9 Wonderful Options For Rum Extract Substitute Without Changing Flavor

Rum extract is a popular cooking ingredient, be it main dishes or desserts. It adds a luxurious taste and amazing depth of flavor to the food.

If you run out, is there anything that can be a rum extract substitute? The answer is yes. Here is a list of the best choices for alternatives, with full details attached.

In addition, if you are new to cooking or wondering, does rum extract contain alcohol?, find the answer below.

What Is Rum Extract?

Rum extract is an ingredient used for cooking with concentrated rum flavor, but has a much lower alcoholic flavor compared to the wine.

During cooking, this additive not only provides the wine flavor, but also keeps the liquid balance of the dish.

The most common kinds of rum extract are natural and imitation ones. The natural type is more expensive than the imitation rum distillation.

While the natural distillation is produced from real wine and boasts rich flavor retained from the wine, the other contains artificial ingredients to get the simpler imitation rum flavoring.

“Does rum extract have alcohol in it?” The proportion of alcohol in the wine varies based on the manufacturing companies.

Thus, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to “How much alcohol is in rum extract?“; however, the percentage is usually around 35%.

Even the non-alcohol-based extract also has a small amount of this element.

Keep this ingredient in a dry, cool place without exposure to light.

Recommendations For Rum Extract Substitute

1. Rum

This demon water is a distilled and clear liquid made from the fermentation of sugarcane molasses or juice as well as the distillation.

There are light and dark rums, which have higher alcohol content than their distillation.

Thanks to the rum to rum extract conversion, this wine can be an appropriate alternative in some recipes, mostly those requiring this wine essence for baking, such as the brownie or tiramisu.

For the same food, how much rum extract to substitute for rum liquor?

Normally, a tablespoon from a bottle of rum extract can replace two and a half tablespoons of dark wine or three tablespoons of liqueur of light type.

2. Vanilla Extract

This ingredient is produced by soaking the vanilla beans in the high-proof liquor; thus, there is hardly any non-alcoholic vanilla extract in cooking.

In at least 100 grams of beans per liter, the vanilla extract must be formulated with a minimum of 35% alcohol.

The main flavors of vanilla are musky, floral, and toasty. This is the key ingredient that can add depth to your chocolate or coffee dessert. Vanilla essence is a common substitution for rum extract in baking cakes, pies, or cookies.

If a recipe calls for two teaspoons of dark wine, they can be replaced by one teaspoon of vanilla distillation. Therefore, the substitute ratio for the rum distillation is 1:1.

3. Coffee Extract

Coffee extract is another substitute for rum distillation that has a similar producing process to vanilla distillation, whose finished texture is brown liquor.

The coffee beans are coarsely crushed up and soaked in alcohol for weeks.

After the solids and essence of coffee are distilled, the final shelf-table coffee distillation is made. This product is usually the must-have ingredient in ice cream, baked goods, and even drinks like cocktails.

There are green and roasted coffee extracts. The green one is recognized to offer the most health benefits, while the roasted coffee is richer in natural acidity and flavors of bitterness and sweetness.

A tablespoon of the coffee distillation can substitute for the same rum essence for baking food.

4. Cachaca

Similar to the demon water, Cachaca can be listed as one of the suitable substitutes for rum extract in this writing with the tastes of spice, fruit, and sweetness.

Cachaca is a reputed wine in Brazil manufactured from sugarcanes like Nelson’s blood. That said, this type of wine is only made in this South African country with single distillation.

Due to the limited production, although having some major flavors resembling rum, the Cachaca is not always available in the kitchens of numerous families, rather in an alcoholic beverage.

If you live in Brazil or have this wine at home, try substituting the rum distillation with three times the amount of Cachaca in lemon-based dishes.

5. Bourbon

Bourbon is an American wine with the major ingredient is corn, a.k.a maize with at least 51% of the whole elements.

