There’s nothing quite as mouthwatering as a perfectly browned steak, glistening with the promise of bursting flavor and meat so soft it practically melts in your mouth.
Achieving the perfect browning, however, is no easy task and many end up overcooking their meat in an attempt to achieve it. Turning a delicious and juicy steak it something resembling dried up leather.
To avoid this fate and to ensure a perfect browning, many people have an ace up their sleeve.
Kitchen bouquet.
So what is kitchen bouquet and what are the best kitchen bouquet substitutes? Keep reading to find out.
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What Is Kitchen Bouquet?
Kitchen bouquet is a browning sauce used to give more color and flavor to gravies, sauces and meats, such as beef and chicken.
This sauce has been around for centuries, being produced as early as 1873, and is made with caramel, a vegetable base (it can use carrot, onion, celery and more), colorant and sodium.
This gives foods not only a brownish, more appealing color but also a sweeter flavor that’s often sought after when it comes to BBQ ribs, gravy, chili and other foods.
While kitchen bouquet is mostly aesthetic (as it doesn’t change the flavor that notably) and made with perfectly natural ingredients, some people are a little wary of using it in their foods, choosing instead to use more natural substitutes that they can buy or, even better, make at home.
If you’re one of those who doesn’t want to use kitchen bouquet or you simply forgot to buy it and want to brown your food, don’t worry!
There are plenty of things you can use as a kitchen bouquet substitute and we’re going to cover them all.
Let’s get started!
Kitchen Bouquet Substitutes
These are the good and easy to find substitutes for kitchen bouquet:
#1. Dark soy sauce
I love hearing from my readers! One reader let us know that he uses dark soy sauce as a kitchen bouquet substitute. Dark soy sauce is different than light soy sauce because it is aged for a longer time with molasses (sometimes caramel). It has cornstarch added and is much thicker and less salty than light soy sauce. It matches the kitchen bouquet flavor nicely so it will maintain your dish's flavor. This is one of the best, if not the best, kitchen bouquet substitute. Also, because it is used so often in Chinese cooking, it is readily available at most grocery stores that have an Asian cooking section.
#2. GRAVY MASTER
Gravy Master, as the name implies, is a browning sauce used specifically to add more color and flavor to gravies. It’s also more affordable and comes in small bottles, so if you’re just looking for a kitchen bouquet substitute for a meal or two, this is a good substitute if you aren’t interested in making your own browning sauce.
The flavor is also quite similar, so if you want minimal differences in looks and taste, Gravy Master is for you.
- Read more user reviews: Gravy Master 2 oz. (3-Pack)
#3. Bragg
Available almost exclusively in Canada, Bragg is a soybean based sauce that’s used to add more flavor to various meals, particularly vegetarian dishes.
While it has some browning properties and will change the color of your food, there are better alternatives if you’re looking for something to brown your food.
So why are we including it?
Because Bragg is soy based, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher, so it can work as a kitchen bouquet substitute for people with particular dietary needs.
- Read more user reviews: Liquid Aminos 16 oz. 16 Ounces
#4. Homemade Browning Sauce
Kitchen Bouquet is a browning sauce so why not make your own browning sauce at home? This way you can control exactly what goes in there and, with some tweaks here and here, you can thicken or water down the sauce so it has the flavor and texture you desire.
Making your own browning sauce is quite easy, but we’re including a recipe for you to follow.
Ingredients:
- Sugar, ½ cup
- Water, 1 cup.
- Beef broth.
Note: This recipe yields 1 cup, so if you think you’re going to need more just adjust this recipe accordingly. It shouldn’t be too hard, has you simply need to maintain a 1:2 ratio between the sugar and the water.
Directions:
Step 1:
In a saucepan, add the ½ cup of sugar and heat until your sugar starts to brown, which should take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 2:
Once the sugar starts to darken, take out of the heat and very carefully add water.
This step should be done with extreme caution, as adding water to hot sugar will cause it to sputter.
Add the water slowly to minimize the risk of splashing. Do not, under any circumstances, add the entire cup of water on one go.
Step 3:
Once the water has been added to the sugar, add beef broth until you achieve the desired consistency.
Step 4:
Return the saucepan to low heat and stir until all the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly
Step 5:
Though you’ve created around a cup of browning sauce, chances are you’re only going to use a couple of tablespoons at most so don’t be afraid of storing your browning sauce in the fridge (if you’re going to use it through the week) or even freezing it, if you made too much and don’t know what to do with it.
- Hot Tip: If you plan on freezing your browning sauce, consider freezing it in ice cube trays. This way you won’t have to thaw and freeze the entire batch, just a small portion; This is also a fantastic tip for oil and seasoning mixes. Just pour in the ice cube tray, freeze and use as needed!
#5. Maggi Sauce
Maggi sauce isn’t the best substitute for Kitchen Bouquet but it’s readily available and it’s a decent choice for when you literally can’t find anything else.
