Quick Answer: What Can We Use To Substitute Grand Marnier?
Grand Marnier is a delicious orange-flavored liqueur, but it can be expensive if you want to stick to your budget. Here are seven tasty substitutes for Grand Marnier. Curacao, Cointreau, and triple sec are good alcohol alternatives, while orange juice, orange extract, orange flower water, and orange juice concentrate are delicious alternatives.
Grand Marnier is an absolute kitchen classic, adding its magic touch to glazes, marinades, cocktails and sauces. That deep orange flavor with a little brandy kick provides depth and citrus warmth to a whole host of dishes, but what do you do if you’ve got a recipe that calls for a dash of it and you don’t have any in the cupboard?
It’s a fairly pricey ingredient to pick up for just one dish, but you don’t want your recipe to be lacking in such a key component. Don’t fret, because here are seven great substitutes for Grand Marnier that will save your bacon, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
We’ll kick things off with the liqueurs first.
The Best Alternatives To Grand Marnier
| Substitutes | Calories (Per 100 ml) |
| Curacao | 338 |
| Cointreau | 335 |
| Triple Sec | 133 |
| Brandy | 231 |
| Campari And Sweet Vermouth (In Equal Parts) | 90 |
| Orange Juice And Brandy (In Equal Parts) | 139 |
| Orange Juice | 47 |
| Orange Juice Concentrate | 47 |
| Orange Extract | 288 |
| Orange Flower Water | 0 |
Alcoholic Substitutes
Curacao
A Dutch liqueur legend, Curacao is traditionally flavored with the oils of oranges that grow on the island that gives the drink its name. Curacao turns up in a lot of cocktail and baking recipes to add warm citrus sweetness.
There are various types of Curacao available, most based on a neutral spirit but some on a rum base, and not forgetting the ‘80s cocktail staple that is Blue Curacao, which is simply Curacao with blue food color added to it. You may not want to turn your cakes blue, but it looks sharp in mixed drinks!
Rum-based Curacao offers some of the same complexity as the brandy-backed Grand Marnier, but with a gentle tropical twist. You’ll generally find that Curacao is lower-proof than Grand Marnier’s hearty 80 proof, but flavor-wise it is a good replacement, particularly in lighter, more delicate recipes.
How To Substitute
Curacao is a liquor that is a mix of triple-distilled orange and grapefruit juices, sugar, and vanilla extract. It is often served over ice in a tall glass. With the same complexity but a lighter flavor, it becomes a good substitute for Grand Marnier.
Cointreau
Grand Marnier’s old French rival for the orange liqueur crown, Cointreau is a great blow-for-blow replacement. Its flavor profile is much more straightforward than Grand Marnier’s, carrying mostly punchy, clear orange, a hefty whack of sweetness, and a warm alcoholic backbone.
In cocktail making you may find that Cointreau is a little too clear and direct, and doesn’t add the woody complexity of Grand Marnier, but it’s a back-bar staple for a good reason and bartenders the world over swear by it. In cooking it’s a fantastic swap.
Cointreau is perfect for sweet baking, with that big, singing orange flavor coming through brilliantly in any recipe, but it also performs well in sweeter glazes for savory dishes.
How To Substitute
Cointreau is a liqueur distilled from grape brandy. It is traditionally used in cocktails such as the Martini and tastes sweet, sour, and bitter. Cointreau can be substituted for Grand Marnier in cocktails and works exceptionally well with savory dishes.
Triple Sec
There are a range of other orange liqueurs available that fall under the broad umbrella of triple sec. Technically, Cointreau and Grand Marnier are both triple sec variants, so it makes sense that another drink from the same family would be a good replacement for Grand Marnier in your kitchen.
Triple sec is simply a liqueur made from a neutral base, in which dried orange skins are macerated. The sec in the name means both dry and distilled in French, and it is the second meaning which matters here; triple sec is distilled three times, rather than being three times as dry as other spirits.
In fact, triple sec is almost always pretty sweet. Classic triple sec is relatively neutral in flavor apart from the big hit of orange, so it makes a good substitute in any recipe where that is the main thing that Grand Marnier is adding.
