If you find your local grocery store out of both Prosciutto Cotto and Crudo, don’t worry – we’ve got a selection of mouth-wateringly delicious Prosciutto substitutes coming up for you to try.
Most of these alternatives can be served in all the same ways as the salty, beloved Italian classic lunch meat.
What is Prosciutto?
Prosciutto is a sweet, salty ham that is usually sliced and eaten raw. Authentic Prosciutto is made in Italy, but its widespread popularity has led to it being made all over the world today.
There are two cured types of meat that Prosciutto can refer to.
Prosciutto Cotto is cooked ham with a lighter flavor than its counterpart, whereas Prosciutto Crudo is dry-aged with a saltier, softer texture with a light sweetness.
The 8 Best Substitutes For Prosciutto
Here are the very best substitutes for Prosciutto available.
1. Ham
Ham is an excellent alternative to Prosciutto because of its taste similarity. It’s also available thinly sliced for use on sandwiches, just like the Italian favorite.
However, the only drawback to sandwich or other sliced ham is that it’s not as salty as Prosciutto. Fortunately, all that it takes is a dash of salt, and you’ll have a worthy substitute.
If you’ve got the option, go for smoked ham or black forest ham as the top alternative. Cured smoked ham will be the ultimate substitute if you’re willing to go through smoking a hock or similar cut yourself.
Ham goes great in all types of meals, from salads to pasta, vegetable dishes, and even as pizza toppings – it should be your go-to if you can’t find Prosciutto available.
2. Bacon
You can easily replace Prosciutto with sliced bacon. Just like Prosciutto, bacon is raw, dry, and smoked. The best way to prepare bacon to have a similar result to Prosciutto is to blanch it in boiling water for a few minutes.
After blanching, rinse the bacon and then cook it according to your recipe. For a sandwich topping, give it a quick fry. Sliced bacon, which is dried and smoked, has an almost identical taste to Prosciutto.
You can replace Prosciutto with sliced bacon. Like Prosciutto, this bacon should be raw but dry and smoked. Instead of frying, blanch the bacon in boiling water for a few minutes. Wait until the bacon is soft and transparent.
The next step is to rinse the bacon and cook it according to the recipe. Sliced bacon can be dried and smoked, giving it the same taste as Prosciutto.
Expect the same flavor profile but milder as bacon cures within ten days, whereas Prosciutto cures for up to a year or more.
3. Pancetta
Pancetta also gives you a Prosciutto-like taste. This is mainly because it is treated with spices and salt and then cured for around two weeks. It is not, however, smoked like Prosciutto.
The extended curing gives pancetta a saltier, meatier taste than bacon which is quite similar to Prosciutto. It’s so similar that many refer to pancetta as Italian bacon.
The main difference between pancetta and Prosciutto is that even if your pancetta is hardened, it must still be cooked first before eating.
Most chefs advise that you allow your pancetta to cool off on a cold plate after rendering the fat.
Allowing your pancetta or meal containing pancetta to stand will allow the tastes of the other ingredients to fuse, melding into irresistible aroma and flavor.
4. Capicola
Capicola, also called Capocollo, is another Italian smoked cured meat similar to Prosciutto.
Prosciutto is made from the hind leg or thigh of a pig or boar, whereas Capicola is made from the muscle that runs from a pig’s fourth or fifth rib to the upper section of its neck. This is often called the ‘Coppa.’
Capicola is at times also cut from the scapula. Expect a less salty flavor as Capicola isn’t as brined as ham. While just as smokey and rich as Prosciutto, Capocollo is fattier, more tender, and more delicate in flavor.
The ideal serving suggestions for this gourmet ingredient is either as a topping on sandwiches, subs, and Italian bread like panini and pizza, or sliced paper-thin and cooked into antipasto.
5. Salami
Salami is accessible, affordable, and savory in a similar sense to Prosciutto. The cured flavor is a little stronger than everyone’s favorite Italian pork, but as a cured pork sausage, it works wonderfully as a Prosciutto substitute.
