White wine substitute

Use 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth for each cup of dry white wine. Add a dash of white wine vinegar to taste to bring back some acidity.

5 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

Out of white wine mid-recipe?

Tell Sous Chef what you are missing. It swaps the ingredient and rewrites the steps that use it, and keeps your original recipe.

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What are you making?

  1. Chicken or vegetable broth (plus a dash of vinegar)

    Great fit

    1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

    For this dish: It deglazes well and adds savory flavor, and the vinegar covers the missing tang.

    How: Swap 1:1, then add a dash of white wine vinegar to taste. Hold off on salt until you have tasted, since broth is usually salted.

    What changes: Savory and rounder, with more umami and less fruit and acidity than wine.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  2. Non-alcoholic white wine

    Great fit

    1 cup non-alcoholic dry white wine

    For this dish: Closest to the real thing for deglazing.

    How: Swap 1:1.

    What changes: Closest in flavor of the alcohol-free options, though often a little sweeter. Non-alcoholic wine can still contain a small amount of alcohol (less than 0.5%).

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  3. White wine vinegar + water

    Works

    ½ cup white wine vinegar and ½ cup water

    For this dish: Deglazes and adds tang, but the flavor is sharper and thinner than wine.

    How: Mix 50/50 and use in place of the wine. Taste it, and add more water if it is too sharp.

    What changes: Much more acidic than wine and with no sweetness or fruit. Diluting softens the sharpness.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  4. White grape juice

    Works

    1 cup white grape juice

    For this dish: Good in lighter sauces, but too sweet for heavy or salty dishes.

    How: Swap 1:1 and add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to balance the sweetness.

    What changes: Similar grape flavor and color, but sweeter and less acidic. No alcohol.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  5. Water

    Avoid

    ¾ cup water

    For this dish: It lifts browned bits but adds no flavor to the sauce.

    How: Use 3/4 cup of water per cup of wine, and add lemon juice or vinegar if you can.

    What changes: Neutral. Keeps the liquid level right but adds no flavor or acid.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What white wine does in a recipe

Dry white wine adds acidity, a little sweetness and depth of flavor. The acid helps tenderize meat and vegetables, and the liquid lets you deglaze a pan and lift up browned bits. A substitute should supply liquid and some tang.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have white wine."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Added to the steps: Swap 1:1, then add a dash of white wine vinegar to taste. Hold off on salt until you have tasted, since broth is usually salted.
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When not to substitute

If the wine is the main flavor, as in a wine reduction or poached fruit, a substitute will change the dish a lot. In tested canning recipes, never swap anything.

Common questions

What can I use instead of white wine in cooking?

Chicken or vegetable broth with a dash of white wine vinegar is the easiest swap. White grape juice with a little acid and non-alcoholic wine also work.

Does the alcohol cook out of white wine?

Not fully. USDA's table lists about 40% retained after 15 minutes of simmering and about 25% after an hour. Even after 2 hours about 10% remains.

Can I use white wine vinegar instead of white wine?

Yes, but dilute it. Mixing it 50/50 with water is a common starting point. It is much more acidic than wine, so taste before adding more.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

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