How To Substitute
Coming from the same family, the triple sec has become a great choice with a sweet and neutral flavor. It would make a great addition to the recipe for Grand Marnier. However, one should be aware of the ratio in which you will replace it since triple sec is distilled in different flavored oranges.
Brandy
There are a few ways to substitute Brandy for Grand Marnier. The most common way is to use an equal amount of Brandy in place of the Grand Marnier.
It will work in most recipes but may produce a different flavor profile.
If you want to replicate Grand Marnier’s flavor closely, you can use a combination of Brandy and orange liqueur. For example, use three parts Brandy to one part orange liqueur.
This combination will give you the sweetness and citrus notes of Grand Marnier.
How To Substitute
There are a few ways to substitute grand Marnier with Brandy. One way is to use a 1:1 ratio of Brandy to Grand Marnier. Another way is to use a 2:1 ratio of Brandy to Grand Marnier, or you may use a 3:1 ratio of Brandy to Grand Marnier. All of these ratios will give you a delicious and potent drink.
Campari And Sweet Vermouth (In Equal Parts)
The Campari and sweet vermouth cocktail is an easy and delicious drink to prepare. It is served in a Martini glass and is a great way to kick off any evening. The Campari and sweet vermouth is an excellent cocktail to substitute grand Marnier.
Grand Marnier is a sweet orange-flavored liqueur made from Cognac and other fruit juices. It is often used in recipes calling for dry vermouth.
Campari and sweet vermouth is an aromatic, spicy, sweet cocktail with a bitter aftertaste. This substitution recipe is for people who want to make their cocktails at home without the expensive taste of Grand Marnier.
How To Substitute
If you need to substitute gran Marnier for the other, use 1 oz of Campari for every 1 oz of Grand Marnier.
Orange Juice And Brandy (In Equal Parts)
Grand Marnier is a popular option for those who enjoy a more potent, luxurious drink. However, there is a way to make a similar drink with just a few simple ingredients, using orange juice and brandy.
Your drink is rich and luxurious with just the right amount of citrus.
The best option is to use Brandy and orange juice. It will give you a flavor profile similar to Grand Marnier, but you will miss the sweetness. To sweeten this mixture, you can add simple syrup or honey.
How To Substitute
Use orange juice with brandy to substitute grand Marnier in a 1:1 ratio.
Non-Alcoholic Substitutes
Orange Juice
Moving on to non-alcoholic substitutes for Grand Marnier, let’s start with a pretty obvious one. Grand Marnier is principally used to add an orange flavor, and nothing tastes as much like an orange as orange juice!
The other great thing about substituting OJ for Grand Marnier is that you’re far more likely to find orange juice in your refrigerator than many of the other options in this article. Orange juice is a great all-rounder that works well in glazes, sauces, and marinades, where its natural acidity works brilliantly to tenderize meat.
In desserts, orange juice brings a big sweetness and citrus flavor to the party. Orange juice naturally shines in drinks, but it doesn’t work as a direct switch for Grand Marnier in a lot of cocktails due to its thinner mouthfeel. In mocktails, however, it’s a great choice that makes for fresh, fruity drinks.
How To Substitute
Some people have difficulty finding Grand Marnier, a key ingredient in the Triple Sec Cocktail. To substitute for this ingredient, use orange juice instead. It is readily available and works excellently in mocktails as compared to cocktails.
Orange Juice Concentrate
Orange juice concentrate is, as the name suggests, a less dilute form of orange juice. It is made by taking orange juice and removing a large part of the water content, usually through heating.
This leaves you with a strong orange flavor that doesn’t thin out the mixture you’re adding it to as much as orange juice would. Orange juice concentrate is relatively easy to find, is less expensive than Grand Marnier, and doesn’t add any alcohol to your recipe which makes it perfect for mocktails, cold sauces, and creams.
You can add a similar amount of orange juice concentrate to your recipe as you would Grand Marnier for a strong, sweet orange kick.
How To Substitute
If you are looking for a cheaper substitute for Grand Marnier, here is your choice, orange juice concentrate with almost the same flavor and less water content. They won’t thicken your recipe and will give your dishes an orange and citrusy flavor.
