Best Substitute for Liquid Smoke

Looking for the best substitute for liquid smoke? I've got a list of the best liquid smoke substitutes, starting with my favorites - smoked paprika and chipotle peppers, with more that you may or may not have considered. 

The easiest alternative to liquid smoke is 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, which replaces ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke. It's a great way to add a touch of smokey flavor, and it's readily available and has spice levels that range from hot to mild. 

For a spicier flavor, use ½ to 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder to replace ½ teaspoon liquid smoke. 

Although liquid smoke is readily available in grocery stores in the US, it's not always the case in other parts of the world. Living in the Netherlands and now in rural Scotland, I've had to search for my favorite smoke flavor, but I don't always have it in stock.

And maybe you have an empty jar of smoked paprika in your spice cabinet. That's my motivation for coming up with a list of the best substitutes in place of liquid smoke. 

❓ What is Liquid Smoke?

Liquid smoke is an enduring ingredient first introduced by Ernest H. Wright in 1895 and is a convenient way to add natural smoke flavor to everything from barbecue sauces to my favorite plant-based tofu bacon. It’s made by generating wood smoke from wood chips, evaporating water through it, and allowing it to condense. Upon condensing, it takes on the color and flavor of smoke. 

Like any ingredient, it is always best to read the labels. Look for liquid smoke that contains water and smoke concentrate. Some brands add seasonings like vinegar, molasses, or caramel color.

⭐ Brands Matter

Regarding liquid smoke and other ingredients, including dry spices, brands, age, and storage matter. Different flavors, intensities, and undertones. It might be down to the brand if you don't like a particular ingredient or find it overpowering. It's one reason I've created my own recipes for things I often use, like garam masala, chili powder mix, and even vegan hoisin sauce. 

📋 Common Substitutions

Smoked paprika. Red peppers are dried and smoked over an oak fire and then ground. Smoked paprika can be made from mild to spicy hot chilies, so you’ll find it in mild, medium, and hot. Hungarian or Spanish paprika are popular. The smoking process is the essential difference between smoked paprika and regular paprika.

Chipotle powder. The word chipotle means smoked pepper. Pure chipotle powder is made from dried, smoked jalapeno peppers ground into a fine powder. Chipotle chili peppers come in two varieties with slightly different flavors: chipotle morita (little blackberry), which has a brown burgundy color (brown chipotle powder) and is less spicy than the second type, chipotle meco. These latter peppers are harvested and smoked after reaching their fullest maturity and are smoked twice as long.  

Smoked salt. Sea salt is smoked slowly over low heat for up to two weeks. The flavor depends on the type of wood used. Common varieties include maple, cherry, hickory, oak, mesquite, applewood, and alderwood. I like using this instead of regular salt to make chipotle seasoning. 

Smoked Tea. Tea leaves are smoke-dried over burning wood. Common types include Chinese black tea, Lapsang Souchong, and Russian Caravan.  

Chipotle chili powder seasoning. This traditional chili powder is seasoned with chipotle powder for a spicy, subtly smoky flavor. I like it so much that I have a homemade Chipotle seasoning mix!

📖 Less Common Substitutions

Liquid smoke powder. Smoked flavor powder, like mesquite or hickory smoke powder, is a vegan product that’s great for making a dry rub. 

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you like Mexican cuisine, you've probably eaten or cooked a dish with the iconic flavor of chipotle peppers in a sauce of tomatoes and spices. Use them in chili or stir them into creamy refried black beans.

Smoky Condiments. Depending on the recipe, you can grab a little smoky flavor by switching regular sriracha for smoky sriracha or regular barbecue sauce for smoky. It doesn't work for everything, but something to consider. 

Smoke gun. A smoke machine is commonly used to add flavor and smoky aroma to cocktails. They are quite expensive, so unless you're a super-user, you may want to take a pass.

DIY liquid smoke. Yes, you can make your own liquid smoke. It involves heating wood chips or a piece of charcoal to a super-high temperature and running the smoke through a pipe or tube into water.  

🧂 How to Substitute Ingredients

Home cooks often need a good substitute for one ingredient or another. Sometimes, this is drawn from necessity, like needing a substitute for pomegranate molasses. Or perhaps you like the flavor profile but want an alternative to nutritional yeast. I shared a list of agave syrup substitutes because I wanted healthy sugar substitutes that were less processed. 

​♨️ Top Substitution Tips

• ​Intention. If you're making a flavor substitute, stick with the main flavor profile, liquid smoke for smoked paprika, for example. 
• Impact. What happens once you make the substitution? Should you alter perhaps the amount of salt or black pepper? Are you substitution a liquid ingredient for a dry ingredient? Maybe you'll need a touch more liquid in this case. 
• Intensity. When adding spices, it's always best to start with a little and add more as the dish cooks and the flavors develop. You can add flavorings, but some, like salt, are difficult to overcome if you add too much. 

Denise's Pro Tip: Spice and other ingredients lose potency as they age or as jars are opened and stored. Check the dates. If unsure, do a little taste test - especially if you aren't familiar with a certain ingredient. 

💭 Frequently Asked Questions

🥓 Recipes with Liquid Smoke

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