SaurabhTruffle oil can enhance the taste of many recipes.
It has a strong flavor that is easy to recognize and it takes only a few drops of this oil to get the taste you want. However, if you are missing this ingredient from your kitchen, that doesn’t mean you can’t replace it with other options that are just as good.
The best choice, if you want to substitute truffle oil, is truffle salt. You can also use extra virgin olive oil, truffles, porcini mushroom oil, Worcestershire sauce, mushroom pesto, fish sauce, avocado oil, hemp oil, or sunflower oil.
Read on to learn more about each substitute and find the right one for your recipe.
Best Truffle Oil Substitutes
Use the following truffle oil substitutes as you see fit according to the recipe you have and the taste you want to obtain.
1. Truffle salt
Truffle salt can be one of the best substitutes for truffle oil. You can use it in most recipes. It goes great in salads, baked dishes, or soups but also on toast along with some tomatoes.
Truffle salt is a mix of sea salt and grated truffles and it can successfully replace the salt in your recipe too. Add as much as you prefer according to your taste and you will not regret it.
This product will make your food tasty and it will mix perfectly with the other ingredients being veggies or meat. You can find truffle salt in most supermarkets and use it in recipes that don’t even call for truffle oil.
2. Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is great as a second-best choice if you don’t have truffle oil. This oil is even easier to find in stores and you might even get it at a better price.
Extra virgin olive oil is also an ingredient in truffle oil, which is another reason why this is a good substitute.
You can use it in the same way even if the taste will not be the same as the truffle oil taste. The best way to use this oil is in salads or as part of a sauce. It also tastes great if you mix it with garlic.
3. Truffles
Truffles will provide a similar flavor to truffle oil but you will not get the oily texture. This is why many chefs use truffles in combination with some other cooking oil of their choice to give the food both the fat and the taste they aim for.
However, truffles are expensive and hard to find. The taste is also a lot stronger compared to truffle oil so you will only need a pinch of this fungus to get the flavor you want in your food.
4. Porcini mushroom oil
Porcini mushroom oil might be easier to find than truffle oil and being a mushroom oil, it will offer you a similar taste and texture. You can use it as a finishing oil in all types of salads or dressings that you would make with truffle oil.
Maintain the same ratio when you replace truffle oil with porcini mushroom oil. But don’t use it in dishes that require high temperatures because it has a low burning point.
5. Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce can also substitute truffle oil in various dressings and toppings. You can also add some mushrooms to it if you want a more similar flavor.
This sauce will enhance the taste of any food even if you use it plain. It is easy to find and you can use it in the same quantity as truffle oil.
If you like the taste of this substitute, you can always add more of it for a stronger flavor.
6. Mushroom pesto
Mushroom pesto will be a great addition to your food being it pasta, salads, stews, or even stir-fries. You can use it plain or combine it with different other sauces and ingredients to get a better taste that goes the way you want it with your dishes.
Pesto in all its forms contains oil so, it will also make your food oily if you use it instead of truffle oil. You can use 1 tablespoon of pesto instead of 1 tablespoon of truffle oil. However, if you want more of the mushroom pesto in your food, you can always add more of it.
7. Fish sauce
Fish sauce, just like Worcestershire sauce can replace truffle oil in many recipes as long as you like the fish taste in your dish.
This sauce has an oily texture. Therefore, if you add mushrooms to it you can get a similar flavor to truffle oil even if it will not be identical. Use this substitute in the same quantity, according to how much you like it as well.
8. Avocado oil
Avocado oil is not a fungus oil but it has a strong flavor as well.
It goes great as a finishing oil as it will not behave as good in baked or fried dishes. If you want to create a dressing or sauce to use as a topping for your food, avocado oil is a great choice.
Use it instead of truffle oil in the same amount. But take into account that it will give your food an avocado flavor rather than a truffle flavor.
9. Hemp oil
Hemp oil has a nutty yet earthly flavor and makes a great substitute for any type of oil. If you use it in cold dishes you might even like its flavor more than the flavor of truffle oil.
It doesn’t have such a strong taste so you might even want to use more of it. You can use it in all types of dishes as it goes well with both veggies and meat.
10. Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is one of the most common cooking oils all over the world.
It has a neutral taste so you can combine it with different ingredients. This oil has a high burning point, so you can use it in stir-fries, baked dishes as well as salads, and other sauces.
Use the same quantity of sunflower oil as you would use truffle oil. However, keep in mind that it will not give you the truffle flavor.
FAQs
What does truffle oil taste like?
If you never had truffle oil, you will either love it or hate it the first time you give it a try. This oil has a stronger taste than any other type of oil but is not as strong as truffles.
It will make your food taste earthly, mushroomy, and a bit pungent. It has a defined truffle smell that you can’t confuse with any other smell.
What is truffle oil made of?
Truffle oil is made of truffles and olive oil. High-quality extra virgin olive oil is infused with truffles that can be white or black truffles.
However, you can also find truffle oil make of artificial ingredients such as dithiapentane mixed with olive oil. The dithiapentane can imitate the smell of truffles but it doesn’t come from these rare mushrooms.
The Takeaway
Truffle oil can be pricey and rare so using these substitutes might come in handy. Adapt your recipe to the substitute you choose in order to get the best outcome.
At the end of the day, the smell and taste of truffles can be difficult to replace entirely but these alternatives will definitely save your dish.
