Substitutes For Apple Juice: Cooking, Baking, And Drinking

Whether a recipe has asked for you to include something that you don’t like, or your local grocery store has completely run out of the ingredient you need, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to find a suitable substitute, whether you’re cooking, baking, or even just looking for a refreshing drink.

Thankfully, this guide is here to help make finding a substitute just that bit easier. 

So, if you’re looking for some adequate substitutes for apple juice, which is known to be a common ingredient in some baking and cooking recipes, as well as being an extremely delicious drink that goes perfectly with breakfast, then this guide will help you to find the substitutes that you need! 

Best Apple Juice Substitutes

Finding suitable apple juice substitutes can be much harder than you might initially think, and depending on what you’re planning on doing with your apple juice, it can be hard to find substitutes that match apple juice’s flavor profile perfectly. 

However, we’ve done our best to try and find some of the best substitutes for apple juice across a variety of different applications! 

For Cooking

So, if you’re planning on substituting apple juice in a recipe, then here are a few substitutes for apple juice that you can use in your cooking:

White Grape Juice: When it comes to finding suitable substitutes, then this is probably the most like-for-like replacement you can find for apple juice.

White grape juice has a similar sweetness to apple juice, and for the most part, can be used as a 1:1 substitute in most recipes, which makes it an excellent choice as a substitute! 

Cranberry Juice: If you’re looking to replace apple juice in your cooking, and are looking for something that contains a similar tartiness to apple juice, then cranberry juice might just be your best option.

Cranberry juice is known for its tart flavor, and if you need to, you can balance it out with sugar or honey. It works especially well when added to savory dishes and also works well when added to marinades and sauces too.

Orange Juice: Depending on what you’re planning on cooking, then orange juice just might suffice as a substitute for apple juice, this is thanks to its bright and citrusy flavor that works well in sweet and savory dishes.

It is worth noting that you may need to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe if you use orange juice, as it is generally sweeter than apple juice.

For Baking

When it comes to baking, you can use all of the ingredients that we’ve listed above in lieu of apple juice if you need an appropriate substitute.

However, if you’re looking for more potential substitutions, then here are another three substitutes that will work well if you’re leaving apple juice out of the recipe! 

Lemon Juice: If the recipe you’re planning on using only uses a dash of apple juice, then lemon juice can definitely suffice as a substitution.

It has a prominent acidic flavor that works well in cakes. But, you may need to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe, as you will need to ensure that you balance out the acidity.

Apple Cider: On simplistic terms, apple cider is essentially just an alcoholic version of apple juice, so if you’re willing to make a boozy substitution, this could work well.

This substitution will provide you with a deeper, more complex flavor than apple juice and although it may alter the flavor profile of the finished product slightly, it will certainly taste delicious! 

Apple Sauce: If you’re adding apple juice to your baking recipe simply for the taste of apples, then apple sauce is a more than appropriate substitution, especially if nowhere near you have any in stock.

Adding apple sauce to your baking recipes will ensure that your finished product has plenty of moisture as well as the apple flavor you desired, and it works best in small baked goods! 

For Drinking

Finally, if you’re looking for some great substitutions for apple juice when it comes to drinking, then you should definitely consider trying out some of our recommendations below.

However, don’t forget that orange juice, cranberry juice, and white grape juice are also great substitutes for apple juice for drinking, but we’ve already covered those! 

Pear Juice: Pear juice is an excellent choice as a substitute for apple juice, and it’s great if you’re looking to find a substitute that is still just as healthy as apple juice.

Pear juice has a sweet, slightly floral flavor, however, one of the downsides for pear juice as a substitute is that it has a slightly less tart flavor than you would find with apple juice, which some people might find disappointing.

However, despite this, it can work well as a substitute. 

Homemade Apple Juice: If you don’t have any apple juice around, but you have some spare apples, then learning how to make your own apple juice at home is an excellent way to ensure that you always have apple juice on hand for your recipes, or to enjoy a refreshing drink, and there are plenty of recipes and tutorials which you can find online that will help you to do this, so why not give it a try sometime soon? 

Conclusion

To conclude, there are a variety of different things that you can use as a replacement for apple juice, including things such as cranberry juice, apple cider, lemon juice, and even pear juice.

All of these substitutions have their own flavor profiles, and although you might need to add or remove some ingredients based on the sweetness, all of them work well if you need to replace apple juice in any of your recipes!