Consider the flavor profile of your meal carefully when opting for salami, as it can be a little too sweet for certain dishes.
However, as a topping, on sandwiches, and in most culinary situations, salami will take the plat of Prosciutto in a pinch without any problems.
6. Guanciale
Guanciale isn’t as common as other alternatives, but this Italian cured meat tastes strikingly similar to Prosciutto. You can’t eat it raw unless it’s cured already, and the flavor is far more savory and intense.
Cooked Guanciale works perfectly well in just about any meal, and it’s fantastic on sandwiches. Also known as jowl bacon, referring to the jowl (pig’s cheek) from which it’s cut, Guanciale is fattier than our other suggestions.
The fattiness and richness impart a strong umami flavor into anything it’s added to, so work sparingly when opting for this tasty melt-in-your-mouth cured meat. The only thing it’s lacking is smokiness.
7. Mortadella
Here we have another Italian sausage that works as a Prosciutto substitute. Unlike salami, this massive sausage is more akin to lunch meat, which means that it won’t work in almost all applications.
The salty, savory flavor of pork is also transformed into a unique taste of its own by the addition of black pepper, pistachios, or even myrtle berries.
Expect a flavor that’s not as prominent as bacon, with a denser mouthfeel than Prosciutto. It’s mild and tastes similar to a pork chop.
8. Culatello
The rarest ham out of Italy is arguably Culatello. Its flavor brings a delicate balance of boldness and savory funk that’s hard to tie to anything else.
The smokiness is similar to Prosciutto but much lighter, and there’s a lingering sweetness that other ham never seems to reach. Culatello can age for as long as 36 months or more, developing immense depth of flavor.
A small cut of ham is taken from the most valuable section of a fully grown pig’s thigh – a section with zero fat, no bones, and no rind.
After being rubbed with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian wine, the cut gets wrapped and hung in a pig’s bladder and left to cure, giving Culatello the distinctive shape it’s famous for.
Don’t think twice if you’re a pork fan and can manage to get your hands on this top-end Prosciutto substitute. There’s no other cured meat like it but be prepared to pay a considerable sum.
Some Other Alternatives
Here we have a selection of tasty alternatives to Prosciutto. Most of these suggestions are used in baked recipes, roasts, and cheesy meals that would typically use Prosciutto.
Swiss Cheese Wrapped Bread – Instead of wrapping Prosciutto in cheese, try wrapping a stick of bread instead to grant a soft to crunchy texture contrast that’s similar to using pork
Stuffed Parmesan, Pecoroni Or Manchego – All three varieties of cheese are great for stuffing, so try pressing a piece of melon or a fig into a block to grant a savory taste contrast similar to Prosciutto
Filled Filo Pastry Cups – Fill a baked Filo pastry cup with cheese, tomato, and a vegetable like slices of green beans for a tasty snack that’s got a mouthfeel that’ll remind you of Prosciutto
Bacon-Wrapped Prawns – Take a large prawn, wrap it in bacon and bake it in a hot oven for a flavor that’s a close match to everyone’s favorite Italian cured meat
Toasted Nuts – Try adding toasted nuts like walnuts or almonds to add depth of flavor to risotto dishes, pasta, and pizzas, bringing out other tastes similar to Prosciutto
Roasted Mushrooms – Roast mushrooms for an extended period until they reach a deep caramel flavor and toasty coloring to bring out a flavor similar to roasted nuts that can be used in the place of Prosciutto
Gourmet Ham Wrapped Melon – There are all sorts of vegetables that work well wrapped in gourmet ham, so we suggest wrapping fresh figs, asparagus spears, small pieces of toast, or even slices of melon for a tasty alternative
Give All Our Prosciutto Substitutes A Try
Prosciutto has a delicate flavor that manages to be intensely tasty while remaining mild enough to suit almost any other type of food as an accompaniment.
We hope that you’ve discovered a few new Prosciutto substitutes for those times when you just can’t find stock of the Italian specialty meat available.
While not exactly the same, each suggestion supplies a distinct taste sensation of its own that comes close to the salty, savory pork taste the world has come to love.