What is a Suitable Substitute For Apple Cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is a very common ingredient. For the longest time, people have associated it with healthy living.
Manufacturers make the cider vinegar by fermenting apple cider. Apple cider vinegar contains yeast and sugar. It also has other ingredients, but we will not get into the details today.
Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic. It has a bold, tangy, and sour flavor. It is a type of vinegar that has several uses. It is used in cooking several dishes. It is used in hot beverages, salad dressings, marinades, soups, and sauces.
Other than its use in cooking, you can use cider vinegar as a nutritional supplement, a toiletry product, and a cleaning product.
Also, Check out: How long do apples last?
Apple cider vinegar is an amazing ingredient. The only issue is you may not always have it in stock. You can substitute it with something else just to switch up things a bit. Luckily, there are several ingredients that you can use in its place.
Some of the most suitable substitutes for cider vinegar are; lemon juice, white wine, lime juice, rice vinegar, white vinegar, white wine vinegar, red vinegar, malt vinegar, champagne vinegar, and sherry vinegar.
All these substitutes will give you results that are quite similar to the ones cider vinegar gives you. Without wasting time, let us discuss the details of these cider vinegar substitutes.
What is a suitable vermouth substitute? Click to Read.
Apple Cider Vinegar Substitutes
When choosing a substitute for this cider vinegar, go for the ones that have a tangy and mildly sweet flavor. Here are some of the suitable substitutes you can use instead of cider vinegar.
- Lemon juice
Lemon juice is arguably the best substitute. Just like cider vinegar, lemon juice has a low pH and it is highly acidic. Additionally, lemon juice has a fruity flavor that complements the dishes it is added to.
One of the reasons why lemon juice is a good cider vinegar substitute is that it gives your dishes a unique the same way the cider vinegar does. Additionally, it adds freshness to your dish.
Use one tablespoon of lemon juice in your recipe for every tablespoon of cider vinegar that your recipe requires.
- White wine
White wine has always been my favorite cider vinegar substitute for several reasons. A bottle of dry white wine always does the magic.
The flavor profile of dry white wine is quite similar to that of cider vinegar. Therefore, you can easily use it in all recipes that call for cider vinegar. If you are like me, you definitely have a bottle of white wine in the house. White wine is readily available hence the perfect substitute.
To use white wine as an alternative for the cider vinegar, use one tablespoon of white wine for every tablespoon of cider vinegar that your recipe requires.
- Lime juice
Lime juice is also a good cider vinegar substitute. Just like lemon juice, it is acidic and tangy. Although lime juice contains citric whereas cider vinegar contains acetic acid, it is still a suitable substitute.
Lime juice will give your dishes a slightly different flavor, but I can bet no one will notice the difference. Just like lemon juice, lime juice adds a certain freshness to the dishes it is added to.
For every tablespoon of lime juice that your recipe requires, use one tablespoon of lime juice. Your dish will turn out great.
- Rice vinegar
Rice vinegar can also work perfectly as a cider vinegar substitute. It has many similarities with cider vinegar. For starters, rice vinegar is a mild kind of vinegar, just like cider vinegar.
Rice vinegar is less acidic compared to cider vinegar. Keep this in mind every time you choose to use it as a substitute. Additionally, it has a much sweeter flavor compared to cider vinegar.
I suggest using rice vinegar instead of cider vinegar in rice dishes, stir fry recipes, and soups. It complements these dishes perfectly.
Switch apple cider vinegar with rice vinegar in equal amounts. If a recipe calls for a tablespoon of cider vinegar, use one tablespoon of rice vinegar.
- White vinegar
Don’t have rice vinegar in stock? Don’t worry. White vinegar can replace cider vinegar and give you good results when you use it instead of apple cider vinegar in recipes. White vinegar has the same acidity level that cider vinegar has.
White vinegar has a concentrated flavor. Some people describe its flavor as very sharp. Unfortunately, it does not have fruity undertones similar to the ones cider vinegar does.
