Are you a fan of using amaretto in food or drinks but want something new?
Or maybe you’ve read it in recipes you’re interested in doing, only not to have it in the kitchen or liquor store.
Regardless of the reason, it’s possible to substitute amaretto for other ingredients. But what alternatives are there that can capture the taste and texture of amaretto?
Read on to learn about the best substitute for amaretto!
The 7 Best Amaretto Substitutes for Almond Flavor
Amaretto is an Italian liqueur from almonds, with the pits used to make the alcohol have a sweet and nutty flavor. The drink is unique because of its nutty aroma and almond flavor, which helped elevate the flavors of cocktails and beverages.
Amaretto has an ABV between 24-38% and can be used in numerous baking recipes, particularly deserts. It’s also part of dessert drinks and coffee for infusing the sweet and nutty taste.
If you don’t have the almond liqueur at home or the grocery store, or you’re ready to experiment with different flavors, you can’t use just any kind of alcoholic beverage. Here are excellent options to choose from:
1. Hazelnut Liqueur
If you’re allergic to almond nuts, we believe this is the next best thing: hazelnut liqueur, which we also call a Frangelico. This liqueur shares the same properties as amoretto does, having its nutty hazelnut taste.
Hazelnut liqueur is a popular drink in coffee, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and different cocktails. We highly recommend hazelnut liqueur as your first choice, as it’s the best amaretto substitute available.
2. Coffee Liqueur
You can use coffee liqueur as you would with amaretto in recipes, particularly in cocktails, desserts, and cake toppings. However, you’ll get more coffee flavor and no almonds, so we recommend trying this option if this is okay with you.
You can also consider using Kahlua, a kind of coffee liqueur that’s both nutty and alcoholic, like amaretto. However, it doesn’t contain any almonds, making it suitable if allergic to almonds.
Even without the distinct almond flavor, Kahula is as delicious and syrupy, with the sugar content softening the alcohol.
3. Chocolate Liqueur
Chocolate liqueur is an excellent substitute for amaretto in various recipes, mainly baked goods and different desserts. You can even drink this plain before or after an Italian meal, as it has a sweet taste!
Plus, who doesn’t like adding a bit of chocolate into their sweets? While you won’t get the bold flavor of almonds and nuts with chocolate liqueur, the complex dimensions of chocolate are impressive in drinks, various baked goods, and other desserts.
When using chocolate liqueur as an alternative, use equal amounts for the same smooth texture you get from amaretto.
4. Anisette
Anisette is an excellent substitute for amaretto, sweet alcohol that’s been flavored using anise. It’s much sweeter compared to anise-flavored spirits such as absinthe, so it can give your food and drink a lovely anise and licorice taste.
That said, anisette is a bit stronger than other cocktail liqueurs, so start with half the amount the recipe calls for before adding more.
5. Cherry Liqueur
Cherry liqueur won’t have the unique flavor amaretto does, but it’s a good replacement for flavorful booze. While there’s a mild alcohol concentration, you’ll have more cherry flavor.
If you like cherry flavors in your recipe, we recommend using cherry liqueur. If not, try any of the other amaretto substitutes we have here.
6. Coconut Liqueur
If you want a more exotic amaretto substitute, then you’ll like coconut liqueur. We enjoy it in desserts, particularly cookies with white glaze or coconut flavored icing.
Plus, we love drinking coconut liqueur on its own for its refreshing flavors! You can add this to your cocktails, but note that it tastes different.
7. Apricot Pit Liqueur
Did you know that amaretto recipes call for apricot pits rather than almonds? Because of that, apricot pit liqueur makes an excellent amaretto substitute that would still capture a similar flavor.
We also enjoy this liqueur before meals, a lovely appetizer and ingredient in sauces, toppings, and dishes. No one won’t noticed a considerable difference between apricot pit liqueur and regular amaretto!
The Amazing Non-Alcoholic Substitutes for Amaretto You Might Love
What happens if you can’t consume any alcohol? Not to worry, there are excellent non-alcoholic substitutes that can get you the flavor and texture you desire.
Try any of these alcohol-free substitutes you can try so you get to enjoy all your drinks and dishes.
8. Almond Extract
Almond extract is more concentrated, which is why it’s the perfect substitute to add more of the almond flavor.
Almond extract is made of extracted almond oil and ethyl, flavorless alcohol. The oil comes from bitter almonds known for the richer and nuttier flavor than the sweet counterpart.
Do note that almond extract is a condensed liquid, so it’s saturated with many almond flavors. It would be best not to use equal amounts with this ingredient. For every one tablespoon of amoretto, add one teaspoon of almond extract.
9. Crumbled Marzipan
Crumbled marzipan is common in baking, particularly in cakes. It’s made of a combination of ground almonds, sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup. Because of its components, you can get the nuttiness and texture in baked goods.
If you want more of the nutty almond sweetness sans alcohol. Egg white also contributes to making the dough more moldable. The combination of ingredients of marzipan is best for desserts, especially cakes, as long as you crumble it and use equal amounts.
10. Orgeat Italian Soda Syrup
Orgeat Italian soda syrup is an excellent non-alcoholic substitute to consider. However, this option contains almond syrup, so it may not be the best option if you are allergic to the nut.
This soda syrup is also called the French Orgeat, in case you can’t find the Italian soda syrup in your grocery store. It’s a milky sweetener made of orange flower water and almond oil.
We recommend this option if you need an amaretto substitute for cocktails and other drinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to learn more about amaretto, we’ve got your answers here with these frequently asked questions:
1. What do you use amaretto for?
There are numerous uses to amaretto, found in recipes like:
- Amoretti di Cerroni
- Tiramisu
- Brownies
- Ice cream
- Galette
- Trifle
- Cheesecake
- Parfait
- Sausage and rice
- Tarts
- Frosting
- Almond filling
- Coffee
- Biscuits
- Cakes
- Fudge
- Cocktails
- Cookies
- Roasted fruits
2. Does amaretto have health benefits?
Surprisingly, amaretto does have health benefits despite the high alcohol content! The almond liqueur is known to help our body prevent health problems and relieve stress. (*)
That said, amoretto contains many calories with very few vitamins and minerals. So only drink in moderation as you can get drunk off this drink.
3. What is the best amaretto substitute for tiramisu?
Tiramisu is one of the top recipes that require amaretto liquor as part of its syrup. You can always opt for chocolate or coffee liqueur if you have no amaretto.
We recommend coffee liqueur with tiramisu, which works better than other alternatives as tiramisu recipes use coffee powder as its topping.
We recommend almond syrup if you need a non-alcoholic substitute.
Wrapping It Up
Did you get to find the best amaretto substitutes for your many recipes? Replace amaretto with one of the ingredients from our list so you won’t have to feel like something’s missing in your dish’s flavor profile.
You never know; you might just end up with tasty twists that everyone will enjoy for future meals!
