Dried Currants are made from a particular type of grapes known as Zante. Many people enjoy dried Currants in cakes, pastries, muffins, etc. Sometimes, it is used in oatmeal and cereals to add flavors to the morning breakfast. They are sweet and rich to use as a perfect ingredient in many sweet recipes/dishes. If you are making any sweet dish/recipe and run out of Currants, you need not worry. Every ingredient has its substitutes, Similarly, Currants have too.
Before going ahead to know about Currant substitute, you need to know about its nutrient profile as well as its health benefits so that it would be helpful to choose what is good for your family’s health.
Table of Contents
Nutrient Profile of Currant:
- Calories: 63
- Fat: 0.22g
- Sodium: 1.1mg
- Carbohydrates: 15.5g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Sugars: 8.25g
- Protein: 1.6g
- Vitamin C: 46mg
Health Benefits of Currant:
- Red Currant can be great for both hair and skin.
- It also helps to increase bone strength.
- Red Currant help to increase the number of red blood cells.
- Red Currant fights constipation and improves digestive health.
- It assists in antioxidant defense.
What can You Substitute for Currant?
Have you run out of Currants and you need it right now in your recipe? If yes, then why not try these substitutes for Currant we have listed down here? All these substitutes work pretty well. You just have to understand what kind of your recipe is and what you have right now in your kitchen/pantry. So that you can choose accordingly.
1. Cherries:
Cherries can completely change Currants due to having a wide range of applications, mainly in baking. Although the color is too vivid, the flavor is not too different from Currants. Cherries can be used to create jams, cakes, and dessert toppings. It is also used as a filling in muffins, puffed pastries, and cereal bars. These tiny berries are a common ingredient in desserts and baking goods.
2. Raisins:
Raisins are basically dried grapes that can be found in many colors such as dark purple, green, red, yellow, etc. Raisins work well with cereals, oatmeals, and yogurt. If you are baking a recipe/dish and you want to add Raisins to cookies, banana muffins, walnut cake, and fruitcakes, you can definitely use them without any doubt. When you run out of Currants, Raisin makes a perfect Currant replacement.
3. Cranberries:
Cranberries are one of the healthiest replacements for Currants. Cranberries are low in sugar, calories, and carbs. When comes to its nutrients, it is rich in vitamins C and high in antioxidants. Fresh Cranberries look similar to Currants. Both fruits are also similar in flavor, scent, and consistency. It is also used to make fillings in desserts, cakes, pies, and savory dishes as well.
4. Dates:
Dates are natural sweeteners like honey. This fruit was first cultivated in Egypt and Mesopotamia. If you like to make jams using Currants, try using dates instead. Your resulting jam would have a unique and sweet aroma. Dates work incredibly as a filling in desserts such as cakes, pies, and pastries. There are so many varieties of dates found. Choosing the Medjool variety gives an extra boost of fiber or protein.
5. Jujubes:
Jujubes are known as Chines Dates. Fresh Jujubes resemble apples in appearance as well as in taste. Its juice is more similar to apple than the current. Jujubes make excellent jams and jelly when compared to Currants. You have to cook the Jujubes for a long time to extract the complete flavor and use them as dessert filling. This fruit is common in China, but you can also find its other varieties in Mediterranean and African countries. You should visit your local China Town to get the Jujubes from a Chinese shop.
6. Prunes:
You can consider Prunes as a substitute for Currant. When it is dried it becomes the doppelganger of dates, but the actual form of this fruit is called plum. This fruit contains a high amount of vitamin K, B, and sorbitol that works to improve the digestive tract. When preparing Currant jelly, you can replace dried Prunes with dried Currants. The jelly will have a sweet taste and aroma.
7. Dried Apricots:
Dried apricots work great as an alternative to dried currants. They have a sweet flavor and make the baked products amazing. We have found that this can be one of the best replacements for Currants for cakes and muffin toppings.
8. Dried Blueberries:
Dried Blueberries are a good replacement for Currants. Blueberries work pretty well in any recipe due to their gentle sweetness. It almost changes the taste of baked goods and makes them more amazing to eat. Whenever we run out of Currants, always choose to use Blueberry in our baking as an alternative to currant.
FAQ:-
What is the difference between a Currant and a Raisin?
Raisins, Sultanas, and Currants are different types of dried grapes that are rich in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. Raisins are a type of grape that is dried for three weeks. After fully drying, it changes its color into dark brown. While Sultanas are made from green grapes mainly from the Thompson seedless variety. Despite their names, Currants are made by dying a variety of small, seedless grapes called Black Corinth and Carina.
What is a good substitute for Currant in Jelly?
Those recipes call for Currant Jelly, substitute concord grape jelly, or apple jelly. A little bit of lemon juice gives tartness to the recipe. You can also substitute seedless raspberry jelly or cranberry jelly. You should use seedless blackberry jelly in place of black currant jelly.
Now, you know the best Currant substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also buy from amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂
