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Pandan leaves

Long, bright green leaves with a sweet, vanilla-like, grassy aroma used across Southeast Asian cooking.

Also called: pandan, screwpine leaves, daun pandan, bai toey, lá dứa

Around the world: daun pandan (ms) · bai toei (th) · lá dứa (vi)

10 recipes with it

What it is

Pandan (screwpine) leaves are long, flat, blade-like leaves. They are not eaten but knotted and cooked with rice, or blended and strained for green juice that colours and flavours desserts. Their aroma is sweet, nutty and vanilla-like, often compared to fresh basmati rice.

Pandanus amaryllifolius

How it’s used

  • Cooked with coconut rice such as nasi lemak
  • Pandan cakes, kaya and jellies
  • Wrapping chicken for frying
  • Sweet drinks and syrups

Characteristics

Aroma
Sweet, grassy, vanilla-like.
Sold as
fresh, frozen, extract
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Frozen. Keep a few days in the fridge or freeze whole leaves in a bag.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Pandan extract — A few drops per leaf; often artificially coloured and stronger.

Related ingredients

Recipes with pandan leaves

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