Substitutions for Shaoxing Wine
“Is there a substitute for the Shaoxing wine?” is one of the most common questions we get on the blog. While we consider it an essential ingredient in many recipes, here are our recommended Shaoxing wine substitutes if you can't locate it, or choose not to consume alcohol.
Ingredients
Shaoxing wine substitutes:
- Dry cooking sherry (ideal for a gluten-free substitute as well)
- Any Chinese rice wine (such as clear rice wine or mi chiu/mijiu)
- Dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, chardonnay, or riesling)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine, usually meant for drinking)
- Korean rice wine (cooking wine)
- Soju (a Korean distilled beverage usually made from rice, wheat, or barley)
- Mirin (reduce sugar in recipe if using mirin, as it is quite sweet)
Non-alcoholic Shaoxing wine substitutes:
- Chicken stock
- Vegetable stock
- Mushroom stock
- Pork stock
- Beef stock
- Non-alcoholic beer
- Non-alcoholic white wine
- water (if only to deglaze or add moisture)
Instructions
- Any of the above substitutes can replace Shaoxing wine in a 1:1 ratio, as long as the amounts called for in the recipe are less than 2 tablespoons. If using mirin, omit or reduce the sugar in the recipe.
- The closest substitutes above are dry cooking sherry and alternative Chinese rice wines.