Dry White Wine Substitute: Best Options for Cooking

The best dry white wine substitute for cooking is dry vermouth, used one for one. If you do not have that, use chicken or vegetable stock with a squeeze of lemon. Both give you the acidity and savoury depth that white wine brings to a pan, and neither needs a trip to the bottle shop.

Here is the whole answer in one table, then the detail on each option.

Substitute	How much for 1 cup (250 ml) of wine	Best for
Dry vermouth	1 cup, no changes	Everything: risotto, pan sauces, seafood, chicken
Chicken or vegetable stock + lemon	1 cup stock + 1 tablespoon lemon juice	Braises, soups, deglazing
White wine vinegar + water	2 tablespoons vinegar + the rest water	Deglazing, sharp sauces
Lemon juice + water	¼ cup lemon juice + ¾ cup water	Fish, light sauces
Non-alcoholic white wine	1 cup, no changes	Anywhere you would use wine
White grape or apple juice + vinegar	¾ cup juice + 2 tablespoons vinegar	Sweeter dishes, glazes

Table of Contents

1. What dry white wine actually does in a recipe
2. 1. Dry vermouth: the substitute that is actually better
3. 2. Stock and lemon: the one you already have
4. 3. Vinegar and water: for deglazing
5. 4. Lemon juice and water: for fish
6. 5. Non-alcoholic wine: the closest flavour
7. 6. Juice and vinegar: last resort
8. Which substitute for which dish
9. Two mistakes to avoid
10. Frequently asked questions

What dry white wine actually does in a recipe

Three things. It adds acidity, which brightens rich food the way lemon does. It adds a savoury, slightly fruity background flavour that stock alone does not have. And it deglazes: when you pour it into a hot pan, it lifts the browned bits off the bottom and turns them into sauce.

Any substitute has to cover at least the first and third of those. That is why plain water fails (no acid, no flavour) and why the options below are ranked the way they are.

1. Dry vermouth: the substitute that is actually better

Dry vermouth is white wine that has been fortified to about 18% alcohol and flavoured with herbs. In a pan it behaves exactly like dry white wine, and America’s Test Kitchen’s tasters found sauces made with it were only “a little sweeter and more herbal” than the wine versions. The real win is that an open bottle keeps in the fridge for months, where an open white wine is dead within a week.

Use it one for one. It is a touch sweeter than most dry whites, so if the dish is delicate, hold back a tablespoon and add a squeeze of lemon. Keep a bottle of Noilly Prat or Dolin in the fridge door and you will never be caught out again. Our vermouth guide covers which one to buy.

2. Stock and lemon: the one you already have

Chicken or vegetable stock gives you the savoury depth; lemon gives you the acid. Use a cup of stock for a cup of wine and add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Salt-reduced stock is safer because the wine you are replacing had no salt in it, and you will be reducing the sauce.

This works in braises, soups, stews and anything with a long cook. It is a bit flat in a quick pan sauce for fish, where the wine’s fruit would normally show; add a second squeeze of lemon at the end.

3. Vinegar and water: for deglazing

White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar diluted with water gives you the acid and the deglazing power. The old rule of half vinegar, half water is too sharp; two tablespoons of vinegar topped up to a cup with water is closer to the acidity of wine. Taste before you add more.

Best for deglazing a pan after searing chicken or pork. Not great in risotto, where you will taste the vinegar.

4. Lemon juice and water: for fish

A quarter cup of lemon juice with three quarters of a cup of water. It is the brightest option and suits fish, prawns and anything Mediterranean. Too much and the dish tastes of lemon rather than dinner, so start with less and add.

5. Non-alcoholic wine: the closest flavour

If you are avoiding alcohol altogether, a non-alcoholic dry white does the same job as the real thing. Use it one for one. It will be slightly sweeter and a little less complex, so a squeeze of lemon helps. We have tasted our way through the local options in our guide to the best non-alcoholic wines in Australia.

6. Juice and vinegar: last resort

White grape juice or apple juice with two tablespoons of vinegar per three quarters of a cup of juice. It covers the acid and adds fruit, but it is sweet, so it only suits dishes that can handle it: glazed pork, a sweet and sour sauce, some Asian dishes. Skip it for risotto or seafood.

Which substitute for which dish

Dish	Use	Avoid
Risotto	Dry vermouth, or stock and lemon	Vinegar, juice
Pan sauce for chicken or pork	Dry vermouth, or vinegar and water	Juice
Fish, prawns, mussels	Dry vermouth, or lemon and water	Stock alone
Braises, stews, soups	Stock and lemon	Lemon and water (too thin)
Cream sauces	Dry vermouth, or non-alcoholic wine	Vinegar (can split the cream)
Steamed clams or mussels	Dry vermouth, or non-alcoholic wine	Juice

Two mistakes to avoid

Do not use “cooking wine” from the supermarket. It is loaded with salt and tastes like it. Any drinkable dry white at $10 is better, and dry vermouth is better still.

Do not use a sweet wine. Moscato, a sweet Riesling or a cask “fruity white” will make the dish taste like dessert. If sweet is all you have, add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of it. And if you want to understand why some whites are sweet and others are not, that is residual sugar, and we have a short guide to it.

Frequently asked questions