Try Our 5 Best Substitutes for Apple Cider Vinegar

Check your pantry for one of these swaps.

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Published on October 6, 2023

Apple cider is a pantry staple enjoyed in cooking, baking, and preserving. Whether you make your favorite salad dressing, a delicious baked apple pie, or a recipe that calls for this golden yellow, fruity-flavored cider, don’t feel stuck when you don’t have any on hand.

You can still bring your favorite dishes to life with some suitable replacements. We have come up with five best substitutes for apple cider vinegar; scroll on to see if you have any of these easy swaps.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple juice, yeast, and sugar. The vinegar is produced with a two-step fermentation, where food processors first add yeast to ferment the sugars in the apple juice to an alcohol. The apple juice alcohol is then fermented to form acetic acid, also known as vinegar.

What Does Apple Cider Taste Like?

Apple cider vinegar has a sharp and vinegary taste. The tartness and sourness of the cider also offer the subtle sweetness of apples.

Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a popular ingredient often used to brighten the flavor of dishes. When used in homemade salad dressings, this golden liquid offers a bold flavor without overpowering the fresh earthiness of your greens.

Apple cider vinegar is also a main ingredient in making glazes and sauces like barbecue sauces, where the fruity-flavored cider offers sweetness and caramelizes in heat.

The sweetness from apple cider vinegar also amplifies the overall taste of the main ingredient, making it a good option for pickling, adding the finishing touch to dishes, roasting vegetables, making apple butter, and more.

In beverages, apple cider vinegar also lends well to switchels, shrubs, ciders, tonics, and turmeric teas.

Apple Cider Vinegar Substitutes

If you find yourself without apple cider vinegar and yet you don’t want to make a trip to the grocery store, there are six pantry staples that you can use to replace apple cider vinegar:

White Wine Vinegar

White wine vinegar is another good alternative to apple cider vinegar because of their similar acidity profiles. White wine vinegar offers a relatively neutral flavor that lacks the subtle fruitiness of apple cider vinegar. Add ¼ teaspoon of citrus fruit juice for every tablespoon of white wine vinegar used to mimic the fruitiness for vinaigrettes and salad dressings.

Use a 1:1 ratio of white wine vinegar to apple cider vinegar.

Rice Wine Vinegar

Rice wine vinegar (aka rice vinegar) has a slightly tangy and acidic flavor. Like white wine vinegar, it doesn’t have the fruitiness. Still, you can also ¼ teaspoon of citrus fruit juice or table sugar for every tablespoon of rice wine vinegar to replace apple cider vinegar.

Rice wine vinegar will be an excellent option to replace apple cider vinegar in stir-fries, rice dishes, and soups. Use a 1:1 ratio of rice wine vinegar to apple cider vinegar.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is the next best substitute for apple cider vinegar, especially in making vinaigrettes and dressings. However, balsamic vinegar can also replace apple cider vinegar in entrees to balance the savoriness of meat, poultry, fish, slaws, and roasted veggies.

Because balsamic vinaigrette is made with fermented grape juice, it is fruitier and sweeter than apple cider vinegar. Balsamic vinegar also has a darker color than apple cider. If color isn’t a concern, balsamic vinegar is a forerunner for substituting apple cider vinegar.

Use a 1:1 ratio of balsamic vinegar to apple cider vinegar.

Lemon Juice

Freshly squeezed lemon juice or pre-squeezed or bottled lemon juice can be an easy substitute for apple cider vinegar, especially for salad dressings and marinades, as lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are both fruity and acidic.

Use a 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to apple cider vinegar.

Lime Juice

Fresh or pre-squeezed lime juice can replace apple cider vinegar in salad dressings and marinades like lemon juice. Keep in mind that lime juice has a bolder flavor than lemon juice—start with a 1/2 to 1 ratio as a taste test and adjust to a 1:1 ratio depending on your taste preference.