Butterscotch Schnapps substitute

Best substitute

Caramel or salted caramel liqueur

Use the same amount as the butterscotch schnapps you are replacing

Best for shots such as a Buttery Nipple

Close match

Butterscotch schnapps is doing three things at once: it sweetens, it carries a brown sugar and butter flavour, and it contributes a modest amount of alcohol that thins the drink and spreads the aroma. Caramel or salted caramel liqueur is the closest bottle and swaps 1:1, tasting a little more burnt-sugar and a little less buttery. If you have no liqueur, build it: 1/2 teaspoon butterscotch extract plus 1 ounce simple syrup plus 1 ounce vodka gives you roughly 2 ounces of stand-in. Dark rum stirred with an equal amount of rich brown sugar syrup works 1:1 and tastes deeper and more molasses-driven. For a non-alcoholic version, thin butterscotch ice-cream topping with a little water to a pourable syrup and use about two thirds the volume, since it is much sweeter.

Other butterscotch schnapps substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Butterscotch extract plus simple syrup plus vodka
Close match
Per 2 oz of schnapps: ½ tsp butterscotch extract, 1 oz simple syrup, 1 oz vodka
The build-it-yourself version, and the most accurate flavour match because you are using the actual butterscotch flavouring rather than a neighbouring one.
What changes
Best for
matching a recipe exactly, shots and dessert cocktails, baking, where the alcohol mostly cooks off, controlling the sweetness
Tastes cleaner and more directly of butterscotch than the bottled liqueur, which usually has a creamy vanilla softness underneath. Extracts vary a lot in strength, so start with a quarter teaspoon and taste. For a rounder result use a rich syrup made with 2 parts brown sugar to 1 part water instead of plain simple syrup. Leave out the vodka entirely for a non-alcoholic version and the flavour holds up fine.
3Dark rum plus brown sugar syrup
Different taste
1 part dark rum to 1 part rich brown sugar syrup, used 1:1 for the schnapps
Rum is the spirit whose natural flavour sits closest to butterscotch, since molasses is what butterscotch is built on, and it gives a genuinely delicious drink.
What changes
Best for
cocktails rather than shots, hot buttered rum style drinks, coffee and hot chocolate, poaching fruit and dessert sauces
Deeper, darker and much more molasses-forward, with rum funk and oak that butterscotch schnapps does not have, so the drink tastes more grown-up and considerably less like a sweet shot. It is also stronger in alcohol, so a shot recipe becomes noticeably boozier. To make the syrup, stir 1 cup dark brown sugar into 1/2 cup hot water until dissolved and cool it.
4Irish cream plus a few drops of butterscotch extract
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount plus ¼ tsp extract per 2 oz
Already sweet, already around the right strength, and already a dessert liqueur, so it slots into the same recipes with minimal fuss.
What changes
Best for
creamy shots, coffee drinks, milkshake-style cocktails, when Irish cream is the only sweet bottle in the house
The big change is appearance and body: a clear golden shot becomes opaque and beige, and the texture goes from syrupy to creamy. In a Buttery Nipple, which is already butterscotch schnapps layered under Irish cream, this collapses the whole point of the drink into one milky layer. Flavour-wise it is pleasant, with chocolate and whiskey notes joining the butterscotch. Do not shake it with citrus, since the acid will curdle it.
5Butterscotch sauce or ice-cream topping, thinned
Taste and texture differ
2 parts sauce to 1 part hot water; use about ⅔ the volume of schnapps called for
The non-alcoholic answer, and it has the truest butterscotch flavour of anything on the list because that is literally what it is.
What changes
Best for
mocktails and family-friendly drinks, milkshakes and coffee, desserts, sauces and frostings, cooking, where alcohol is unwanted
Far sweeter and much thicker than schnapps even after thinning, so it will make a drink cloying if you match the volume exactly, and it can leave a syrupy trail down the glass. It is also usually dairy-based, which makes a clear drink cloudy. Because there is no alcohol, the aroma does not lift out of the glass the same way, so the flavour reads flatter even though it is stronger.
6Dulce de leche or caramel sauce, thinned
Taste and texture differ
2 parts dulce de leche to 1 part hot water or milk; use about ⅔ the volume
A close relative in flavour, since both are cooked milk and sugar, and widely available in tins and jars.
What changes
Best for
coffee drinks and iced lattes, dessert sauces, frosting and filling, non-alcoholic versions
Milkier and more caramelised than butterscotch, without the distinct buttery note, and it turns any drink opaque and considerably richer. It is very sweet, so cut other sugar in the recipe. A pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla pushes the flavour convincingly towards butterscotch. Not suitable where the drink needs to stay clear or where you want to layer.
7Amaretto (a substitution of convenience, not of flavour)
Different taste
Use the same amount
Included honestly because it is the sweet liqueur most home bars actually own, and in a shot recipe with several other ingredients its job of adding sweetness and alcohol is covered.
What changes
Best for
shot recipes with strong competing flavours, coffee drinks, when there is nothing else sweet in the cupboard
Tastes clearly of almond and marzipan, not butterscotch, so the drink is recognisably different rather than a near miss; a Buttery Nipple made with amaretto is just a different shot. It works because the sweetness and strength are in the same range. If you have butterscotch extract, a quarter teaspoon per 2 ounces of amaretto muddles the almond enough to pass in a mixed drink.

