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Is Rice Wine Halal? Sake, Shaoxing and Cooking Use

Short answer Not halal

Rice wine is not halal. Sake is usually 15% to 22% alcohol [3], and Chinese rice wines like Shaoxing are about 8% to 20% [4]. Scholars treat intoxicating drinks as prohibited in any amount [2], and Indonesia's MUI classes sake as khamr [5]. Cooking doesn't remove all the alcohol [6]. If you're unsure, ask a scholar you trust.

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What the schools of thought say

SchoolViewSource
Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali Intoxicating drinks are prohibited, and a small amount of what intoxicates in large amounts is also prohibited. [1][2]
Hanafi view on non-grape alcohol Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf allowed some non-grape, non-date alcohol in non-intoxicating amounts, but even this view treats drinks taken for intoxication as forbidden, and the later Hanafi fatwa follows Imam Muhammad in forbidding them. [8]
MUI (Indonesia) Sake and mirin are khamr, cannot be halal-certified, and should not be used even in small amounts in cooking. [5]

What rice wine is

"Rice wine" is a name for alcoholic drinks brewed from rice. The best known are:

  • Sake (Japan): brewed from rice, water, koji mold and yeast. It is usually 15% to 22% alcohol [3].
  • Huangjiu (China): brewed from rice, glutinous rice or millet with a starter culture. It is typically 8% to 20% alcohol [4]. Shaoxing wine is the best-known type and is used for both drinking and cooking [4].
  • Mirin (Japan): a sweet cooking rice wine. See our mirin page.

These are not like vinegar. They are finished alcoholic drinks.

Some rice wines are sold just for cooking. Chinese liaojiu is a lower-grade huangjiu flavored with spices and sometimes salt, and cooking-grade rice wine often contains about 1.5% salt [4]. The salt makes it unpleasant to drink, but the alcohol is still there.

Why rice wine is not halal

The Qur'an calls intoxicants a work of Satan and tells believers to avoid them [1]. A hadith reported by Abu Dawud says that what intoxicates in a large amount is forbidden even in a small amount [2]. A widely cited answer adds that all four Sunni schools agree wine is prohibited in any quantity [2].

It doesn't matter that the drink is made from rice rather than grapes. Indonesia's halal authority, MUI, classes sake and mirin as khamr (intoxicants), and says it will not certify products that imitate them [5].

There is a classical Hanafi view, from Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf, that some alcohol not made from grapes or dates is allowed in small, non-intoxicating amounts. Even that view excludes drinks used for intoxication, and later Hanafi fatwas follow Imam Muhammad, who forbade them [8].

Does cooking remove the alcohol?

Not completely. A study by USDA and university researchers measured how much alcohol stays in food [6]:

  • Added to boiling liquid, then taken off the heat: about 85% stays
  • Simmered or baked for 30 minutes: about 35% stays
  • Simmered or baked for 2.5 hours: about 5% stays

Scholars also reject the idea that cooking makes wine acceptable. Darul Iftaa Birmingham says it is not permissible to cook with alcohol [7]. MUI says the substance stays in the dish after cooking, so the amount used doesn't change the ruling [5].

Rice wine in restaurants and recipes

Shaoxing wine is common in Chinese stir-fries, braises and marinades. Sake and mirin are common in Japanese sauces, teriyaki and ramen broth. If you eat out, ask whether the dish uses rice wine.

Home cooks can swap it out:

  • For Shaoxing wine: chicken or vegetable broth with a little rice vinegar
  • For sake: broth or water with a squeeze of lemon
  • For mirin: rice vinegar with a little sugar or honey

Note that rice vinegar is a different product. See our rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is sake halal?

No. Sake is an alcoholic drink, usually 15% to 22% alcohol [3]. Indonesia's MUI classes it as khamr and will not certify it [5]. Most scholars treat any amount of an intoxicating drink as prohibited [2].

Is Shaoxing wine halal for cooking?

No. Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine, and rice wines are typically 8% to 20% alcohol [4]. Cooking leaves some alcohol in the food [6], and scholars say cooking with alcohol is not permissible [7].

Is rice wine vinegar the same as rice wine?

No. Rice vinegar goes through a second fermentation in which bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid [9], so it is a vinegar, not a drink. Rice wine is still an alcoholic drink [3][4]. See our rice wine vinegar page for its own ruling.

Does alcohol cook off rice wine in a stir-fry?

Not fully. Research found about 85% of alcohol remains when it is added to boiling liquid and taken off the heat [6]. Even after 2.5 hours of simmering, about 5% remains [6].

Sources

  1. Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:90 · Quran.com · accessed
  2. Cooking with wine (answer by Shaykh Sikander Hashmi) · Qibla.com (via IslamQA.org) · accessed
  3. Sake · Wikipedia · accessed
  4. Huangjiu · Wikipedia · accessed
  5. This Is the Reason Sake and Mirin Haram · LPPOM MUI (Indonesia) · accessed
  6. Cooking with alcohol · Wikipedia · accessed
  7. Is cooking food with alcohol permissible? · Darul Iftaa Birmingham · accessed
  8. Ruling of alcohol sourced from other than grapes or dates · Askimam (via IslamQA.org) · accessed
  9. Vinegar · Wikipedia · accessed