Home / Blog / 11 Best Substitutes for Kitchen Bouquet

11 Best Substitutes for Kitchen Bouquet

When you buy through our links, The Breslin may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Kitchen Bouquet
Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning condiment you must have.

Kitchen Bouquet substitutes are chosen depending on their characteristics which are somewhat similar to this browning and seasoning ingredient.

If you hesitate to use one of the products below, you can read my article over and over to get the information you need.

I think cooking is all about personal experience, so feel free to choose the best option which suits your taste preference.

I give you more than 10 substitutes, and each has its pros and cons; therefore, it also depends on what you’re going to cook to decide the perfect alternative.

Keep scrolling to find out more!

What Is A Kitchen Bouquet?

Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning condiment which has been around in the pantry since 1873. It’s made from caramel, sodium benzoate, sulfiting agents, vegetable ingredients (onions, parsnips, carrots, celery, parsley), water, salt, and spices. (1)

As you can see, this product is totally suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Kitchen Bouquet is usually packaged in a yellow and brown bottle which you can easily find in supermarkets and grocery stores.

Everyone uses Kitchen Bouquet when cooking as a habit when they want to give foods attractive brown colors, especially meat dishes. It’s not the same as a table sauce, although it looks like one of them and is used exclusively to prepare foods.

In a nutshell, Kitchen Bouquet can play the role of browning and thickening agents. Also, it can impart a unique flavor, as known as a smoky and beef-like taste, to any food you put it in.

Kitchen Bouquet Substitutes and Their Culinary Uses

Below are 11 Kitchen Bouquet replacements; let’s have a glimpse at each option and its uses before digging deep into their flavors and textures.

Kitchen Bouquet SubstitutesBest Use For
Gravy MasterGravies, stews
Dark Soy SauceStir-fries, marinades, braised and grilled dishes, and often eaten with noodles, sushi or sashimi, and rice
Dark MolassesSmoothies, pancake batters, ginger cookies, applesauce, shakes
Instant CoffeeGravies, sauces
Maggi SeasoningSauces, stir-fries, stews, and soups.
Parisian Essence Gravies, soups, puddings, fruit cakes, broths, other baking recipes
Worcestershire SauceSoups, stews, sauces, casseroles, pies, and marinades.
Bragg Liquid AminosStir-fries, salad dressings, dips, and sauces
CocoaSoups, stews, sauces
Brown Gravy MixMeat sandwiches, roast beef, stuffing, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes
Homemade Kitchen Bouquet SubstituteGravies, soups, broths, stews, stir-fries

11 Kitchen Bouquet Substitutes You’re Happy To Find Out

It’s time to elaborate on each Kitchen Bouquet alternatives I’ve listed. Let’s spend your time reading about them carefully before deciding on your favorite product.

Gravy Master

The number 1 on the list of Kitchen Bouquet substitutes is Gravy Master because this tiny bottle can act as a browning and thickening agent as well as a flavor enhancer at the same time.

Although Gravy Master is said to have a more robust taste, it’s highly recommended that you use the same amount of it as you would with Kitchen Bouquet.

As the name implies, it’s a wonderful ingredient of perfect gravies, whether they are turkey, beef, pork, or chicken. It’s also an essential part of many recipes, including vegetables, fish, roasts, grills, and stews. Gravy Master coats foods with a beautiful brown glaze and makes them more appealing.

For people who wonder, Gravy Master is a combination of various herbs, spices, seasonings, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and apple vinegar. Therefore, it has a complex flavor profile and is known to elevate aroma efficiently.

Dark Soy Sauce

Dark soy sauce can bring a brown color to your food and might be used instead of Kitchen Bouquet in various recipes. The best part? It’s undoubtedly available in your pantry.

Besides adding salty and umami flavor to the dish, it makes your food look more appealing, especially helping you get a brown gravy you’re proud of. It’s said to have a hint of bitterness.

However, this Japanese condiment doesn’t act as a thickening agent, so you might need to add more ingredients to avoid running sauces.

Bear in mind that if you consider dark soy sauce as a Kitchen Bouquet substitute, you must reduce the salt amount to make sure your dish is not too salty that it’s impossible to eat. It would be best if for every 1 teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet, you add ½ or ¾ teaspoon of dark soy sauce.

Soy sauce is suitable for stir-fries, marinades, braised and grilled dishes, and often is eaten with noodles, sushi or sashimi, and rice.

Soy Sauce
Soy sauce can be used to make a dipping sauce for many foods.

This soy sauce noodle recipe is super yummy, and you must try it right now!

Watch this video: Everyone Who Tried, Loved it! Supreme Soy Sauce Noodles

Dark Molasses

If you’re looking for a brown effect of Kitchen Bouquet, dark molasses should be the top of your choice. It’s suggested that if you mix it with broth, you will get a mixture that tastes similar to Kitchen Bouquet.

