12 Red and White Wine Substitutes for Cooking and Recipes

Red and white wines are popular additions to many recipes. Red and white wine substitutes for cooking and recipes include citrus and pineapple juice, grape juice, broth, and other substitutes.

Red and white wines are popular additions to many recipes. They add acidity to enhance a dish's flavors, provide their own subtle flavor notes, and help keep dishes from drying out as they cook. However, many people don’t like to use wine in their cooking. Some people have allergies or intolerance to alcohol or other compounds in wine. Although most or all of the alcohol burns off in cooking, recovering alcoholics may still want to avoid using wine. In some areas, it may be challenging to access wines for cooking due to purchasing restrictions or other regulations. Some people enjoy exploring alternative cooking bases, and some don’t enjoy the flavor. Whatever the reason for skipping the wine, plenty of wine substitutes are available to elevate your cooking without the alcohol.

Adding a little acid to any dish enhances and brings out the other flavors present. While wines provide a great source of both sweet and sour notes, many substitutes work equally well.

Citrus and pineapple juice

Lemon juice or other citrus juices pack an acidic punch. While lemon juice is delicious in almost any dish, other citrus juices may be ideal for specific cuisines. Orange juice works well in sweet Asian dishes like teriyaki, lime juice enhances Hispanic foods such as fajitas or taco meat, and with sweeter meats like ham, many people enjoy a pineapple-based glaze. Citrus juices are stronger than wines, so use less or dilute them to avoid overpowering the dish.

Vinegar

If you want the acidity of wine without the sweetness of citrus juice, vinegar is a great option. Though red and white wine vinegars are more acidic than actual wine, they retain much of the flavor of the wines they’re made from, as well as adding some flavor from the barrels in which they’re often fermented. If you don’t like the flavor of wine, plenty of other vinegar types can also be used.

Apple juice

Much like citrus juices, apple juice adds a nice level of acidity to a recipe. However, apple juices are typically much sweeter and have a very different flavor profile than wines or other acids, so it might be a good idea to test the juice in a small sample of the food or sauce before flavoring the whole dish with it. This substitution might be best for dishes that only call for a small amount of wine to avoid dramatically altering the flavor profile. Alternately, if the alcoholic element is not your reason for substituting flavor bases, many hard ciders range from sweet to dry and sharp. Match your cider to your dish.

Ginger ale

Sodas are often good sources of acidity, as well. A mild-flavored soda like ginger ale won’t change the flavor of the dish too much but will still give it a little kick, as well as some sweetness. However, this is another wine substitute with a very different flavor profile, so use it sparingly or only in recipes where ginger would be appropriate, such as Asian cuisine.

Many recipes incorporate wines to add the subtle flavors they contribute. While the acidity of wine balances the other flavors in the dish, wine also adds a flavor of its own. If that subtle balance of flavors is what you’re looking for, there are some things you can add with similar flavor profiles but none of the alcohol.

Grape juice

Since wine is made from grape juice, it stands to reason that grape juice would provide some of the same flavor notes. Although the unfermented juice is typically a much sweeter and lacks some of the bitterness or acidity of wine, it can serve as a good wine substitute that will still achieve a similar flavor within the dish.

Pomegranate juice

The flavor profile of pomegranate juice, often described as woody, floral, fruity, or sweet, is very similar to that of many wines, especially red varieties. A little of this juice can be used in flavor-rich recipes in much the same way as a sweet red wine.

Canned mushroom liquid

Mushrooms have some of the same earthiness as wines, so the liquid found in canned mushrooms can be used to similar effect in cooking. Just be aware that canned foods often include a lot of sodium which may also affect the flavor of the dish. To avoid this, look for low-sodium versions or dilute the mushroom liquid with some water or another wine substitute.

Non-alcoholic wine

Recent advances in food technology have made non-alcoholic wines an option. These beverages are usually produced by evaporating the alcohol out of the wine, leaving most of the flavor and other compounds intact. Although the evaporation process removes some of the other flavoring compounds present, cooking also evaporates alcohol out of wine, so the flavor in a cooked dish should be comparable.

Many dishes dry out if there isn’t adequate liquid used when cooking. While wines are a great way to add both liquid and flavor, there are other ways to keep your food from drying out without the alcohol.

Broth

If the primary function of cooking with wine is to add liquid to the dish as it’s cooking, you may be able to replace the wine with a broth. Beef, chicken, or vegetable broths add subtle flavor and saltiness to your dish to enhance the food without overpowering the flavors. 

Butter or oil

If you don’t mind a little extra fat in your food, adding butter or oil can help prevent food from drying out. As a bonus, fats like butter often add richness to a dish without changing the flavor too much. 

Water

If you need to add some hydration without changing or adding to the flavor of the dish, you can add more water. This is also a good option if you’re avoiding wine because you don’t enjoy strong flavors in your food. Throwing a little extra water in your dish can help keep things from drying out without changing the flavor composition of the meal, as other wine substitutes might.

Aluminum foil

Although this isn’t something to be added to the dish itself, wrapping your food in foil while it cooks can help retain a lot of the moisture that would otherwise evaporate during the cooking process, meaning less liquid is needed to begin with. This is best for recipes cooked in the oven or on a grill, particularly meats like steak or roast beef, fish, or roasted vegetables. Make a pouch out of foil and seal the food inside before baking to trap in moisture. This can also help seal the flavors of any seasonings or aromatics you’ve included in the dish.

Although there is some concern that cooking with aluminum foil could leach aluminum into your food, there is little evidence that this would be harmful to health. Aluminum is intentionally present in various ingested substances, including antacids and other medications. Most ingested aluminum is simply passed with the rest of your waste.

There are many reasons for omitting wine from a dish, so it’s fortunate that there are a variety of substitutes to go with them. For best results, it may be helpful to combine more than one wine substitute to achieve the perfect balance of acidity, flavor, and hydration.