My experience with mint is spearmint is what most grocery stores sell as "mint" when you buy it fresh. Peppermint tastes very different. To me, fresh spearmint tastes nothing like spearmint candy. Its different. Its good and fresh tasting.

In most sweet dishes, peppermint oils and extracts are used.

I would wonder about the regionality of the recipe. In many places in the South spearmint grows like a weed and so I think the assumption is that you always use spearmint.

But I am the opposite. I prefer spearmint to peppermint :)

I was wondering the same thing this summer when I was thinking about making mint ice cream! I wish recipes would specify...

It is pretty confusing and I think one of those things that is based on preference so you need to give the recipe a try and see how you like it with what you used (which means an investment in time and money). But from what I could gather is that more often than not, you should use peppermint when it comes to desserts - as in ice cream, peppermint bark, etc. I think spearmint has more of that toothpaste flavor. In the end...instead of making fresh mint ice cream, I went with mint gelato using peppermint extract! It was delicious so I might just stick with that shortcut.

Sorry for the long comment!

It's spearmint for sure, but as said above, fresh spearmint bears little resemblance to the flavor you get in candy or gum. (Whereas fresh peppermint - which I grow but have never seen in a store - tastes quite a bit like the candy form.)

Use the one you like better. I prefer peppermint in dried and fresh form, and I use it most often in a Tunisian stew.

I love fresh mint, and my neighbor's spearmint snuck into my garden, so I use that.

If you don't like the taste in savory dishes, sub one of its relatives: basil, oregano, marjoram or savory are options. Basil is probably the most common substitute. It will be different, but that's the point, right?

I had this same question awhile ago when I was making greek seasoning. From some internet searches it appeared that I should use spearmint for it. I much prefer peppermint but that didn't seem like it would really go in a greek seasoning mix. The spearmint worked great in the seasoning. So, I suppose it all depends on what you're making. If peppermint doesn't seem "right" use spearmint!

Spearmint is my choice. It grows wild here in Ohio for about 3 seasons. I use it to make iced tea. We drink 2 gallons a week. When I have extra that needs used before going to seed I just cut it off, shake it off and stuff in a freezer bag, seal and keep in the freezer till winter, then pull it out and brew "fresh" tea! The peppermint is too peppery for my taste.

Thank you for asking the question!
A couple of years ago I bought a spearmint plant because I loved mint, but then thought it was the wrong kind of mint and would taste like toothpaste in dishes. I'm going to use it much more frequently, although it tastes milder than what's in my mojito.

Unfortunately, I've found most store-bought mint extracts are spearmint. I prefer peppermint - even for savory dishes - so I made my own. It's very easy, and peppermint is incredibly easy to grow. (In fact, the harder part is making it STOP.)

Thanks for all the comments so far -- very helpful! I do have an addendum to my original query -- if you have to buy fresh mint at the grocery store, I have yet to see it labelled as to flavor. The package just says "mint." So how would you know what flavor you will be getting?

If it's fresh, it's almost certainly spearmint, at least around here. I've never ever seen fresh peppermint at the store. Maybe at the farmer's market. There are many varieties, but in general spearmint has bigger leaves and a lighter color - peppermint tends to be a darker green. If you can, just pinch a tiny corner of a leaf and smell - if it smells like peppermint candy, it's peppermint; if it smells more vaguely minty it's probably spearmint.

(A Google image search for "peppermint vs spearmint" brings up some visual comparisons, though maybe not super helpful if you don't have both to compare IRL.)

Peppermint is the herb to use those dishes. There is a pretty big difference in the two. I wouldn't use spearmint in place on peppermint