The special thing about Bourbon production is that this liquor must be aged in new and charred oak barrels. There is no certain keeping time for this wine; still, a “straight” bourbon is required to be kept in virgin oak casks for a minimum of 2 years.

Bourbon has an identical taste to Nelson’s blood and is popularly used for making cocktails. However, this wine has recently become a rum flavor substitute in the kitchen.

It is recommended to take twice more amount of Bourbon than the rum extract as an alternative.

6. Tequila

Tequila is a famous worldwide wine that is produced in some areas in Mexico. It is made from the Weber blue agave plant by distilling the fermented juices.

All types of tequila contain a minimum of 51% fermentable sugars from the agave plant. In general, this wine has an earthy flavor, while the difference in its taste is based on the agave’s regions.

There are five types of tequila with distinct standards and colors. But the white one, also called Blanco Tequila, is added to baked goods.    

In the recipes of cakes or cupcakes, the white tequila and rum extract substitute ratio is 2:1.

7. Orange Liqueur

Orange liqueurs, which is another suitable option, are made from a group of distilled spirits that are flavored with citrus fruit.

Some orange liqueurs use a neutral grain, while the others feature liquor or complex flavor. The typical types are triple sec, brandy-based, and curacao.

However, most of them are sweet, but there are also brands that offer the bitter taste of this product.

This liquid is a rum extract alcohol-free alternative along with pineapple juice, with some being almost syrupy while some have a drier mouthfeel.

As the orange note is pretty strong, the use of this product is limited, such as orange juice or mandarin cakes. Nevertheless, if relevant to your recipe, take a triple amount of this product for your citrus dessert.

8. Cognac

When it comes to the question “What can I substitute for rum extract?,” the French have a special stand-in choice if they run out of rum distillation, which is named Cognac.

Most of the Cognac wine is made from grapes called Agni blanc, which offers a low percentage of alcohol in this product, ranging from 7.5% to 10.5%.

After crushing the grapes, these fruits are stored in concrete vats for extended periods of time for fermentation.

Cognac is not only a common ingredient in cooking meat dishes but also relevant to add a nice taste for alcoholic drinks or sweet desserts such as pudding, raisin ice cream, and punch.

Two tablespoons of rum extract can be altered by 2-2.5 tablespoons of cognac wine.

9. Sherry

Sherry is a general name used for a type of white wine from DO Jerez. The elements with a critical role in producing Sherry are three types of grapes: Moscatel, Palomino, and Pedro Ximenez.

To use this ingredient for cooking, you can refer to a grape wine with a type of brandy base. People add salt to extend the durability of this product.

Cooking sherry offers a sweet and nutty taste to your food, mostly used for making baked goods or cream. The sodium of this type is around 180 milligram per serving, which is not appropriate for drinking directly.

The substitute ratio for rum distillation of Sherry is the same as Bourbon, which is 2:1.

FAQs

Which recipes use rum extract?

The rum distillation can pop up different favorite recipes of food and drinks. For instance, you can kickstart your day with a cup of buttered rum coffee.

This product not only delivers the rum flavor to the drink but also limits its alcohol content.

Rum distillation can also be used to season your savory dishes, such as basic homemade eggnog or mincemeat quick bread, or give flavor to sauces for your beef stews.

You can go for the best rum extract for baking sweet dishes like rum truffles, cajun pound cake, or cappuccino cookies.

Pour some rum distillation for your cream to make chocolate rum ice cream with a unique taste.

This cooking element is recommended in several dishes as it helps the food be more adaptable.

What is the non-alcoholic substitute for rum extract in baking?

Baked goods are always attractive to children, including those with the rum flavor. As there is no alcohol-free rum extract, numerous moms want to find an alternative with no alcohol contained.

Luckily, there are some options available. They are water white grape juice, simple syrups like corn syrup, peach syrup, syrup flavored with almond extract, pineapple juice, and apple juice or apple cider.

Utilize the same amount as the original dessert recipe, and you will get delicious non-alcoholic food.