Orange Extract
Taking things a step further, you can use orange extract as a replacement for Grand Marnier too. Orange extract is a super-concentrated liquid, where orange peels are steeped in an alcohol base.
The resulting fluid is then diluted for use in cooking. Orange extract has a very strong orange flavor, far stronger than any of the other alternatives to Grand Marnier listed here. You only need to use a couple of drops to add serious citrus notes to your recipes.
It can even be used in low doses to bring out sweetness and aroma in places where you wouldn’t expect orange to crop up, such as ice cream and baked goods. Adding a tiny bit of orange extract to a sweet dish can make it taste sweeter without imparting any citrus flavor at all.
Also, don’t be perturbed by the fact that orange extract has an alcoholic base. You’ll use so little of it that it won’t add any alcoholic dimension to your dish or drink, and when cooked that little bit of alcohol burns right off before you’re ready to eat.
How To Substitute
The Grand Marnier is a famous orange-flavored liqueur typically used in various cocktails and other drinks. However, if you cannot find it or are just looking for an alternative, you can use an orange extract instead. Orange extract is a liquid from oranges, and you may use it to substitute Grand Marnier.
RELATED: 9 Best Alcoholic And Non-Alcoholic Substitutes For Brandy In Cooking And Baking
Orange Flower Water
From the super-strong to the subtle! Orange flower water is also an extract of sorts, in which water is infused with bitter orange blossoms to make a non-alcoholic flavoring that’s fragrant, light, and delicate.
Orange flower water isn’t going to hold up in a rich glaze or marinade as it’s not as robust as the other alternatives we’ve discussed, and it doesn’t taste strongly of oranges either. At this point, you may be asking why it’s even in this article, but the aroma of orange flower water is amazing.
It floats deliciously out of baked goods and cold desserts, adding a gorgeous fragrance to creams and custards. In drinks, that scent rises first, providing a citrus element that complements other flavors beautifully without being overpowering.
If you’re looking for a sophisticated and almost mystical way to add a twist of orange to your recipe, orange flower water might just be your dream come true.
How To Substitute
To substitute Grand Marnier with Orange Flower Water, one needs to add one tablespoon of orange flower water to each 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier. Orange flower water is a flavorless liquid extracted from orange blossoms. Therefore, you can substitute orange flower water for Grand Marnier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now you have an idea of a range of different alternatives to Grand Marnier that you can use in various food and drink recipes, from hearty meat glazes to delicate desserts, intense classic cocktails to refreshing non-alcoholic drinks.
There are a few questions that people often ask about substituting for Grand Marnier, so we’ve answered some of them here.
Is Grand Marnier A Substitute For Triple Sec?
Grand Marnier is technically a form of triple sec, but it stands alone in the sense that it has a brandy base rather than neutral alcohol.
However, the two can be substituted for each other so long as you recognize the differences between them; they are more similar than they are different, after all!
Can I Use Rum Instead Of Grand Marnier?
If you’re looking to replace an alcoholic component of a recipe, then yes you can! However, rum doesn’t add the same citrus flavor that Grand Marnier does.
Nothing is stopping you from experimenting with using rum in place of Grand Marnier in any recipe, and you might find that the result you get is a gateway to a whole new world of flavor.
Why Is Grand Marnier So Expensive?
Grand Marnier is a high-quality liqueur based on cognac, and is subject to the same rules as cognac production; you can’t make an orange liqueur based on just any brandy and call it Grand Marnier. This raises the price of Grand Marnier.
That doesn’t mean that other less-expensive orange liqueurs are lower-quality by default though. It’s really the fact that Grand Marnier is quite a singular and special product that makes it that much more costly.
10 Best Substitutes for Grand Marnier
30
minutes20
minutes50
minutesLooking for alternatives to Grand Marnier to use in your cooking, baking, and drinks recipes? This article is your ultimate guide.
Ingredients
Curacao
Cointreau
Triple Sec
Orange Juice
Orange Juice Concentrate
Orange Extract
Orange Flower Water
Brandy
Campari And Sweet Vermouth
Orange Juice And Brandy
Directions
- Choose your favorite substitute from the list given above
- Follow the directions given in the recipe after having substituted the ingredient in the correct ratio
Recipe Video
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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