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An easy recipe for Homemade Mints that tastes just like Altoids! Perfect for Christmas gifts, or wedding or baby shower favors.
It all started in high school…my obsession with breath mints and chapstick (related: How to Make Chapstick). I’m not sure what the root cause, was, but I was hooked. At the time it was Carmex and Starbucks mints.
Starbucks and I had a good relationship for a long time, but then they phased out my beloved mints and replaced them with a tin of mints that cost the same but had 1/10th as many mints. Well played Starbucks, well played.
So, you know what is about to happen, right? I mean I titled this post “Homemade Mints”. Anyone could see it coming.
We’re making Homemade Mints! You nailed it. Genius.
What Ingredients Are In Homemade Breath Mints?
This homemade mint recipe is rocking:
- Gum paste mix (available online or any place with cake decorating products. If you get it at Joann’s, make sure you use a coupon!)
- Powdered sugar (to keep things from sticking. Learn how to make powdered sugar) or xylitol.
- Flavoring of your choice. You can use pure baking flavoring or extract (related: Homemade Peppermint Extract).
How Do You Make Breath Mints?
*Detailed and printable recipe available at the bottom of the post.
In a deep bowl, mix the gum paste with the flavoring, and water until it forms a very thick paste. Pro tip: start with a whisk but end with a spoon or else it gets too thick. TWSS.
Put parchment paper on a baking sheet, and dust with powdered sugar.
Put the “dough” on the parchment, and dust with a bit more powdered sugar. Press it as thin as you can with the heel of your hand.
Now at this point, you could make little balls, use a tiny mold to make these cute shapes, or even use a fat straw to punch out circles. That is a lot of work, so I recommend dusting a pizza cutter with powdered sugar and cut them into strips and pieces.
It may not win you the “most uptight and anal retentive” trophy at your neighborhood Pinterest awards, but it gets the job done.
Fill a lidded container with the pieces, and sprinkled a bit more powdered sugar in there. Shake it a few times to make sure that all the pieces are coated enough to not stick to each other.
Spread the pieces back on the baking sheet with the parchment, and let dry at room temperature for at least 3 days. Your house will smell awesome, but please watch out for kiddos and pets. If you are using Xylitol it is especially dangerous for pets.
Place finish mints in a mesh strainer and shake to remove the excess powdered sugar. Transfer to lidded containers and/or cute jars for giving as gifts.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Need to speed up the drying process? Bake the homemade mints at the lowest heat your oven will allow (typically about 170 degrees F) for 2 hours. Allow mints to cool and test to see if they are hard enough to your liking. <—TWSS
- Homemade mints will keep in an air-tight container for up to six months.
- If you want to make round mints, dip a fat straw into powdered sugar and press it into the dough. You could also roll it into a “snake” and slice it into small pieces.
- There are some people who use essential oils for cooking. I’m 100% uncomfortable recommending that at all, so stick to flavoring that is intended for cooking.
Variations/Flavor Combos
- You’re already thinking Vanilla Mint, so let’s do this! Combine peppermint with a splash of vanilla extract (related: Homemade Vanilla Extract).
- Cinnamon would be amazing in homemade mints; spicy and lovely.
- Combining chocolate with mint would be so good it might make a puppy smack itself.
OTHER RECIPES LIKE THIS:
Homemade Mints {Altoids Mints Copycat}
Ingredients
- 1 tsp peppermint flavoring
- 2 cups dry gum paste
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, mix the gum paste with the flavoring, and water until it forms a very thick paste.
- Put parchment paper on a baking sheet, and dust with powdered sugar.
- Put the "dough" on the parchment, and dust with a bit more powdered sugar. Press it as thin as you can with the heel of your hand.
- Now at this point, you could make little balls, use a tiny mold to make these cute shapes, or even use a fat straw to punch out circles. That is a lot of work, so I recommend dusting a pizza cutter with powdered sugar and cut them into strips and pieces.
- Fill a lidded container with the pieces, and sprinkled a bit more powdered sugar in there. Shake it a few times to make sure that all the pieces are coated enough to not stick to each other.
- Spread the pieces back on the baking sheet with the parchment, and let dry at room temperature for at least 3 days. Your house will smell awesome, but please watch out for kiddos and pets. If you are using Xylitol it is especially dangerous for pets.
- Place finish mints in a mesh strainer and shake to remove the excess powdered sugar. Transfer to lidded containers and/or cute jars for giving as gifts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I’m going to try this recipe this weekend! I’m so excited! My question is, the link to the flavors – is there 1 tsp of flavor in the bottle or do I need to buy two?Â
And is the 1 tsp enough to make it strong like altoids?! Thank you!!
Hi Stacy, there will be enough in the bottle to flavor the mints. I would start with less than 1 tsp, taste the mixture and then adjust to your preference. You can always add more flavor, but it’s really hard to make it “less minty” after the fact. 🙂
Hey i know this will be the most obscure question you’ve probably gotten about these mints, but do you think adding in powdered thc is possible? I make edibles and wanna try making mints so i have something small and easier to carry around than a bag of baked goods
1) you’re right that IS the most obscure question I have received! 🙂
2) I honestly don’t know! It’s not something I have ever used myself so I would hate to advise anything and not have it work out.
I’ve been dosing this recipe with great success. The peppermint is pungent enough to mask any residual taste or smell.
The Dry Gum Paste Mix is no longer available on Amazon. There is a ready-mix one. Will that will work if the water in the recipe is not added?
Valerie, I’m not sure as I haven’t tested. The dry gum is also sold on Joanns.com. I would check there for available stock. It’s such a weird time right now with things selling in and out in a flash.
This looks like a delicious recipe, and thankyou. However I’d like to avoid using anything containing either gelatin (from cows’ bone marrow) or eggs, and each the thickening alternatives – gum paste, fondant, do contain them.
Is there a vegan alternative?
I don’t know of vegan alternatives at this time.
How long do these mints last? Thanks for sharing!!
We usually consumes ours fairly quickly, but they should be safe in an air-tight container for up to six months.
Great thanks! You know I went through the same thing with chap stick and breath mints. I was popping 3 or 4 Starbucks after coffee mints. I don’t know why they stopped them. I found this page as I was looking to see if by some chance someone still had some of them around. Guess ill try yours! Thanks again!
Hi i was wondering if there was an alternative recipe that doeant use any sugar?… Or could I possibly try using stevia.. As it has no fructose?
I’m curious for your chocolate flavoring, maybe instead of powdered sugar use cocoa powder?
Alright, I gave it a shot and the consistency was good, I think it will be perfect when they have dried up a bit. However, I used just about 10 drops of 100% cinnamon oil, and it was way too strong. The candies don’t even taste like cinnamon, but just kind of numbs the tongue, so I think I’ll try mixing them up again with more of that sugar paste. I still feel like they need some other flavour though, but unfortunately all it says on the hot tamale packet is “artificial flavours”, so I have no idea which ones they use. Any tips are very welcome 😉 Thanks again for this!
I know this was posted long ago now but I’m still hoping for a response =) I live in Sweden and here gumbase seems very hard to get hold of – however I found a kind of sugarpaste in the grocery store, for decorating cake etc, and this seems kind of similar so I’m going to try making them with 100% cinnamon oil, to make my own Hot Tamales. We don’t have those here either except in special English Shops and those are beyond pricy =) Thanks so much for this recipe, I’ve been wanting to do this for ages!
I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!