I decide to use white vinegar instead of cider vinegar in salad dressings, I suggest adding a splash of lemon juice. The lemon juice will add flavor to your salads.
For every tablespoon of cider vinegar that your recipe requires, use one tablespoon of white vinegar.
- White wine vinegar
White wine vinegar is one of the most versatile types of vinegar when it comes to cooking. Therefore, it is no surprise that you can use it when you want an alternative to cider vinegar.
White wine vinegar will give your dishes that tangy flavor you are going for. The only thing you won’t get is the fruity undertones of apple. All in all, it is a good replacement when you need to use something other than cider vinegar but achieve similar results.
Substitute apple cider vinegar with white wine vinegar in the ratio of 1:2. If a recipe calls for one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, use two tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
- Malt vinegar
Malt vinegar is a suitable alternative when you want to replace apple cider vinegar Manufacturers make malt vinegar by fermenting malted barley. They manufacture it the same way they manufacture beer.
Malt vinegar usually has a distinct yeasty taste. This yeasty flavor may slightly alter the flavor of your dish. If you do not like the flavor, you should use one of the other substitutes. Additionally, Malt vinegar contains gluten, so if you are on a gluten-free diet, use another substitute.
Malt vinegar has a mild sweet flavor similar to the one cider vinegar has. The sweet flavor makes it one of the best replacements for cider vinegar.
Replace apple cider vinegar with malt vinegar in equal amounts. Use one tablespoon of malt vinegar for every tablespoon of cider vinegar that your recipe requires.
- Red wine vinegar
Red wine vinegar is a good alternative to cider vinegar. It is made from wine grapes. Therefore, red wine vinegar has fruity undertones that are similar to those in cider vinegar.
Compared to cider vinegar, red wine vinegar is very mild. Therefore, you may have to use more of it in your dish to achieve the flavor that cider vinegar gives you.
The only downside with red wine vinegar is that it may discolor some of your dishes that do not have bright colors. If you do not mind the difference in color then you can use it as a cider vinegar substitute.
For every tablespoon of cider vinegar that your recipe requires, use 1 ¼ tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
- Champagne vinegar
Champagne vinegar is a suitable cider vinegar substitute. Manufacturers make it by fermenting champagne.
Compared to cider vinegar, champagne vinegar has a very mild flavor. Therefore, you will have to use more than what your recipes need to achieve the flavor that you want.
Replace apple cider vinegar with champagne in the ratio of 1:2. If a recipe calls for one tablespoon of cider vinegar, use two tablespoons of champagne vinegar.
- Sherry vinegar
Sherry vinegar can also be used when looking for alternatives to cider vinegar. Sherry vinegar has a mild and sweet flavor. Additionally, it has fruity undertones, which makes it one of the best substitutes for cider vinegar.
Replace apple cider vinegar with sherry vinegar in equal amounts. Use one tablespoon of sherry vinegar when your recipe requires you to use one tablespoon of cider vinegar
Also, Check out: What is a suitable substitute for cooking cherry?
What should you NOT use as substitutes when you want to replace apple cider vinegar?
A lot of people believe that you can replace apple cider vinegar with any type of vinegar. However, this is not an accurate conclusion.
There are two varieties of vinegar that you should never use when substituting apple cider vinegar. They are; distilled white vinegar and balsamic vinegar. These two ingredients are way too strong and will overpower your dish.
Conclusion
Apple cider vinegar is quite easy to substitute because you are just looking for an ingredient that has some acidic content and will give you a tangy flavor and fruity undertones.
My favorite substitutes when it comes to this cider vinegar are white wine and rice vinegar. These two substitutes have always given me awesome results. Lemon juice and lime juice slightly alter the flavor of the dish, but they elevate the flavor of the dish and give them a freshness that you cannot replicate.
White wine vinegar, champagne, and white vinegar are suitable substitutes too. However, white wine vinegar has a very mild flavor and you have to use twice the amount that your recipe requires for the best results.
I do not use red wine vinegar a lot because it discolors dishes. However, if you do not have any other substitute you can use it.
Use these substitutes today and let me know if you love the results.