• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hot Thai Kitchen
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • Cookbook
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • Cookbook
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Kitchen Tips » KAFFIR LIME LEAVES 101: What You Need to Know

    KAFFIR LIME LEAVES 101: What You Need to Know

    Published: Jun 26, 2019 · Modified: Jan 4, 2021 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to video!


    Kaffir lime, also known as "makrut lime" is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. But most of the time we only use the leaves rather than the fruit. In this video I talk about everything you need to know to start cooking with kaffir lime leaves. I talk about what it is, how to use, how to store, and how to substitute.

    What about kaffir lime fruit?

    From the fruit, we only use the zest, which as you can see in the video is quite thick so you can just use a knife to slice off the green part and you don't have to bother with the zester. When zesting kaffir limes try your best not to get the white pith because it's bitter.

    As for the flesh on the inside, kaffir limes have a ton of seeds and do not have very much juice at all, so we never really use it in cooking. If you have the fruit, and you can coax out some juice out of it, you can use it to add acidity to your dish, but it is very sour so use sparingly!

    For more videos on other Thai ingredients

    Check out my Thai Ingredient Playlist where I have informational videos about the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine.

    Recipes with Kaffir Lime Leaves

    Want to start cooking with kaffir lime leaves? Here are some recipes that use them in various different ways:

    Simmering: Tom Ka Gai - Coconut Chicken Soup

    Toasting: Laab Gai - Northeastern Ground Chicken Salad 

    Stir-frying and julienned: Panang Curry

    Or anything "Tom Yum"! Do a search on the site for any recipe containing the word "tom yum" and it's going to have kaffir lime leaves in it. I have everything from the traditional Tom Yum Goong soup to the fusion Tom Yum Pizza!

    Watch The Full Video!

    « Pandan Coconut Cookies with Cashews
    How to Clean and Prepare a Whole Squid »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shan

      June 12, 2021 at 11:42 pm

      Hi, we normally washed and freeze them in bulk and put them in soup or you can do desserts with them. You can fried them and put on top of fried chicken pork etc. Eating them fried is nice and crispy. You just have to remove the rip in the middle.

      Reply
    2. Richard Pomerantz

      February 12, 2021 at 11:13 am

      HELP! A friend of my wife's gave her a kaffir lime plant years ago and we have been using it quite often. One question, and it might not seem like much of a problem, but we have tons of leaves and the plant is quite healthy. Any suggestions on how to use them when you are over-loaded with them. I like your suggestion to fry and make a powder. Any others? Thanks and regards from big fans from Chicagoland.

      Reply
      • Shan

        June 12, 2021 at 11:39 pm

        Hi, we normally washed and freeze them in bulk and put them in soup or you can do desserts with them. You can fried them and put on top of fried chicken pork etc. Eating them fried is nice and crispy. You just have to remove the rip in the middle.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    Image of Pailin

    Sawaddee ka! I'm Pai, a Thai chef, author, and host of the YouTube show Hot Thai Kitchen. I'm here to demystify Thai cuisine (and more) with recipes and video tutorials. More about me.

    Featured On...

    Popular Recipes

    • Authentic Pad Thai Recipe ผัดไท
    • Authentic Thai Green Curry Chicken
    • Pad Gaprao (Pad Kra Pao) Holy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry
    • Pad Thai Sauce Recipe - Make Pad Thai in 5 Mins!
    • Dim Sum Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go) ขนมผักกาด
    • Crab Fried Rice ข้าวผัดปู

    Trending: Healthy Meals

    • Thai Grilled Steak Salad - Neua Yang Nam Tok
    • Tom Kha Gai ต้มข่าไก่ (Thai coconut chicken soup)
    • How to Save Your Basil - Thai Basil Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
    • Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with Nuoc Cham
    • My Go-To Broccoli Stir-Fry
    • Thai Street Food - Pork Bones Soup "Leng Saeb"

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Merch
    • All Recipes

    Newsletter

    Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • My Cookbook
    • Patreon

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © Pailin's Kitchen Inc. 2022