6 Best Apple Cider Vinegar Substitutes

by John Staughton (BASc, BFA) last updated -

Apple cider vinegar is a vinegar distilled from apples, sugar, and yeast and has uses ranging from cooking and cleaning to personal hygiene. Recipes that use apple cider vinegar range from salad dressings, steak marinades, soups to even candies. And if you are out of this vinegar then knowing the best apple cider vinegar substitutes will help you in your cooking, as well as keep you healthy if used as a home remedy. [1]

Apple Cider Vinegar Substitutes

Apple cider vinegar often seems like a miracle potion, so if you find yourself without it, there are many great substitutes, including lemon juice or lime juice, white wine, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, cooking sherry, and fruit vinegar, among others. Let us take a detailed look at them below.

Lemon Juice or Lime Juice

Expect the brightness and tart flavor you’re looking for, but with more citrus flavor and less fruitiness. You can replace 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of either citrus juice.

Balsamic Vinegar

Grape-based vinegar, like balsamic, may have some of the same health benefits as wine, such as lowering cholesterol and risk of heart disease and can be substituted for apple cider vinegar if you’re using it as a natural remedy.

A jar of apple cider vinegar with whole and halved fresh apples and leaves

A jar of apple cider vinegar Photo Credit: Shutterstock

White Wine

Any white wine will work as a substitute, having similar levels of acidity, and when used in small amounts, it won’t change the flavor of your dish. [2]

Fruit Vinegar

Through fermentation, many different fruits can be distilled into vinegar. When a recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, you can experiment with coconut vinegar, strawberry vinegar, ginger or turmeric root vinegar, or even malt vinegar. Any of these will significantly change the flavor of your cooking, however, so be aware and be creative!

Cooking Sherry

To deglaze a pan, substitute cooking sherry or port for apple cider vinegar.

A cup of rice vinegar on top of scattered rice

Rice vinegar Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Rice Vinegar

For cleaning, substitute white vinegar or rice vinegar to clean and deodorize rooms and fabrics by mixing with water in a spray bottle. The same mixture can be used to kill weeds and pests. [3]

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About the Author

John Staughton is a traveling writer, editor, publisher and photographer with English and Integrative Biology degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana (USA). He co-founded the literary journal, Sheriff Nottingham, and now serves as the Content Director for Stain’d Arts, a non-profit based in Denver, Colorado. On a perpetual journey towards the idea of home, he uses words to educate, inspire, uplift and evolve.

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