Substitutions

What can I use instead of balsamic vinegar?

Cooked grape must aged in wood, dark, syrupy and distinctly sweet as well as sour. Supermarket balsamic is mostly wine vinegar with grape must and sometimes caramel; traditional aged balsamic is a different and far more concentrated thing.

What it does in a recipe: Sweet-sour acidity with body and colour — it glazes and reduces where a thin vinegar would just evaporate. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Aceto balsamico, Balsamic vinegar of Modena

4substitutes

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Acids & vinegarscategory

Quick answer

Red wine vinegar + sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar = 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup

All substitutes, best first

4 ways to replace balsamic vinegar

Red wine vinegar + sugar

Reliable

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar = 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup

Balsamic is sweet and syrupy where red wine vinegar is lean and sharp, so the sugar is doing essential work — without it the swap tastes thin and aggressive rather than balanced.

MethodWarm gently or stir until the sugar dissolves fully, or it will settle out at the bottom of a dressing.

Trade-offThinner and less glossy, so it will not cling to roasted vegetables or reduce to a syrup as readily.

CookingSaucesRaw / no-cookVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Sherry vinegar + honey

Reliable

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar = 1 tbsp sherry vinegar + 1/2 tsp honey

Sherry vinegar's oak ageing gives it a depth balsamic shares, and honey supplies both the sweetness and some of the missing viscosity.

Trade-offNuttier and paler. Use maple syrup rather than honey to keep it vegan; the flavour lands slightly closer to balsamic anyway.

CookingSaucesRaw / no-cookVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Balsamic glaze, thinned

Reliable

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar = 2 tsp balsamic glaze + 1 tsp water

Glaze is balsamic already reduced with added sweetener, so loosening it returns it to roughly pouring vinegar consistency.

Trade-offSweeter and less acidic than the vinegar it came from, so a dressing may need an extra squeeze of lemon to balance.

SaucesRaw / no-cookVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Red wine vinegar + grape juice

Reliable

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar = 2 tsp red wine vinegar + 1 tsp dark grape juice

Grape juice is closer to balsamic's actual origin than plain sugar, bringing fruit body alongside sweetness.

MethodSimmer the mixture for a couple of minutes to concentrate it if you want something closer to balsamic's texture.

Trade-offFruitier and looser, and it lacks the woody note that ageing gives real balsamic.

CookingSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free

Worth knowing

Some inexpensive balsamics use caramel colour and thickeners whose gluten status is not always clear, which is why no gluten-free claim is made here. If it matters, check the bottle.

At a glance

Balsamic vinegar in summary

Category	Acids & vinegars
Job in a recipe	Sweet-sour acidity with body and colour — it glazes and reduces where a thin vinegar would just evaporate
Suits	Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free
Swaps available for	Alcohol-free Dairy-free Egg-free Gluten-free Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Vegetarian
Number of substitutes	4

More acids & vinegars

Apple cider vinegar4 substitutes Cream of tartar4 substitutes Lemon juice5 substitutes Lime juice4 substitutes Red wine vinegar4 substitutes Rice vinegar4 substitutes

Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.