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Red Wine Substitute
Do not have red wine on hand? Consider using any red wine substitute instead. This article provides you a list of non-alcoholic red wine substitutes to be used anytime.
Wine is an extremely popular and classy beverage made from fermented grape juices. Many people consume wine instead of regular alcohol, although it is alcoholic in nature for its authentic taste and richness.
In addition to parties and romantic date nights, wine is often used in the kitchen for cooking to moisturize and tenderize the meat. It is also used to deglaze the pain.
If you run out of red wine anytime soon, or if you have completely decided to get rid of all the alcoholic beverages, you can entirely depend upon the following non-alcoholic red wine substitutes for cooking. These have the ability to make your food as delicious and interesting as red wine did, try for yourself.
Red Wine Substitute- Which One Will You Try?
Pomegranate Juice
This red wine substitute has the best flavor out of all. Pomegranate juice has fruity, rich flavors. It is fairly acidic in nature and can boost the flavors of any food you are preparing. You can totally compare this red wine substitute with the aroma, flavor, and acidity of the red wine itself. Both are quite the same in all characteristics to be used in cooking.
Since this juice is slightly less acidic as compared to red wine, you can just mix it with one tbsp of vinegar as it will result in a strong flavor more similar to red wine.
Pomegranate tastes are absolutely amazing with some special dishes. It works well when you add it to sauce and salad dressings or in the glaze for veggies. Not only does it taste similar and amazing, but it also has several health benefits which makes it a must-use red wine substitute. It is highly rich in antioxidants and studies suggest that suing pomegranate juice lowers blood pressure thus reducing the risk of developing any heart diseases.
2. Cranberry juice
Cranberry juice is a tart refreshment that makes an excellent substitute for red wine nonetheless. This red wine substitute has similar color, acidity, and flavor as the red wine. It also deepens the flavor of any recipe making it taste so much better.
Similar to the pomegranate juice, you can easily replace wine using cranberry juices just make sure the ratio is 1:1.
Use it in cooking versions where extra sugar is not added as cranberry juice is already sweet in nature. If you do not take these precautions your recipe may taste sweeter than you want it to be and most people do not like extra sweetness in their food.
Additionally, if you want to reduce the sweetness of cranberry, just mix a tbsp of vinegar before preparing the recipe, this will even out the taste to make the perfect dish as your desire.
Similar to pomegranate, this red wine substitute also has health benefits to offer. Studies reveal that cranberry juice can be used to reduce the occurrence of infections in the urinary tract and highly rich in antioxidants that can help fight disease-causing inflammations.
3. Ginger Ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated drink flavored with ginger as the name suggests. This drink also makes an amazing red wine substitute for cooking purposes. It also contains few other ingredients like cane sugar, lemon, line, etc that make it perfect to be used.
Due to its almost same appearance, it can be a good substitute for white wine in food. You can replace white wine using ginger ale in the same proportions as wine.
As you know vinegar is acidic in nature. The acidity of ginger ale makes it a perfect tenderizer for meat which means it can break down the proteins in the meat making it easier to chew and soft.
The taste is not always similar, it somewhat differs. Although they have a sweet and similar dry taste, you should only use ginger ale in those recipes that can be prepared with some ginger flavor in it, otherwise, skip to another red wine substitute.
4. Red and Wine Vinegar
Vinegar is an acidic and fermented liquid mostly used in cooking. You might have used it in a lot of recipes now and then. The main component of vinegar is acetic acid and water as well as same compounds that are present in wine which makes it a good red wine substitutes.
Vinegar is also produced from the ingredients like malt, rice, coconut water, and apple cider. Red and white wine vinegar both can be used as great substitutes for red wine in cooking. Their flavors are quite similar to wine and they do not substantially affect the taste of the dish.
Generally, wine kinds of vinegar can be used to prepare liquid-based recipes such as marinades and dressings. You might use red wine vinegar most often with beef, veggies, and pork, while white wine vinegar in some less hearty recipes like chicken and fish for an instant.
Know that wine vinegar is more acidic in nature as compared to regular wine vinegar. so it is suggested that you dilute it with another ingredient before prepping recipes out of it. Try mixing with water to form a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar.
Also, vinegar might contain some traces amount of alcohol although when fermentation is carried out it usually disappears. The alcohol content is also reduced during cooking time. However, if you are not allowed to use alcohol for health concerns, you may totally avoid using this red wine substitute and go for another one.
5. White or Red Grape Juice
Grape juice is another beverage having rich flavors which makes it great for being a red wine substitute. Wine and grape juice almost has similar colors and flavors, you can easily replace wine using grape juice in any recipe given that you keep the ratio 1:1. Naturally, white wine can be replaced with white grape juice and red grapes in place of red wine.
If you do not want the recipe to be sweeter, just dilute it using a bit of vinegar which naturally enhaces the acidity while increasing the tartness. When you combine grape juice with vinegar, you get an excellent marinade for veggies and meats.
Grape juice not only forms an excellent red wine substitute, but it also has health benefits like it is rich in polyphenol antioxidants. These are studies for their benefits to boost the immune system working and lower risks related to heart like high blood pressure.
6. Vegetable stock, Chicken, and Beef
Beef, chicken, and vegetable broth or stocks are liquids that can be used as a base for several different recipes including some soups and sauces.
Stock is usually prepared by simmering the animal meat, bones, seafood, and veggies in water. Vegetable scraps, herbs, and spices are added most often to increase the flavor of broth or stock. The purpose is to tenderize and simmer the meat.
Beef broth mainly has a deeper flavor and color, so it works as the best red wine substitute among these. On the other hand, you can use vegetable and chicken broth to replace white wine when in need.
Depending upon the flavors you like, you can replace wine with these stocks in an equal ratio. However, it is important to know that stocks are mild in flavors and savory. They are not as acidic as wine is.
If you want extra flavor, or want to tenderize the meat in the recipe, you may add a tbsp of vinegar per cup stock in the recipe.
7. Liquid From Canned Mushrooms
Canned mushrooms are often mixed with liquids that absorb the flavors a mushroom has. You can use the flavors a mushroom posses as a substitute for red wine. Since the state of mushrooms is savory, it can be used in similar dishes.
But if you want a sweet recipe, you can mix mushrooms with pomegranate or cranberry juice.
Note that canned mushrooms and the liquid inside them can contain higher sodium. If you wish to control your sodium content, try to choose low-sodium mushrooms or use another red wine substitute.
8. Tomato Juice
Tomato juice is an easily available red wine substitute and perfect solution in absence of red wine. It somewhat has an acidic and bitter flavor. It is added to many recipes for increasing the flavor of recipes.
You can easily use tomato juice instead of red wine while cooking your favorite dishes. Since this juice is already bitter, you can mix it with some other juice to sweeten the flavor. It works pretty well with those recipes that require marinating.
The taste of tomato juice is different from red wine, when you are cooking the recipe, you must check the taste to confirm that the taste is as per your desire or not. Not only tomato juice is excellent for cooking but it also has health benefits as it is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and many other nutrients.
It is also rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant and has been studied for its benefits to reduce heart disease risk and cancers of several types.
9. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice can make a red wine substitute as it has a sour flavor. Spur flavor is basically a key ingredient in many dishes. Adding lemon is a great way to enhance the flavors especially for a tangy taste. It is acidic so can be added to marinades to tenderize the meat.
Due to similar functions, white wine can also be replaced with lemon juice in cooking. However, it is quite tart, so do not add lemon juice as same as you wound add wine as it may make the recipe’s tangy taste overpowering all other flavors.
Before adding it to any recipe, make sure you dilute it with equal water parts. Lemon juice is also rich in nutrients and has vitamin C along with magnesium, potassium, vitamin B, and vitamin E.
10. Apple Juice
Apple juice is sweet but makes an excellent addition to be added to a lot of recipes. Its light color and sweetness make it a great non-alcoholic red wine substitute.
If your recipe calls for a very little amount of wine, it is best to use apple juice without a doubt, you will be able to achieve all the flavors you desire in this way.
It is also an excellent juice for sauces used to marinate little lighter dishes.
These were 10 amazing red wine substitutes for you to be used in cooking.