The reason why Maggi doesn’t work as well as other substitutes is because, while it does help brown your recipe, it also changes the flavor of what you’re cooking considerably, thanks to its high salt content.
If you don’t have Maggi at hand, try Worcestershire Sauce, but consider using a little bit at the start, doing a taste check and adding more if needed.
Do remember that neither Maggi sauce nor Worcestershire Sauce have the same thickening properties than Kitchen Bouquet (they’re much thinner) so they can also give a different texture to your food.
- Read more user reviews: Maggi Seasoning, 27-Ounce (800ml)
#6. Instant Coffee
Believe it or not, instant coffee can be used as a substitute for Kitchen Bouquet, and its availability (chances are you already have some at home) makes it a wonderful choice for when you’re in a hurry.
Coffee will have an instant and obvious browning effect in the food and it will give it a particular taste that can’t be matched by any of the other substitutes. Consider using it as a Kitchen Bouquet substitute in gravy and sauces particularly, as it’ll be easier to integrate them to the recipe.
Alternatively, you can also use cocoa if you don’t mind giving your food a chocolatey flavor. Of course, unsweetened cocoa works best.
Do remember that neither instant coffee nor cocoa will give your food the same flavor and texture than Kitchen Bouquet will, but they both work wonders as browning agents.
#7. Dark Molasses
Dark molasses works as a good substitute because, technically, it’s caramel which is one of the ingredients of Kitchen Bouquet and it has a thick texture that will allow you to coat meats with it.
If you need to water down the molasses or you want to approach the Kitchen Bouquet flavor, consider mixing your dark molasses with vegetable broth.
Final Thought
And there you have it! Those are some good and easy to find substitutes for Kitchen Bouquet.
Did you see one that interests you?
If you know any other substitutes for Kitchen Bouquet you want to share with us or you want to tell us your results when using one of the substitutes suggested here, leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you.
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View Comments (19)
I use a Dark Soy Sauce; it's thicker because of the molasses in it...nice growing and sweet savory, not salty at all.
-mr.bob
Mr. Bob-
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing your kitchen bouquet substitute. I added it to the list!
Bob, Thanks for the tip! I don't have Kitchen Bouquet & looked for alternatives. Yours was the easiest of all! (I'm preparing a small pork loin fillet in a Dutch oven.) THANKS, AGAIN!! Carole
Carole, thank you for reading! Thank you so much for your feedback. I added dark soy sauce as a kitchen bouquet substitute thanks to your and Bob's comments! I hope your pork loin turned out perfectly- yum!
Will any of these substitutes be good for a Turkey
Hi Ronnye.
Thank you so much for reading and for your question. So traditionally, kitchen bouquet is a browning sauce that is used to add a roasted brown color to meat. It is also often used to make gravy. So any of these can be used as a substitute for kitchen bouquet in any gravy recipe. Check out this turkey gravy recipe that uses kitchen bouquet.
But if you also want to get your turkey that perfectly bronzed color that you see in all the magazines, then, yes, browning sauce is your answer. Mix 1.5 tsp of kitchen bouquet (or substitute) with 1 tsp paprika and 1/4 c. melted butter. Cover turkey with mixture before roasting.
Hope this helps. Let us know how it works!
This info was very helpful. Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment, Rebecca!
This was so helpful. I was reading a recipe in my 1996 Betty Crockers cook book and came across a soup dish that called for "browning sauce" and had no idea what it was. Now I know what it is, what's in it and how to make my own if I want! Thank you so much!!!
Emily, I am so glad this was helpful! Thank you so much for reading and for your comment!
I need something to go in soup. Any suggestions?
Hi Darian.
Thank you for reading! If you are making a hearty soup- like soup or chili, I recommend using the dark soy sauce described in #1. Don't let the fact that it is called soy sauce scare you. Because it is aged with molasses, it has a bit of a sweeter flavor and is not as salty. Let us know how it turns out!
Would Oyster Sauce be a good alternative? I wonder since soy sauce is, Oyster sauce would be-also because I have some OS in my fridge right now.....
Hi Sydonia.
Thank you for your comment. I would not recommend oyster sauce as an alternative for kitchen bouquet. The soy sauce that is recommended in the article is actually dark soy sauce, which has a sweeter- almost caramel- flavor. While oyster sauce can have a bit of a sweet taste, it is a better substitute for hoisin sauce and traditional soy sauce. However, if you try it out- please let us know if it worked!
I would like to make my own browning sauce How much beef broth should I use? Please advise.
The amount of beef broth you add depends on the consistency you'd like to achieve. Slowly add the broth until you are happy with the consistency. I'd recommend less than half a cup.
Would balsamic glaze be a good substitute?
Yeah that should work.
I keep forgetting that my grandmothers both used leftover (cold) coffee in foods. (The coffee may have set on stove til it had gotten kind of strong...I can't remember.) Then again, when you had to hand pump water from the well, you tended not to waste any liquids!
Seems like they used it in hash, soups, (liquid based entrees), as well as gravies.