Realized you’re all out of vinegar while you’re cooking? Here’s the best apple cider vinegar substitute to use in recipes. Making a recipe that calls for apple cider vinegar and don’t have it? Apple cider vinegar is
made from fermenting apple cider, then straining and bottling it. It tastes tangy and sour, with bold flavor. You should be able to find it in your local grocery next to the other vinegars. But don’t have time to shop for it? Here are some substitute ideas. The best substitute for apple cider vinegar? Red wine or white wine vinegar! These vinegars are made from fermented wine, and you might have one or the
other in your cupboard already. Red wine vinegar is a little stronger than white wine with a bolder flavor. Use either as a 1:1 substitute. If you have it, rice vinegar also works as a substitute! This type of vinegar is made from fermented rice and used in Asian-style cuisine. It has a similar acidity to apple cider vinegar. But make sure not to use seasoned rice vinegar, though: it’s seasoned with sugar and salt
and used for seasoning sushi rice and Asian style salads. Sherry vinegar is another apple cider vinegar substitute; it is medium-bodied and lightly sweet. It’s got a distinct flavor but it does match the zing of apple cider vinegar fairly well. It’s often used in Spanish cuisine. If you have it, champagne vinegar also could work as a substitute! It’s made by fermenting
champagne. It is very mild in flavor, so it’s not near the intensity of apple cider vinegar. Don’t have any vinegars on hand? You can use lemon juice as a substitute in a pinch. Lemon juice is also acidic and tangy like apple cider vinegar. But naturally, it tastes like lemon and not vinegar! Lemon juice can work for salad dressings, but you may need to add a little more lemon juice to equate the zing of the apple cider
vinegar (do so to taste).1. Red wine or white wine vinegar
2. Rice vinegar (not seasoned)
3. Sherry vinegar
4. Champagne vinegar
6. Lemon juice (in a pinch)
What not to use as a substitute? We recommend not using balsamic vinegar or distilled white vinegar: they are much too strong.
Here are some recipes where you could use this apple cider vinegar substitution:
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Simplest Pickled Red Onions
- Red Cabbage Slaw
- Black Bean Salad
- Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Broccoli Slaw
- Texas Caviar (Cowboy Caviar)
- Best Coleslaw Recipe
About the authors
Sonja & Alex
Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.
Shutterstock One superfood that isn't going out of style any time
soon is apple cider vinegar. The reason for apple cider vinegar's enduring popularity may lie in its versatility — not only can it be used as a food ingredient, but it's also been known to play a starring role in DIY beauty and household cleaning hacks. Tenderize your kale with it, drink it, scrub
your sink with it, or use it as a deodorant — seriously, what can't apple cider vinegar do? Well, the one thing it can't do is miraculously replenish itself, nor can it (yet) communicate with Alexa and ask her to order more when you're running low. Should you (horrors!) actually run
out of apple cider vinegar, here are some substitutes you can try. White wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or lemon juice all substitute nicely for apple cider vinegar in salad dressings. You can also use plain white (distilled) vinegar, but you might need to add a
splash of lemon juice for flavor, since distilled vinegar doesn't have much flavor of its own apart from acidity.
White wine may be substituted for apple cider vinegar in cooking, but you'll need to double the amount of wine (2 tablespoons of wine for 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar). Lemon or lime juice, white wine vinegar, distilled vinegar, or rice vinegar may be substituted on a one-on-one basis, but with red wine vinegar, which is less tart than apple cider vinegar, you'll need to use about 1 teaspoon extra for each tablespoon used.
If you, like Kourtney Kardashian, are a fan of the numerous health benefits said to be offered by drinking apple cider vinegar, you might also like kombucha (preferred by Meghan Markle). This fermented tea drink is also super-healthy, with the added bonus of being better-tasting than a straight shot of vinegar.
When it comes to cleaning, distilled vinegar does just as well as apple cider vinegar. It doesn't have that nice appley smell, but plain white vinegar does tend to be cheaper.
On the beauty side of things, apple cider vinegar makes a great hair rinse, clarifying and adding body and shine, but lemon juice will also do these same things. Swap out your apple cider vinegar "deodorant" for a paste made of baking soda and water.
These substitutes should help you get by until your next grocery run. If you've run out of just about everything else in the kitchen, however, you might want to check out these meals you can make out of (almost) nothing.