What is Butterscotch Schnapps?

Butterscotch Schnapps is a sweet, pale gold butterscotch liqueur of around 15 to 20 percent alcohol, best known under the brand name Buttershots, and in a shot or a dessert cocktail it is doing three jobs at once - sweetening the drink, carrying a brown sugar and butter flavour, and adding enough syrupy weight to sit as its own layer.

Cooking tips

Butterscotch schnapps is low-proof and syrupy, so it also acts as a thickener in a shot. When you swap in a full-strength spirit such as rum or vodka, add a little syrup alongside it or the drink will taste thin and harsh where it should feel round.
Layered shots depend on density, not flavour. Butterscotch schnapps is dense because of its sugar load, which is why Irish cream floats on top of it. If you swap in something less sugary the layers will not hold, so either pour very slowly over the back of a spoon or accept a mixed shot.
A pinch of flaky salt makes almost any butterscotch substitute taste more like butterscotch, because salt is what distinguishes butterscotch from plain caramel in most people's memory. Add it to the syrup, not to the finished drink, so it dissolves.
In baking, where the alcohol evaporates anyway, butterscotch extract plus a little extra brown sugar is a straight and cheaper swap for schnapps: use 1/2 teaspoon of extract and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar per 2 tablespoons of schnapps, plus a spoonful of milk or water for the lost liquid.
Butterscotch flavour depends on butter and brown sugar together, so if you are building a substitute from scratch, brown sugar syrup beats white sugar syrup every time, and a small knob of butter melted into a warm drink adds the richness that syrup alone cannot.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the butterscotch schnapps out?

In a shot with only two ingredients, no, because it is half the drink and all of the flavour. In a longer cocktail with several components you can omit it and add a little simple syrup to replace the sweetness, and the drink will still work, just without the butterscotch character. In a dessert or baking recipe, replace the volume with milk or water plus a teaspoon of brown sugar so the batter is not short of liquid.

What can I use for a Buttery Nipple?

That shot is just butterscotch schnapps with Irish cream floated on top, so the substitute has to be sweet, dense and clear enough to layer under the cream. Caramel liqueur is the best answer and behaves identically. Failing that, mix 1/2 teaspoon butterscotch extract into 1 1/2 ounces of rich brown sugar syrup with a splash of vodka, chill it well, and pour the Irish cream slowly over the back of a spoon.

Is Buttershots the same as butterscotch schnapps?

Buttershots is a brand of butterscotch schnapps, and the two names are used interchangeably in recipes. Anything sold as butterscotch liqueur is essentially the same product, though some brands are noticeably creamier and some are clearer and sharper. Strength is usually in the 15 to 20 percent range, well below a spirit, which matters when you are swapping in vodka or rum.

How do I make a non-alcoholic version?

Thin butterscotch ice-cream topping with hot water at about 2 parts sauce to 1 part water, or stir 1/2 teaspoon of butterscotch extract into 2 ounces of brown sugar syrup. Use around two thirds the volume the recipe asks for, since both are sweeter than the liqueur. The result tastes right but sits heavier in the glass and does not carry aroma the way alcohol does, so add a pinch of salt to lift it.

Can I use caramel sauce instead in a baking recipe?

Yes, and in baking it is often the better choice. Use about two thirds the volume of the schnapps called for, cut the recipe's sugar by a tablespoon or two, and add a spoonful of milk to make up the lost liquid. Because caramel sauce is thicker and contains dairy, the crumb will be slightly denser and richer, which in a butterscotch cake or blondie is a gain rather than a loss.

Related substitutes

More liquor substitutes

Butterscotch Schnapps substitute

Other butterscotch schnapps substitutes

2Butterscotch extract plus simple syrup plus vodka

3Dark rum plus brown sugar syrup

4Irish cream plus a few drops of butterscotch extract

5Butterscotch sauce or ice-cream topping, thinned

6Dulce de leche or caramel sauce, thinned

7Amaretto (a substitution of convenience, not of flavour)