Is Cooking with Alcohol Halal?
What do beer battered fish, Bolognese sauce and tiramisu have in common? The answer is their recipes contain alcohol. Most people know that alcohol is not Halal for Muslims to consume. But what about cooking with alcohol and ingredients that include alcohol?
Recipes Containing Alcohol
During the pandemic, cookbook sales skyrocketed, and millions of people turned to food networks and online videos to learn how to cook or to expand their cooking abilities. This resulted in higher sales of cooking supplies, equipment, ingredients, ethnic foods, and even alcohol for cooking.
More and more cooks who followed Halal dietary requirements were asking “What do I do when a recipe calls for alcohol?”
There are many answers to that question. One option would be to avoid the recipe entirely. Another is to simply ignore the alcohol component of the recipe. Thankfully, there are better options out there. There are very good substitutes for alcohol in cooking. Here are some examples:
- For brandy substitute apple juice
- For beer substitute chicken broth, tomato juice or apple juice
- For champagne substitute sparkling apple juice
- For Kahlua and coffee liqueurs substitute strong coffee
- For red wine substitute chicken broth or beef broth or grape juice or even tomato juice. Cooks can also combine grape juice with chicken or beef broth.
- For white wine substitute white grape juice mixed with ginger ale or chicken broth.
- For tequila substitute cactus or aloe juice.
- For rum substitute molasses with pineapple juice and almond extract.
Vinegars
Many people want to know if vinegars like red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar or white vinegar are Halal. Vinegars are derived from wine products, but do not contain enough alcohol to intoxicate. Most scholars agree that vinegar is Halal. Vinegars can be found in hundreds of over-the-counter sauces, dressings and spreads in Europe and North America. Vinegars are also healthy and add flavor to many foods. It’s used to make cheese like ricotta. And it’s an excellent cleaning product and antiseptic.
Alcohol Cook Off – Busting the Myth
To flambé, a cook douses a dish in alcohol, lights a match, the flames spread and rise quickly and burn the alcohol off the food. It’s often used when cooking fish, lobster, meat, and desserts.
Unfortunately, the flambé process does not remove all the alcohol and neither does long time cooking. According to a 1992 study by the USDA, after flaming, about 75% of the alcohol remains in the pan. Studies that have been conducted by ISU and other organizations found that alcohol burns off after hours of cooking. See the chart below:
Time Cooked at Boiling Point of Alcohol | Approximate Amount of Alcohol Remaining |
15 minutes | 40 percent |
30 minutes | 35 percent |
One hour | 25 percent |
Two hours | 10 percent |
Two and one-half hours | 5 percent |
Halal consumers should simply not cook with alcohol. In addition, for multiple reasons, it’s not advised for Muslims to bring alcohol into their homes for cooking. When eating in restaurants, Halal consumers are advised to ask if the food contains alcohol and to avoid it. The server may say “yes but it’s burnt off or cooked off” because they are not aware of the above studies.
Happy cooking, experimenting and substituting! And Bon Appetit!
Islamic Services of America (ISA) plays a large role in the Halal industry both as an educator and a certifier. ISA partners with companies that specialize in the production of all consumable and non-consumable products and certifies those that are found to be Halal compliant. For More information visit www.isahalal.com or contact info@isahalal.com
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FAQs
Alcohol Cook Off – Busting the Myth
Can Muslims have alcohol in cooking? ›
Halal consumers should simply not cook with alcohol. In addition, for multiple reasons, it's not advised for Muslims to bring alcohol into their homes for cooking. When eating in restaurants, Halal consumers are advised to ask if the food contains alcohol and to avoid it.
How much alcohol in food is halal? ›
Foods or drinks that contain flavoring or coloring materials containing alcohol for the purpose of stabilization is a permissible to be used if the alcohol is not produced from the khamr source and the quantity of alcohol in the final product is not intoxicating, and at the rate not exceeding 0.5% alcohol.
Can Muslims eat vodka sauce? ›
While vodka sauce is a popular choice for pasta dishes in many parts of the world, it has raised questions for Halal consumers following Halal dietary laws, as vodka is an alcohol-based product therefore is Haram to consume.
Is 0.5% alcohol halal? ›
For Muslims, this is a problem; alcohol is strictly forbidden in Islam, even if it is just a drop: "What makes the much of it intoxicating, the little of it is haram." In other words, much of the beer sold as 'alcohol-free' is therefore not halal.
Is it haram to eat cake with alcohol? ›
Apart from gelatin and other animal by-products, alcohol is also an ingredient considered haram but is found in most cakes. Because of its volatile nature, alcohol in cakes is often used not for intoxication but to improve the taste and aroma of cakes.
Is alcohol in soy sauce halal? ›
Some declare that since the minute levels of alcohol in soy sauce are naturally occurring and don't reach an intoxicating level, it is halal. Others, however, suggest that out of caution, it's better for Muslims to avoid consuming any foodstuff that contains even trace amounts of alcohol.
Does alcohol burn off when cooking? ›
A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Data lab confirmed this and added that food baked or simmered in alcohol for 15 minutes still retains 40 percent of the alcohol. After an hour of cooking, 25 percent of the alcohol remains, and even after two and a half hours there's still 5 percent of it.
Can Muslims drink 2% alcohol? ›
What does the Quran say about alcohol? Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. As proof of the prohibition, Islamic scholars and Muslim religious authorities typically point to a verse in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, that calls intoxicants “the work of Satan” and tells believers to avoid them.
Can Muslims have red wine vinegar? ›
Red wine vinegar is considered halal due to its lack of trace alcohol left in it. During the process of making red wine vinegar, an enzymatic reaction breaks down some components of the grapes, which includes alcohol, and makes acetic acid instead. Therefore, no alcohol remains in the final product.
According to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), if a substance intoxicates in a large amount, it is forbidden even in a small amount. Hence, most observant Muslims abstain from drinking alcohol at all costs.
Is 0% alcohol wine halal? ›
According to a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (6776) and Sahih Muslim (2003), the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Every intoxicant is Khamr, and every Khamr is haram (prohibited)." As non-alcoholic wine is free from alcohol and doesn't possess intoxicating properties, it doesn't fall under the category of Khamr.
Is 1% ethanol halal? ›
Any ethanol produced by anaerobic fermentation and ranging between 1 and 15% is considered to be Haram (non-Halal, Forbidden), whereas ethanol produced by natural fermentation and less than 1% is considered as preserving agent and its Halal status is allowed.
Are Muslims allowed to use rubbing alcohol? ›
It is permissible to use alcohol for disinfecting and cleaning or mixing it with another product for this purpose in case of necessity.
Does cooking alcohol contain alcohol? ›
Some does, but not all. While alcohol does have a lower boiling point than water, even after hours of cooking some residual alcohol will not evaporate. Even after 2–1/2 hours, tests have shown that ~5% of the original amount remains. In many cases the amount of alcohol remaining is very slight.
Is it halal to use products with alcohol? ›
In truth, even though alcohol is considered haram – which means prohibited or sinful – multiple halal authorities and Islamic scholars have agreed that alcohol use in medicine and personal care is permissible as it does not intoxicate the user.
