Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) is a tropical plant prized for its aromatic leaves, which are a foundational flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia. The leaves impart a sweet, floral, slightly nutty aroma that’s sometimes compared to vanilla, though the flavour profile is quite different.
In cooking, pandan leaves are used whole (tied in knots and simmered in rice, curries, or desserts), blended into paste for cakes and sweets, or processed into extract. Pandan is to Southeast Asian baking what vanilla is to Western baking — it appears in countless desserts, from Malaysian kuih to Thai coconut puddings to Filipino biko.
In Australia, pandan leaves are readily available fresh or frozen in Asian grocery stores. Pandan extract and flavouring are also widely sold, though quality varies — some commercial extracts rely on artificial colouring and flavouring rather than the real leaf.
How it's produced
Pandan is a low-maintenance tropical plant that grows easily in warm, humid climates. It’s propagated from cuttings rather than seed — the cultivated variety rarely flowers or fruits. The plant forms dense clumps that spread through basal shoots, and leaves can be harvested continuously once established.
Commercial pandan cultivation is small-scale compared to most crops, with most production in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Many households in Southeast Asia simply grow a pandan plant in the garden for kitchen use. For commercial extract production, leaves are blended with water, strained, and the green liquid is either used directly or reduced. The natural colour is a deep green, which is part of why pandan-flavoured foods are characteristically bright green.
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