Alcohol Substitutes for Every Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for alcohol in recipes? ›

Non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water. Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup. For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract.

Simply substitute an equal amount of red grape juice, cranberry juice or nonalcoholic wine. Rum – If you're preparing tropical desserts like our Banana Rum Cupcakes and Cuban Rum Cake but don't have rum, use rum extract or reach for the pineapple juice.

Unless you're planning to set fire to the food, the alcohol typically is there to add flavor, which can be accomplished with easy substitutes. For red wine, try beef broth, unsweetened cranberry juice, tomato juice or even coffee. Instead of beer, use chicken broth or ginger ale.

There is now a diverse range of alcohol alternatives available, including nonalcoholic beer, wine, and cider, as well as creative options such as mocktails, kombucha, and ginger beer.

Ginger syrup or cinnamon syrup can help replicate the heat of alcohol. A tea syrup will add a tannic quality to your drink, which can evoke barrel-aged spirits.

Non-alcoholic substitutes:Rum extract: Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of rum extract for each tablespoon of rum called for in the recipe. Apple juice or white grape juice: Substitute an equal amount of apple juice or white grape juice for the rum.

Baking with booze—such as bourbon, rum, port and vodka—can add additional flavor, texture and even change the consistency of many baked goods. Take pie dough for example, adding a splash of vodka produces a super flakey dough and develops less gluten in the dough than water.

But if you're someone who doesn't want to use vodka when you're cooking, fear not. You can get similar alcohol-free results in an easy way. A small mixture of apple cider and lime juice can create the same effects as vodka — and, as a bonus, these staple ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.

Vanilla Extract and Alcohol Content

Vanilla extract may contain up to 35% ABV, which is the equivalent of a shot of hard liquor like vodka or bourbon. This means vanilla extract can get you drunk, but it also puts a person at risk of alcohol poisoning.

What is a substitute for white wine in cooking? ›

A good substitute for a cup of white wine is a cup of broth or vegetable stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for acidity. The general rule is to add one tablespoon of vinegar for every cup of broth used. For recipes requiring ¼ cup of white wine or less, it's generally safe to omit the wine altogether.

The concerns are not just for acute intoxication and overdose, but also neurophysiological risks that can come with lesser amounts of alcohol—sleep disturbances, confusion, unsteady walking, for example." "The only way to be 100 percent safe is to avoid cooking [food for children] with alcohol," says Dr. Roman.

To recreate these effects in a nonalcoholic drink, we simply need to add ingredients that produce the same effect. The best analog for alcohol's burn comes from spicy ingredients such as ginger or chilies. Although the compounds involved are different*, both stimulate the same nerve that alcohol affects.

Kava-kava (Piper methysticum)

This herb closely mimics the effects of alcohol. A member of the pepper family, kava-kava has been used for centuries as a recreational drink and ceremony in Oceania.

Depending on the recipe if you don't specifically want “bourbon” flavor, you could try just leaving it out, or use another flavor you like. Unless it's a strictly savory dish, you could try maple syrup or maple extract, or just vanilla extract, or even a reduced cola syrup.

Mocktails are non-alcoholic drinks that are meant to replicate the taste and flare of bar crafted beverages. They're typically made with a non-alcoholic spirit alternatives, fruit juices and other natural ingredients like herbs and spices.

Triple Sec – Orange juice concentrate, orange juice, orange zest or orange marmalade. Vermouth, Dry – White grape juice, white wine vinegar, or non-alcoholic white wine. lemon juice. Vodka – White grape juice or apple cider combined with lime juice or use plain water in place of the vodka.

Of course, you can easily use a vegan vodka, but for those who don't want any alcohol in their pasta sauce (because while the alcohol can cook off, there will still be some alcohol in the vodka sauce), here's my trick: Mix water and apple cider vinegar together! That's really it!

You can use chicken broth, ginger ale, white grape juice, or white wine if your recipe calls for a light beer. Use beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or co*ke instead of dark beer.