How to Make Vinegar at Home

What Exactly Is Vinegar?

Vinegar is a tangy liquid made through a simple fermentation process where bacteria turn alcohol into acetic acid. It’s been around for centuries and has so many uses—cooking, cleaning, preserving, and even health remedies. I love it because it’s one of those kitchen staples that feels both practical and a little magical. Plus, when you make it yourself, you get to experiment with flavors and ingredients.

Types of Vinegar

There are several types of vinegar you can make at home. Here are some of my favorites:

• Apple Cider Vinegar: Perfect for dressings, marinades, or even sipping if you’re into that health trend. You can make it from apple scraps, so it’s a great way to use up leftovers.
• White Vinegar: The go-to for cleaning or pickling. It’s sharp and simple, with a million practical uses.
• Wine Vinegar: Red or white wine vinegar is great for cooking—think marinades or a splash in a sauce. Plus, it feels fancy to say, “Oh, I made my own wine vinegar.”
• Fruit Vinegar: Berries, peaches, or even cherries can be turned into flavorful vinegars. These are amazing for salads or drizzling over grilled veggies.
• Rice Vinegar: If you love Asian cooking, this is a must-try. It’s a bit sweeter and milder than other types.

Equipment You’ll Need

Making vinegar is surprisingly low-maintenance. You probably have most of this at home already:

• Glass jars or bottles: These will hold your vinegar while it ferments.
• Cheesecloth or breathable fabric: To cover the jars and let air in while keeping dust and bugs out.
• Rubber bands: To secure the fabric covers.
• Non-metallic spoons: For stirring. Metal reacts with vinegar, so stick to wood or plastic.
• Parchment paper: If you’re using jars with metal lids, use this as a barrier to prevent corrosion.
• A funnel: Handy for transferring liquid without making a mess.
• Starter culture: Optional but helpful. This can be unpasteurized vinegar or a vinegar mother to speed up fermentation.

Instructions

Apple Cider Vinegar

The first time I made apple cider vinegar, it was purely to use up a mountain of apple peels from baking pies. I didn’t want to waste them, and it turned out to be one of the best kitchen experiments ever. Now I make it every fall when apples are everywhere. It’s tangy, versatile, and makes you feel oddly accomplished every time you use it.

• Ingredients:
  • Apple scraps (peels, cores)
  • Water
  • 1-2 tablespoons of sugar
• Steps:
  1. Fill a clean jar with apple scraps, leaving a bit of room at the top.
  2. Dissolve sugar in water and pour it over the scraps until fully submerged.
  3. Cover the jar with cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band.
  4. Stir daily to prevent mold and let it ferment for 1-2 weeks.
  5. Strain out the solids, then let the liquid ferment for another 2-4 weeks until it smells like vinegar.

I like to keep the jar in a spot where I’ll see it every day—it’s a good reminder to stir it, and it also smells amazing as it ferments.

White Vinegar

White vinegar is the workhorse of the vinegar world, and homemade is no exception. I started making it for pickling projects and cleaning solutions, and now I always keep a jar fermenting in the pantry. It’s sharp, clean, and super satisfying to make something so practical from scratch.

Ingredients:

• Distilled alcohol (like vodka or ethanol)
• Water
• Starter culture (unpasteurized vinegar or a vinegar mother)

Steps:

1. Mix alcohol and water in a jar (1 part alcohol to 2 parts water).
2. Add a starter culture to speed up fermentation.
3. Cover the jar with cheesecloth and let it sit in a warm, dark place.
4. Stir occasionally and taste after 3-4 weeks. When it’s sour enough for you, it’s done!

If you’re using this for cleaning, skip the starter culture—you don’t need it for a basic vinegar that’s only for household use.

Red or White Wine Vinegar

The idea of turning leftover wine into vinegar felt fancy to me at first, but now it’s my go-to trick to use up that last bit of wine that no one drinks. Homemade wine vinegar is richer and more flavorful than store-bought, and it adds something extra to salads and sauces.

Ingredients:

• Red or white wine
• Water
• Starter culture (vinegar mother or unpasteurized vinegar)

Steps:

1. Dilute wine with water (1 part wine to 1 part water) to lower the alcohol content.
2. Add a starter culture and pour everything into a clean jar.
3. Cover with cheesecloth and let it sit in a warm, dark spot.
4. Stir every few days and taste after 4-6 weeks. Once it’s tangy, strain and bottle.

I’ve found that simpler, lighter wines work best—skip anything too sweet or heavily oaked.

Fruit Vinegar

Fruit vinegar is my absolute favorite because it’s like a little science experiment with the bonus of incredible flavor. I’ve tried strawberries, peaches, and even blackberries. The peach vinegar turned out so good that I ended up drizzling it over vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• Fresh fruit (chopped)
• Water
• Sugar
• Starter culture (optional)

Steps:

1. Combine fruit, sugar (about 1 tablespoon per cup of water), and water in a clean jar.
2. Cover with cheesecloth and stir daily for 1-2 weeks.
3. Strain out the fruit, then let the liquid ferment for another 2-4 weeks until it tastes like vinegar.
4. Bottle and refrigerate to preserve the flavor.

If you’re experimenting with fruit, start with a small batch to see how the flavors turn out. Strawberries are naturally sweet, while blackberries add a tart, tangy kick.

Rice Vinegar

I’ll admit, making rice vinegar took me a little practice, but once I figured it out, I felt like a vinegar pro. It’s perfect for homemade sushi or drizzling over roasted veggies, and it has a light, slightly sweet taste that’s so much better than store-bought.

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice or rice wine
• Water
• Starter culture

Steps:

1. Start by fermenting cooked rice with water to create rice wine. This takes about 1-2 weeks.
2. Strain out the solids, then add a starter culture to the liquid.
3. Let it ferment for another 4-6 weeks, stirring occasionally.
4. Once it’s tangy, strain and store in a clean bottle.

When fermenting the rice, keep the jar somewhere warm but not too hot—consistency in temperature helps the process along.