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Thai Basil

Thai basil is an aromatic herb used fresh in curries, stir-fries, soups, and noodle dishes.

Thai Basil — illustrative ingredient image

About Thai Basil

Thai sweet basil is the fresh leafy herb commonly known in Thai cooking as horapha. It is used in curries, stir-fries, soups, noodle dishes, and salads, usually added near the end of cooking or scattered over the finished food. Its stronger aroma makes it especially useful when a dish needs a fresh herbal lift.

The leaves have a distinctive anise-like, peppery fragrance with mild sweetness and hints of clove or mint. They are tender and slightly springy when fresh, then soften quickly in hot sauce or steam while releasing their aroma. Prolonged cooking dulls the fragrance and darkens the leaves.

Thai sweet basil is sold as loose leaves or leafy sprigs, with green leaves and often purple-tinged stems or flower spikes. It may be used whole, torn, or roughly chopped. Young leaves are delicate; flowering sprigs are more pungent and may include tender stems.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where thai basil appears

13 linked foods

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Showing 1–12 of 13

Main dishes

Snacks

Soups

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for thai basil

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Thai sweet basil

English

Thai basil

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Thai Basil nutrition & diet

Thai Basil nutritional value

Reference: Sweet basil/ horapha, leaves raw

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the named reference form.

Calories
35.69999999999999kcal
Protein
2.9g
Carbs
4.8g
Fat
0.1g

Per 100 g edible portion. Rojroongwasinkul et al. (2013), Mahidol University and Wageningen University, SMILING Thai Food Composition Table. Energy is the source-calculated energy; carbohydrate is available carbohydrate by difference. Original 2013 reference values, not a current product label or a universal recipe.

Portions & preparation

Use fresh Thai basil leaves and tender stems as the reference form, rather than dried basil or a prepared sauce. Trimmed edible portions and the amount used as a garnish or cooking herb can differ substantially. Record added oil, coconut milk, salt, or other ingredients in the finished dish separately.

Compare the right form: Match fresh Thai basil leaves and tender stems, raw or cooked, not dried basil, oil, or a seasoned sauce.

Diet considerations

Thai basil is a plant-derived herb. Plain fresh leaves generally appear in small culinary portions, but compatibility changes when used in curry paste, sauces, or dishes containing fish sauce, shrimp, meat, dairy, or cereal ingredients. A basil-containing prepared food must be evaluated as its full recipe, including rice or noodles.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Thai Food Composition Table, SMILING 2013 — 04065 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .