Turron substitutes

The Italian version of the same sweet, built from the same honey, sugar, whipped egg white and toasted nuts, and sold in most supermarkets around the holidays.

Best for

hard turron, eating as a sweet, chopping into ice cream, gift boxes, smashing over desserts

Close to indistinguishable in the right form, since turron and torrone are the same tradition under two languages. Two things to watch: Italian torrone is often made softer and chewier than turron de Alicante, and many versions use hazelnuts or a mix, which changes the aroma noticeably. Some are flavoured with vanilla or candied citrus. Read the label and buy an almond version if you can.

Toasted almonds set in cooked honey and sugar, either homemade or bought as croquant, praline brittle or Greek pasteli with almonds.

Best for

hard turron, crushing as a topping, folding into ice cream or semifreddo, decorating cakes, cheesecake bases

The toasted almond and honey flavours are right and the crunch is right. Because there is no whipped egg white it is glassier, darker and denser than turron de Alicante, which is pale and slightly aerated, and it tastes a little sweeter and more caramelised. If you are crushing it into something, nobody will notice; if you are serving squares of it on a plate, they will.

Almond paste kneaded with a little honey until it smells of honey rather than just almond, which rebuilds the two dominant flavours of turron de Jijona.

Best for

soft turron de Jijona, cake and pastry fillings, turron ice cream, truffles and brigadeiro variations, stirred into cream

The best available match for the soft version. Almond paste is closer than marzipan because it contains a higher proportion of almonds and less sugar. What differs is texture: real Jijona is oilier and crumblier because the almonds are ground so fine that they release their oil, whereas almond paste stays smooth and putty-like. It is also less salty, so add a small pinch of salt.

Sweetened ground almond paste, sold in every supermarket baking aisle, kneaded with honey to push it toward turron's flavour.

Best for

soft turron, fillings, no-bake desserts, coating and decorating

Available everywhere, which is its main virtue. Marzipan is considerably sweeter than turron de Jijona and often carries almond extract, so it tastes candied and perfumed rather than nutty and rounded. Reduce any other sugar in the recipe by about a quarter, add a pinch of salt, and expect a smoother, sweeter, less oily result.

Middle Eastern halva, made from ground sesame and sugar syrup, which has almost exactly the crumbly, oily, melts-under-pressure structure of soft turron.

Best for

soft turron in ice cream, crumbling over desserts, layered puddings, nut-free versions

Structurally the best match for Jijona on this list, which surprises people. The flavour is unmistakably sesame, toastier and with a slight bitterness that almond does not have, so a turron ice cream made with halva is delicious and tastes like halva ice cream. Also the practical answer for anyone avoiding tree nuts, though sesame is itself a major allergen.

Commercial soft white nougat, which is built on the same honey and whipped egg white base as turron.

Best for

chopping into desserts, cheesecake and ice cream mix-ins, when you need something nougat-shaped

The base is right, so it behaves correctly when chopped and folded. Commercial bars add glucose syrup, vanilla and often pistachios or candied cherries, so they taste sweeter, softer and less purely of almond. Nougat de Montelimar is the better-quality version and closer to turron. Avoid chocolate-covered nougat bars, which bring their own flavour entirely.