Overview
About Kaffir Lime Leaves
These are the glossy double-lobed leaves of Citrus hystrix, the aromatic backbone of tom yum, tom kha and Thai curries.
You will increasingly see them sold as makrut lime leaves: "kaffir" is a serious racial slur in South African usage, and chefs, writers and retailers (Waitrose changed its packaging in 2021) have moved to makrut or Thai lime. Same leaf, better name. On triggers they are gentle: low in histamine, clean on gluten, lactose, FODMAPs, nickel, sulfites, tyramine and nightshades, with a mild histamine-liberating tendency and a moderate salicylate grade. The other thing that keeps exposure low is how they are used. Torn leaves go into the pot to perfume the broth and are usually left behind in the bowl.
Sensitivities
How Kaffir Lime Leaves scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- How the leaf is prepared changes your actual dose more than the grade does. Torn or bruised leaves dropped into a soup or curry are aromatics you eat around, like a bay leaf. Finely shredded raw into a salad, a fish cake or a stir-fry, they are swallowed whole and the exposure is real
- Moderate salicylate is the highest grade on the card. Strongly aromatic citrus leaves are salicylate-bearing, and dried or powdered leaf concentrates more per gram than a fresh one
- Mild histamine liberator only. This is notably lower than lemon and lime fruit, which are both graded strong liberators here, so the leaf is not simply a stand-in for the fruit on that front
- In the dishes these leaves define, they are rarely the trigger worth chasing. Fish sauce, shrimp paste and concentrated stock carry far more free glutamate and histamine than the leaf contributes, and curry pastes bring shallot and garlic with them
- Trigger data for citrus leaves specifically is thin. They are not individually listed in the main FODMAP or histamine reference tables, so treat the grades as reasonable inference from the plant family rather than tested values
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Kaffir Lime Leaves
Why are kaffir lime leaves now sold as makrut lime leaves?
Because "kaffir" functions as a severe racial slur in South Africa, where it was used by colonial and apartheid-era whites against Black South Africans. How the word attached itself to this citrus is not settled historically, but the offence the word causes is not in doubt, so the food industry has largely shifted to makrut lime (the Thai name) or Thai lime. Waitrose relabelled its packs in 2021 and many suppliers have followed. If you are searching for these leaves, both terms will still find them.
Do you eat kaffir lime leaves or take them out?
Both, depending on the dish. In tom yum, tom kha and most simmered curries the leaves are torn and left whole so the oils release into the broth, and diners push them to the side of the bowl exactly as with a bay leaf. In salads, fish cakes and some stir-fries they are shredded to a hair-fine chiffonade and eaten. If you are logging exposure, the shredded version is the one that counts.
Are they a problem if lemon and lime trigger you?
Not necessarily, because they are the leaf and not the fruit. There is no juice, no pulp and no fruit acid involved; the flavour comes from essential oils in the leaf. Our lemon and lime entries are graded strong histamine liberators, while the leaf is graded only a mild one. That said, if your reaction to citrus is a genuine allergy to the plant rather than a chemical sensitivity, the leaf is still Citrus hystrix, so introduce it carefully.
Are kaffir lime leaves low FODMAP?
Yes, they grade low across all the FODMAP subgroups, and as a leaf used purely for aroma they contribute negligible fermentable carbohydrate. The FODMAP load in a Thai curry comes from the paste, which is built on shallot, garlic and sometimes onion, not from the leaves floating in it.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.