What to Use Instead of Wine in Cooking

Most recipes that call for wine need one of three things from it: acidity to brighten rich food, flavor depth from grape and fermentation character, and liquid to lift the browned bits off the pan. A good substitute covers some of that. For most savory dishes, a mild stock with a small amount of acid does the most work. Grape or apple juice with vinegar suits sweeter, fruit-based sauces, and non-alcoholic wine gives the closest flavor when you can find it. The right choice depends on what the wine was doing in your dish.

Key takeaways

• Wine does three jobs: it adds acid, it adds flavor depth, and it deglazes the pan. Decide which one matters most in your dish.
• For savory dishes, stock with a little vinegar or lemon juice covers the most ground.
• For sweeter or fruit-based sauces, use juice with vinegar and reduce the sugar elsewhere.
• Non-alcoholic wine gives the closest flavor, but read the label, because some still contain small amounts of alcohol.
• Add acid in small steps and taste before you add salt, since stock and cooking wine are often salty.

What wine does in a dish

Wine is more than liquid. Three things happen when it goes into a pan:

• Acid. Wine's acidity lifts rich dishes and balances fat. Without it, a sauce can taste flat or heavy.
• Flavor depth. Grape character, the flavor left by fermentation, and any oak or aging all add layers. A reduced wine sauce tastes rounder than plain stock.
• Deglazing. After searing, wine dissolves the browned bits stuck to the pan, and those bits become the base of the sauce. Deglazing works with stock or water too, but wine adds its own flavor.

Red wine also brings tannins, the compounds that add grip and structure and can taste drying. No common substitute copies tannin exactly, so a red-wine braise made with a substitute usually turns out rounder and less dry. That is normally fine, and the sections below say which swaps come closest.

About the alcohol

Cooking removes some of the alcohol in wine, but not all of it. The longer a dish simmers, the less remains. A splash added to a sauce that reduces only briefly keeps more than wine simmered for an hour. If you cook for people who avoid alcohol for any reason, choose a stock-based or non-alcoholic substitute rather than relying on cooking time.

Substitutes for white wine

Stock with a little acid

For most savory dishes, a mild chicken or vegetable stock with a small amount of white wine vinegar or lemon juice is the most reliable swap. The stock supplies liquid and savory depth, and the acid covers the brightness. Use it for pan sauces, risotto, braised chicken and fish. Add the acid a little at a time, because too much vinegar makes a sauce taste sharp, and you cannot take it back out. The white wine substitutes page lists the amounts the Substitution tool suggests, and stock versus broth explains which base to choose.

Juice with vinegar

White grape juice or apple juice with a splash of vinegar works where some sweetness is welcome, such as pork with apple or a chicken dish with dried fruit. Juice is sweeter than wine, so reduce any added sugar in the recipe. Taste and adjust before you serve.

Non-alcoholic white wine

This is the closest match on flavor, because it is made from grapes. Check the label, since some products labeled non-alcoholic still contain small amounts of alcohol. It works the same as wine in most recipes. If the sauce looks thin, reduce it a little longer.

Substitutes for red wine

Red wine is heavier and more tannic than white, so its substitutes lean toward savory depth and acid.

Stock with red wine vinegar

Beef or mushroom stock with a little red wine vinegar gives braises and stews savory depth and acid. A small amount of balsamic vinegar adds sweetness and color, but it is strong, so use it sparingly and taste before you salt. The red wine substitutes page lists the amounts used in the Substitution tool.

Unsweetened grape juice

Grape juice is the flavor cousin of red wine, but it has no tannin and is much sweeter. Add a splash of vinegar for acid, and reduce sugar elsewhere in the recipe. Taste as you go, since a sweet sauce can drift away from the savory profile of the dish.

Non-alcoholic red wine

Non-alcoholic red wine is made for cooking and gives the closest result in a braise or stew. Read the label, as with white. Tannin is still missing, so the finished dish tastes a little less dry than the original.

Matching the substitute to the dish

The table pairs common dishes with the substitute that usually fits them and the mistake to watch for.

A simple method for any swap

1. Name the job. Decide whether the wine is there for acid, for depth, or for deglazing. If it is mainly for depth, use stock. If it is mainly for acid, use more vinegar or lemon juice.
2. Choose a base. Stock for savory depth, juice for sweetness, and non-alcoholic wine for the closest flavor.
3. Add acid in small steps. Start with less than you think you need, then taste.
4. Reduce if it is thin. Simmer the sauce until it coats a spoon, which concentrates the flavor.
5. Salt last. Stock and cooking wine are often salty, so adjust the seasoning after the liquid has reduced.

When a substitute will not work

A dish built around wine will taste different without it. Coq au vin, wine-poached fruit and a wine reduction served as the main sauce are examples. In those dishes the wine is the flavor, not a helper. Make the dish with non-alcoholic wine if you need to and expect a lighter result, or choose a recipe that does not depend on wine.

Related reading

• Pan Sauce Guide 2026: One Method, Five Variations shows the deglazing method every pan sauce starts with.
• Cooking with Acid: The Missing Ingredient That Makes Food Taste Alive explains how acid balances rich food.
• Egg Substitutes for Baking: What Each Egg Does and What Can Replace It covers the other swap most home cooks need.

Not sure what your dish needs? Ask the chef chat, or use the Substitution tool to scale the swap for the amount you are cooking.