Out of Rice wine, one case

Non-alcoholic substitute for rice wine

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Chicken or vegetable broth + sugar

1 cup broth + 1 tsp sugar for every cup of rice wine

Use chicken or vegetable broth in the same amount as the rice wine, with 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup, which is a small pinch per tablespoon. It gives the savory depth and the liquid but not the aroma. For a sweeter rice wine such as mirin, white grape juice with a little rice vinegar is closer. Sake, mirin and Shaoxing cooking wine all contain alcohol, and rice vinegar alone is not a substitute.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Use low-sodium broth and taste before adding the soy sauce or salt the recipe lists. For 1 tablespoon of rice wine, use 1 tablespoon broth and a small pinch of sugar.
Best for —: stir-fry sauces
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full rice wine card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Rice wine substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup rice wine	Verdict
1	Chicken or vegetable broth + sugarstir-fry sauces	1 cup broth + 1 tsp sugarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	White grape juice + rice vinegarreplacing mirin or sweet rice wine	1 cup juice + 1 tbsp rice vinegarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Mushroom brothvegetarian braises and stir-fries	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Apple juicesweet glazes and marinades	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Rice vinegar on its own	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Chicken or vegetable broth + sugar

savory and rounder; the wine's fragrance is missing

Broth replaces the liquid and the savory side of rice wine, and the pinch of sugar stands in for its faint sweetness. It is the safest choice for stir-fry sauces and braises.

Best for: stir-fry sauces, braises and red-cooked dishes, soups and steamed dishes
Prep: Use low-sodium broth and taste before adding the soy sauce or salt the recipe lists. For 1 tablespoon of rice wine, use 1 tablespoon broth and a small pinch of sugar.
Suits: alcohol-free
Where it fails: Dishes named for the wine, such as drunken chicken, where rice wine is the main flavor.

White grape juice + rice vinegar

sweeter and fruitier

Grape juice has the fruit and sweetness of a wine, and the vinegar adds the slight sharpness that keeps it from tasting like juice.

Best for: replacing mirin or sweet rice wine, teriyaki and other glazes, marinades
Prep: Start with this mix in the same amount as the rice wine, and cut any sugar or honey in the recipe by about half, then taste.
Suits: alcohol-free, vegan
Where it fails: Savory dishes that used a dry rice wine such as Shaoxing: the sweetness is too much. Use broth there. Glazes with juice scorch sooner, so watch the heat.

For a tablespoon, use 1 tablespoon juice and a few drops of rice vinegar.

Mushroom broth

earthy and savory, with no sweetness

Mushroom broth, or the strained soaking water from dried shiitake, brings an earthy depth that sits close to the aged flavor of Shaoxing wine.

Best for: vegetarian braises and stir-fries, dumpling and wonton fillings, noodle soups
Prep: Strain soaking liquid through a fine sieve to leave the grit behind.
Suits: alcohol-free, vegan
Where it fails: Light seafood dishes and pale sauces, where the color and the mushroom flavor take over.

Apple juice

noticeably of apple, and sweeter

Unsweetened apple juice gives sweetness and a little fruit acid. It works in small amounts where the rice wine was there to sweeten and loosen a sauce.

Best for: sweet glazes and marinades, recipes that use 1 or 2 tablespoons
Prep: Cut the sugar in the recipe and taste. Thin it half and half with water if the dish is savory.
Suits: alcohol-free, vegan
Where it fails: Anything that uses more than a few tablespoons, where the apple flavor comes through.

Rice vinegar on its own

sharp and sour

Rice vinegar is made from rice wine, but it is an acid. Rice wine is not sour.

Best for: a few drops added to juice or broth, as in the rows above
Where it fails: Swapped measure for measure, it makes the dish sour. A tablespoon of vinegar where the recipe wanted a tablespoon of wine is enough to throw off a stir-fry sauce.

Tips for substituting rice wine

5 tips

Match the swap to the wine. For Shaoxing or other dry Chinese rice wine, use broth. For mirin or sweet rice wine, use white grape juice with rice vinegar.
In a meat or seafood marinade, rice wine is partly there to cover strong smells. Add 2 or 3 thin slices of fresh ginger to the broth to do that job.
Most stir-fries use 1 to 2 tablespoons of rice wine. At that amount you can also leave it out and add the same measure of water or broth so the sauce is not short.
Check labels. Shaoxing cooking wine, mirin, aji-mirin and cooking sake all contain alcohol, even the salted supermarket versions.
Taste for salt at the end. Broth adds sodium the wine did not, so hold back some of the soy sauce until you have tasted.

Questions

4 questions

What is a non-alcoholic substitute for Chinese rice wine?

Chicken, vegetable or mushroom broth in the same amount, with a small pinch of sugar per tablespoon. It replaces the savory depth of Shaoxing wine but not its aroma. In a stir-fry that uses a tablespoon or two, the difference is small.

Does the alcohol in rice wine cook off?

Not all of it. USDA figures show that a dish simmered for 15 minutes keeps about 40 percent of the alcohol added, and one cooked for 2 ½ hours keeps about 5 percent. A quick stir-fry has less time to lose it. If you need a dish with no alcohol, use a substitute.

Is rice vinegar the same as rice wine?

No. Rice vinegar, also sold as rice wine vinegar, is rice wine that has been fermented further into an acid. It has no meaningful alcohol, but it is sour and cannot replace rice wine measure for measure.

Is mirin alcohol-free?

No. True mirin is about 14 percent alcohol, and the mirin-style seasonings sold in most supermarkets are lower but usually not zero. Some brands sell an alcohol-free mirin-style seasoning; check the label.