Alcohol Substitution Guide

Pictured Recipe: Garlic-Rosemary Mushrooms with White Wine

Sometimes alcohol is called for in recipes to enhance the overall flavor of a dish. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, it can be omitted from a recipe or replaced with a nonalcoholic alternative. Keep in mind that the overall flavor of the dish will not be exactly the same, but the substitutions will give you an approximation of the flavor. Here are some general recommendations for nonalcoholic substitutes.

Related: Baking Substitutions You Probably Already Have in Your Kitchen

Nonalcoholic beer, chicken broth, apple cider or beef broth

1 teaspoon vanilla extract in place of each tablespoon of bourbon

Apple juice concentrate, white grape juice or pear juice

Ginger ale, sparkling cider, cranberry juice or white grape juice

Apricot, pear or peach juice

Orange juice concentrate

Black currant Italian soda syrup or black currant jam

Hazelnut or almond extract

Unsweetened orange juice concentrate

White grape juice

Concord grape juice with a pinch of lime zest; cranberry juice with a dash of lemon juice; or Concord grape juice concentrate

1/2 teaspoon rum extract plus enough water to make 1 tablespoon in place of each tablespoon of rum

Unsweetened apple, orange or pineapple juice plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White grape juice or white-wine vinegar

Apple juice, grape juice or balsamic vinegar

White grape juice, apple juice or chicken broth

Concord grape juice, cranberry juice or beef broth