8 Great Substitutes for Marsala Wine (2024)

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Full-bodied and versatile, Marsala wine holds a well-earned spot on kitchen shelves and bar carts alike. You likely already associate this sweet, semi-sweet, or dry wine with a savory chicken Marsala, but it’s far from a one-trick pony. The Sicilian fortified wine also plays well alongside sautéed mushrooms and adds a sweet nuttiness to desserts like Zabaglione.

But if you’re stuck without a bottle, can you end up tossing in a red blend instead and call it good? We tapped chef Ann Ziata at the Institute of Culinary Education to share her best Marsala swaps.

“Adding wine and spirits to cooking and baking is like adding any other herb — it’s so much fun to play with,” she says.

Marsala brings a well-balanced tanginess and extra oomph of flavor but still stays muted enough to complement flavorful recipes. When searching your pantry for an appropriate stand-in, Ziata advises considering the overall flavor profile and type of Marsala that the recipe recommends.

If you’re preparing a sweeter dish, she suggests reaching for sherry, Moscato, or Port as an easy swap. You could even try a potent dry red tossed in with a bit of sugar and an orange peel as a comparable substitute.

“As long as the wine has a little bit of sugar and falls in the 15% to 20% alcohol range, it’s going to work in the dish,” Ziata says.

For recipes that fall on the savory end of the spectrum, medium-bodied reds are your go-to. In seafood dishes, an unoaked Chardonnay or pale rosé also impart delightfully light flavors. She recommends avoiding heavy Cabernet Sauvignons and other full-bodied reds as a direct swap as these risk overpowering the final dish.

If you're seeking a non-alcoholic alternative, Ziata suggests playing with herbs, citrus, and fruit juices to a homemade Marsala-like stock. A blend of cloves, lemon, apple juice, and tamarind can all imitate the unique sauciness of Marsala. “Black tea can also work well to mimic this bitter, sweet, tart wine,” she says.

Whatever you’re substituting, Ziata recommends aiming for a fruit-forward, tangy profile. When in doubt? Always keep an extra bottle of Marsala on hand — perhaps you’ll need some to sip, too.