Dark molasses is collected after the second time of boiling molasses. (2) Dark molasses feature a slightly sweet, caramel, mildly bitter flavor with a hint of smokiness. It has a dark color (nearly black) and dense texture, which not only adds color but also thickens the food.

People like to use it in making smoothies, pancake batters, ginger cookies, applesauce, shakes, and more.

Dark Molasses
Dark molasses can be used to sweeten drinks.

Instant Coffee

If you’re in a hurry and run out of Kitchen Bouquet in the pantry, instant coffee might be your lifesaver. Thanks to its brown color, this caffeinated powder could be used as a food coloring for your recipe.

However, it might carry a mild coffee flavor to the dish, so start with a small dose, then gradually work up until you get the desired color without much affecting the taste.

There are many types of instant coffee in the grocery store, and you can choose any brand you like but remember to shop for original flavor, not coffee with milk and other flavored powders.

If you’re not familiar with incorporating instant coffee into food, I suggest you try to swap instant coffee for Kitchen Bouquet in gravy and sauce recipes first.

Instant Coffee
Instant coffee can be food coloring if you’re in a hurry.

Maggi Seasoning Liquid

Another browning agent which can replace Kitchen Bouquet is Maggi Seasoning liquid. Although adding it to the sauce doesn’t make the texture thicker, it can impart savory flavors to the food.

Maggi Seasoning, made from wheat protein, was invented in Switzerland in the late 1800s and has become prevalent worldwide because it can quickly enhance the taste of food.

Some people perceive it as a combination of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. This dark brown liquid has a rich, meaty, and salty aroma.

It’s known to be able to amplify the savory note in seafood, meat, and poultry. Similarly, it can add depth to any dish you put it in. Therefore, Maggi Seasoning is common in sauces, stir-fries, stews, and soups.

Due to its saltiness, I highly recommend that you be careful when using it as a substitute for Kitchen Bouquet. Let’s use half the required amount of Kitchen Bouquet in the recipe.

Maggi Season
Maggi Season has become a staple in people’s kitchens.

Let’s cook delicious dishes with Maggi Seasoning! You can see this video to know more:

Watch this video: Liquid Magic with Maggi Seasoning!

Parisian Essence

Although its name sounds fancy, it’s simply made from water and caramelized sugar. It’s considered one of the best replacements for Kitchen Boutique if you’re after both browning and thickening agents.

In addition, it’s suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. It’s also gluten-free, peanut-free, and dairy-free, so it’s quite a healthy option to add to your recipes. You can use it for any food that calls for Kitchen Bouquet.

Parisian essence performs well in gravies, soups, puddings, fruit cakes, broths, other baking recipes, and more.

Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce is a famous British brown and thin sauce, loved worldwide thanks to its complex yet impressive flavor profile. To be more specific, it’s sweet, salty, tangy, and umami-rich.

As far as I know, this sauce is made from anchovies, vinegar, tamarind extract, molasses, salt, garlic, chili pepper extract, shallots, and sugar. These ingredients can vary depending on different manufacturers.

Worcestershire sauce can be a stand-in for Kitchen Bouquet because it adds brown color to the dish.

It’s worth noting that this sauce might significantly affect the flavor of the food, so you should consider it before deciding to use it as a replacement. Let’s add only ½ the amount of Kitchen Bouquet that the recipe asks for.

Versatile Worcestershire sauce is suitable for soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, pies, and marinades. It pairs well with cheese, mushrooms, eggplant, tomatoes, and red meat.

You can see this video to know more:

Watch this video: Cooking with Worcestershire sauce is quite interesting!

Bragg Liquid Aminos

Bragg liquid aminos are much similar to soy sauce but seem to be healthier and more pleasant to taste than soy sauce. It’s also used as a table condiment and a cooking seasoning.

Many health-conscious people would like to choose Bragg liquid over other soy-related products because it’s gluten-free and 100% non-GMO.

So, both Bragg liquid and Kitchen Bouquet are good for your health and can brown your foods as you want. Let’s use one for another when you suddenly run out of one of them in the kitchen.

Bragg liquid aminos are salty (but less salty than soy sauce) and slightly sweet. It can infuse a savory and umami flavor to whatever you drizzle it on, such as stir-fries, salad dressings, dips, and sauces.

To get the desired flavor, incorporate as much as ¾ the amount of Kitchen Bouquet which is suggested in the dish.

Bragg Liquid Aminos
Bragg liquid aminos are gluten-free and 100% non-GMO.

Unsweetened Cocoa

Believe it or not, cocoa powder is the next option on my list. It works amazingly as a browning and thickening component you’ll need when making gravies, sauces, dips, stews, and other recipes.

