galangal and shallots. You can find lemongrass paste in Asian stores or online.
It should also be available in grocery stores. It’s usually found in a tube (like many other pastes), which allows you to store it for a long time.
Just as it’s the case with dried lemongrass, use 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste for each fresh lemongrass in the recipe. Since it contains other ingredients as well, it will have a slightly different taste, but it’s a great substitute overall.
Dried Lemongrass
When the plants are dried, the flavors are more concentrated. Dried lemongrass is naturally a great substitute for the fresh one, but be careful how much you used it for your dish. Adding in too much can make it dominate strongly over other flavors of the dish.
It has a significantly stronger citrusy and herbal flavor. It goes very well with meat dishes and poultry, and it’s a great match for sauces.
Add just a little bit of dried lemongrass, then give it a taste. If the flavor is not dominating over other ones, or it’s not noticeable at all, add a bit more.
For every 1 stalk of lemongrass in the recipe, add 1 teaspoon of dried lemongrass.
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Since lemongrass has a citrusy aroma, kaffir lime leaves can make a great replacement when you don’t have lemongrass on hand. Kaffir lime lives don’t have the same taste, but the aroma is very similar. Tear the leaves before adding them, and if you want to enhance the aroma, you can add a bit of lime juice. That will do the trick.
Especially if you wanted to make soup, the combination of kaffir lime leaves and lime juice would be a great addition. Before serving, remove the leaf. Usually, it’s not meant to be eaten; it’s there just for the aroma.
Use one leaf for every stalk of lemongrass in the recipe.
Take a Look at Kaffir Lime Leaves Substitutes To Use in Kitchen
Lemon Zest
Lemon zest is possibly the best substitute for lemongrass for a couple of different reasons. It’s easy to find, and it will bring that citrusy flavor to the dish. This substitute was recommended to me by a friend that I met online, and boy was she right.
It’s simple, accessible, and easy. The dish tasted good, the replacement was ok, and it didn’t have the same taste, but it did the trick.
You can try it yourself, use one teaspoon instead of one lemongrass stalk, and give it a taste.
Related: Do You Know How Much Juice A Lemon Has?
Arugula and Lemon Zest
Lemon zest only adds the citrus flavor to the dish, but the lemongrass has that and the herbal flavor as well. If you wish to have that herbal aroma too, then you can combine lemon zest with some herb, arugula, for example.
With the combination of lemon zest and arugula, you will have both herbal and citrus flavors in your dish.
For every stalk of lemongrass in the recipe, use one teaspoon of lemon zest. And if you want to achieve that herbal flavor as well, just add one arugula leaf with that teaspoon of lemon zest.
Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena is a very aromatic herb, just like lemongrass.
It has a citrusy flavor, but its herby flavor is more pronounced. It’s best used, chopped, and fresh. It should be pretty easy to get one of these, and you can buy them in a pot and put them in your kitchen for future use.
You can even use it to give your drinks and tea some flavor! When you want to use it as a lemongrass substitute, be careful not to use too much at once. Throw one leaf in the dish, then taste it, then you can add more according to your taste.
Usually, one to two leaves would be enough to substitute for one stalk of lemongrass.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm has such good mint flavors that it is a strong contender along with the lemon zest for the number one lemongrass substitute. Just like other herbs, use lemon balm fresh, and chop the leaves before adding them to the dish to maximize the flavor.
It has both citrus and herbal flavors the lemongrass has, and it’s very healthy! It can help with many digestive problems, cramps, and headaches.
Usually, you won’t need more than three leaves of lemon balm for each stalk of lemongrass in the recipe, but give the meal a taste and add some more if you like.
Preserved Lemon
With dishes that include seafood, preserved lemon would be the perfect match for them and the perfect substitute for lemongrass. It will add the citrus flavor, but it won’t dominate over other flavors of the dish. You can use both pulp and the peel of the preserved lemon in the meal.
Since the fresh lemongrass has a bit more powerful flavor than the preserved lemon, you should use one half of it instead of one stalk of lemongrass. It will completely replace the citrus flavor of the lemongrass needed, but it will lack the herby one.
But, as I said, if you were to use it for seafood, it will go with it great!
Conclusion
You can use any of the substitutes mentioned, but most chefs would argue that the best lemongrass substitute is lemon zest, but I would say that it’s handy to have lemon verbena in the kitchen. I love the spices that can fit in the pot and can be used fresh in the dish.
And also, it has that herby flavor that lemon zest does not. But, for first aid, any of these might work well!
Give them a try and let me know how it went. 🙂
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