Out of Marsala wine, one case

Non-alcoholic substitute for Marsala wine

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Stock + balsamic vinegar

Per ½ cup of Marsala wine

½ cup stock + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

For a savory dish such as chicken Marsala, replace the Marsala with the same amount of chicken or mushroom stock and add 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar per ½ cup, to taste. For a dessert, use white grape juice with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice per ½ cup. Neither tastes like Marsala: you keep the liquid, the acidity and some depth, and lose the nutty, caramel flavor of the wine.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Use unsalted or low-sodium stock, reduce it as the recipe reduces the wine, and stir the vinegar in at the end.
Best for —: chicken Marsala
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full Marsala wine card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Marsala wine substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of ½ cup Marsala wine	Verdict
1	Stock + balsamic vinegarchicken Marsala	½ cup stock + 1 tsp balsamic vinegarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	White grape juice + lemon juicezabaglione and other desserts	½ cup white grape juice + 2 tsp lemon juiceYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Dried mushroom soaking liquidchicken Marsala	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Dealcoholized winepan sauces	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Strong coffeetiramisu	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Cooking Marsala	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Stock + balsamic vinegar

savory and rounded, without the wine flavor

Chicken, mushroom or beef stock gives the sauce its volume and savor, and balsamic vinegar adds a little of Marsala's sweet-sharp edge and color. The teaspoon is a starting amount.

Best for: chicken Marsala, veal or pork with mushroom sauce, gravies and braises
Prep: Use unsalted or low-sodium stock, reduce it as the recipe reduces the wine, and stir the vinegar in at the end.
Where it fails: Desserts. Vinegar made from wine can hold a trace of alcohol; if you avoid alcohol entirely, use lemon juice in its place.

Regular stock gets salty when it is boiled down by half.

White grape juice + lemon juice

sweet and fruity, with no nutty or caramel note

Grape juice is the fruit Marsala is made from, without the fermentation. Lemon juice cuts the sweetness. This is the pick where the recipe calls for sweet Marsala.

Best for: zabaglione and other desserts, poached fruit, glazes
Prep: Use 100 percent juice with no added sugar.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: A savory pan sauce made with juice alone is sweet. Use half juice and half stock there, and do not boil it down by half as you would wine, because the sugar concentrates.

Dried mushroom soaking liquid

earthy and savory; not sweet

The dark liquid left from soaking dried porcini has a deep, savory flavor that fills some of the space Marsala leaves in a mushroom sauce.

Best for: chicken Marsala, mushroom risotto and pasta sauces, beef and veal braises
Prep: Soak ½ oz dried porcini in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes, strain the liquid through a paper towel to catch the grit, and add 1 tsp lemon juice per ½ cup.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: Desserts, and dishes with no mushroom in them, where the flavor is out of place.

Dealcoholized wine

like a light table wine; none of the fortified depth

Wine with the alcohol removed keeps a wine-like acidity and reduces the way wine does. It is thinner and less sweet than Marsala.

Best for: pan sauces, deglazing, cooks who are cutting alcohol down, not out
Prep: Add a pinch of sugar per ½ cup.
Where it fails: Anyone who must avoid alcohol completely: in the US a wine labeled non-alcoholic can contain up to 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Strong coffee

more coffee, no wine note

For tiramisu only. The Marsala there is a few tablespoons in the coffee soak or the cream, and the same amount of strong coffee or espresso keeps the liquid right.

Best for: tiramisu, coffee-soaked cakes
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: Zabaglione and any savory dish. In zabaglione the Marsala is the main flavor; use grape juice and lemon there.

Cooking Marsala

salty Marsala

The bottle sold as cooking Marsala or Marsala cooking wine next to the vinegars is real wine with salt added.

Best for: nothing, if the aim is to avoid alcohol
Where it fails: It contains alcohol, so it does not answer the question. The same goes for sherry, Madeira, port and vermouth.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeMarsala wine

Marsala brings four things to a dish: liquid, acidity, sweetness and a nutty, caramel flavor that comes from fortifying and aging the wine. A wine-free swap can cover the first three. Nothing without alcohol covers the fourth, so the honest aim is a sauce or dessert that is good in its own right.

Tips for substituting Marsala wine

4 tips

Chicken Marsala: brown the mushrooms well and scrape up the browned bits when the stock goes in. That browning supplies depth the wine would have added.
Add the acid last. Stir in 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice per ½ cup at the end, taste, and add more a few drops at a time.
Juice does not need reducing the way wine does. Simmer it only long enough to thicken the sauce, or the sugar concentrates and the dish turns sweet.
A sauce made with stock is leaner than one made with wine. Finishing it with 1 tbsp of butter off the heat gives back some body.

Questions

5 questions

Does the alcohol in Marsala cook off?

Not all of it. USDA data puts the alcohol left at about 40 percent after 15 minutes of simmering, about 25 percent after 1 hour and about 5 percent after 2 ½ hours. A quick pan sauce keeps a good share of it, which is why a wine-free swap is the answer if you need none.

How do I make chicken Marsala without wine?

Use the same amount of chicken or mushroom stock in place of the Marsala. Reduce it as the recipe says, then stir in 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar per ½ cup of stock and taste. It makes a good mushroom pan sauce; it will not taste of Marsala.

What replaces Marsala in tiramisu without alcohol?

Use the same amount of strong coffee or espresso, or leave the Marsala out and add nothing: it is only a few tablespoons. If the recipe cooks egg yolks with Marsala into a zabaglione, use white grape juice with a little lemon juice.

Are vanilla extract and wine vinegar alcohol-free?

No. Pure vanilla extract is at least 35 percent alcohol by US standard, so Marsala substitutes built on it are not alcohol-free. Wine vinegars can hold a trace. Stock, fruit juice and lemon juice have none.

Can I leave the Marsala out?

Replace the liquid even if you skip the flavor. A pan sauce needs the volume, so pour in the same amount of stock. Left out with nothing in its place, the sauce reduces to almost nothing and can scorch.