It’s a fact that unsweetened cocoa powder can impart a chocolatey aroma to your dish, so you can use it as a last resort when there’s no other option around.

Unsweetened Cocoa
Cocoa imparts chocolatey flavor to the dish.

Brown Gravy Mix

This mixture is sold widely in a small packet which helps you get the flavorful brown gravy to serve over foods. So, if you happen to have this product at home, let’s use it in place of the Kitchen Bouquet.

What I like most about this brown gravy mix is that it’s easy and quick to prepare. All you have to do is to pour it into the saucepan, add water and simmer for less than 5 minutes, and everything is ready.

As far as I know, it can thicken the sauce and bring color to the dish. Also, it can boost the overall taste. It goes along with meat sandwiches, roast beef, stuffing, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes.

Homemade Kitchen Bouquet Substitute

Why not make your own version of Kitchen Bouquet at home and use it confidently in your recipe? Below is a step-by-step instruction you can refer to. Let’s start now!

Ingredients

  • Beef broth
  • 1 cup of water
  • ½ cup of brown sugar

Cooking Instructions

Step 1: Add sugar to the pan and turn on the heat. Cook until it melts.

Step 2: Take the pan out of the stove. Start pouring a little by little water into the pan. Stir well with a spoon so that melted sugar dissolves in water, forming a brown liquid.

Step 3: Add beef broth according to your consistency preference. The more of it, the runnier this mixture becomes.

Step 4: Put the pan back to heat and let the mixture simmer for extra few minutes.

Step 5: Use this homemade Kitchen Bouquet for your recipe.

FAQs

Asking a lot of questions makes you smarter, so don’t hesitate to do so. Here are some interesting facts that have been clarified in the form of questions-and-answers. Let’s see!

How To Make Gravy From A Kitchen Bouquet?

Add a cup of water to the meat juice in the pan after taking the steak out. Then, drizzle a little bit of Kitchen Bouquet on it and stir well. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes, season to taste, and you have a simple yet delicious gravy with Kitchen Bouquet.

What Can I Use In A Place Of Kitchen Bouquet In Gravy?

Gravy Master is your number 1 choice if you want to substitute Kitchen Bouquet in gravy. It even makes your gravy taste super-rich, yummy, and look appealing beyond your expectation.

Is Maggi Similar To Kitchen Bouquet?

You can use Maggi Seasoning as an alternative for Kitchen Bouquet in terms of food coloring. It also adds a meaty flavor to the dish. However, it seems to be much saltier than Kitchen Bouquet.

What Herbs Are In The Kitchen Bouquet?

A Kitchen Bouquet is a commercial seasoning and browning product that is made from numerous ingredients. If you’re curious about herbs in a Kitchen Bouquet, they are parsley, carrots, onions, parsnips, turnips, and celery.

Does Kitchen Bouquet Contain Msg?

It doesn’t contain MSG because there’s no hydrolyzed protein in their ingredient list, so it’s kind of a good condiment for your health.

Should I Keep Kitchen Bouquet In The Refrigerated After Opening?

Even opened Kitchen Bouquet can stay out of the refrigerator and shows no sign of deterioration for quite a long time, so it’s a shelf-stable product. Keeping it in a dry and cool place in your pantry is enough.

Jazz Up Your Meals

From steaks, stews, gravies to grilled dishes, Kitchen Bouquet is here for you and makes your foods incredibly good.

But, in some cases, you fail to find it everywhere, don’t be disappointed too soon. Instead of moaning over your undone dish, let’s take advantage of what you have around your kitchen.

Using cocoa powder as a substitute can be a breakthrough on your cooking journey because this requires a lot of creativity to integrate into your planned recipe.

Luckily, things are not always challenging. You can have Gravy Master, Bragg Liquid Aminos, or Worcestershire sauce, which are considered excellent yet effective replacements for Kitchen Bouquet in almost any recipe.

All in all, have fun cooking, and I’ve got your back with this article.

Reach me if you find 11 options above are helpful. I’d like to discuss cooking topics with you!

Kitchen Bouquet Substitutes

Ingredients

  • Gravy Master

  • Dark Soy Sauce

  • Dark Molasses

  • Instant Coffee

  • Maggi Seasoning Liquid

  • Parisian Essence

  • Worcestershire Sauce

  • Bragg Liquid Aminos

  • Unsweetened Cocoa

  • Brown Gravy Mix

  • Homemade Kitchen Bouquet Substitute

Reference

  1. En.wikipedia.org.. Kitchen Bouquet – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_Bouquet>
  2. Reader’s Digest.. Blackstrap vs. Dark vs. Light Molasses: What’s the Difference?. [online] Available at: <https://www.rd.com/article/molasses-types/>

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *