A fortified Spanish wine aged under flor or oxidatively, ranging from bone dry and saline to nutty and amber. In the kitchen it is the workhorse behind Chinese stir-fries, mushroom sauces and Iberian braises.
What it does in a recipe: Aromatic alcohol with nutty oxidised depth — it deglazes, adds savoury complexity, and stands up to strong flavours. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Fino sherry, Amontillado, Cooking sherry
4substitutes
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Wine & spiritscategory
Quick answer
Shaoxing wine
1/4 cup dry sherry = 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace dry sherry
Shaoxing wine
Closest match
1/4 cup dry sherry = 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
The two are the standard mutual substitute: both are aged, oxidised, faintly nutty fermented wines at similar strength, which is why Chinese recipes so often list sherry as the fallback.
Trade-offShaoxing is a little sweeter and saltier, particularly the cooking-grade bottles sold with salt added.
CookingSaucesDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free
Allergen checkShaoxing wine is brewed from glutinous rice with a wheat-based starter, so it is not gluten-free. Salted cooking versions also carry significant sodium.
Dry vermouth
Reliable
1/4 cup dry sherry = 1/4 cup dry vermouth
Also a fortified wine at a similar alcohol level, so it deglazes and reduces the same way and brings its own aromatic complexity.
Trade-offHerbal and slightly bitter rather than nutty and saline. Good in a mushroom sauce, less right in a Spanish dish.
1/4 cup dry sherry = 1/4 cup chicken or mushroom broth + 1 tsp sherry vinegar
Broth supplies the liquid and savoury weight while sherry vinegar carries the actual oxidised, nutty note that makes sherry recognisable — a rare case where the vinegar and the wine really do share a flavour.
MethodStir the vinegar in near the end so its aroma survives.
Trade-offLess aromatic lift, since alcohol carries volatile compounds in a way water does not. The dish reads slightly quieter.
CookingSaucesAlcohol-freeEgg-freeNut-free
Allergen checkCheck the broth for wheat, celery, soy and dairy, all common in commercial stock products.
Dry white wine
Reliable
1/4 cup dry sherry = 1/4 cup dry white wine + a pinch of salt
Similar acidity and deglazing behaviour from the same grape base, with a pinch of salt to nod at sherry's saline edge.
Trade-offBrighter and fruitier, missing the oxidised nuttiness entirely. Fine in a pan sauce, thin in a sherry-forward soup.
Alcohol does not fully evaporate in cooking, so choose the broth-and-vinegar route if alcohol is being avoided rather than assuming a simmer removes it. Bottles labelled 'cooking sherry' are heavily salted and worth avoiding; a cheap drinking fino costs little more and tastes far better.
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.