4 Easy Substitutes for White Wine

As great as wine is to cook with, I don’t normally keep any around to use. So if a recipe calls for it, I’m often left wondering what to do. If you find yourself in the same boat, you've come to the right place.

Why Use Wine In Cooking? 

When you add white wine to food, what happens? A few things, but most importantly, the wine will balance any rich foods or sauces in the dish and add some brightness or nuance to your meal. White wine is acidic, so if you want to replicate the effects of wine, you’ll need to use more acidic foods. 

There are likely a few in your home right now, so if you don’t have white wine, there are several quick fixes to choose from—and what is cooking if not improvisation.

What to Substitute for White Wine

1. Vinegar: White wine, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar are all great substitutes for white wine. White wine vinegar is acidic like wine, but more so. It will replicate wine more closely than other ingredients, but you don't need to use as much. If you are substituting white wine for white wine vinegar, measure half the amount you normally would with another equal part of water or broth.
2. Broth: Broth adds both liquid, which helps your sauce come together, and flavor as wine would. Broth might not be as acidic as wine, but what you do get with broth is a concentrated liquid and lots of flavor. If you have broth but no wine, you might as well use it.
3. Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is the most acidic among these four ingredients. Lemon juice, whether squeezed from fresh lemons or added from the bottle, will bring that brightness to your recipe that you are looking for in white wine. Lemons might not offer the same big flavor that wine can, but it will definitely improve your dinner. 
4. White Grape Juice: White grape juice resembles wine in one very important way: They both come from grapes. If you are looking to replicate the flavor that white wine lends to food, white grape juice is a great substitute. Grape juice is much sweeter than wine, so you may still need to balance your dish out with a little lemon juice or vinegar.