How to Make Pineapple Vinegar from Pineapple Scraps

How to Make Pineapple Vinegar

Pineapple vinegar is made via a two-part fermentation process. First, yeast consume sugars within fruits to produce alcohol, known as alcoholic fermentation.

Second, acetic acid bacteria consume the alcohol from step one and convert it into acetic acid. Once all the alcohol is metabolized by bacteria and converted into acetic acid, you have vinegar.

To make pineapple vinegar at home, you first make wild pineapple wine, which then turns to vinegar! This two step process isn’t mutually exclusive and happen simultaneously.

What is Pineapple Vinegar?

Pineapple vinegar is just like any other fruit vinegar. It can be made from pineapple juice, pineapple fruit, or scraps.

It is traditional in Mexican cuisine and in many regions such as Zacatecas and Jalisco have used it for decades to make everything from hot sauces to chorizo. It’s essential in Mexican cuisine. (I learned this from @hechovistocomido on Instagram)

How to Make Vinegar from Pineapple

It is so easy to make vinegar with pineapple. You only need a few ingredients: pineapple scraps, sugar, raw vinegar (as a starter culture), and water. It’s important to use organic pineapple scraps in this recipe. Conventional pineapple is prone to kahm yeast which is no good for vinegar fermentation.

It helps if you have some raw apple cider vinegar with the mother as a starter, but it is not 100% necessary. It is possible to make pineapple vinegar with only pineapple scraps, water, and sugar.

What is a Vinegar Mother?

Vinegar “with the mother” is another name for raw vinegar containing all the microbes from the brewing process. So, think of the mother as microbial cultures. Vinegar mothers form cloudy floating pieces within the vinegar and a SCOBY on the surface.

A vinegar mother SCOBY looks similar to a kombucha SCOBY but is often lighter with varying textures. Vinegar mothers in homemade vinegar are always unique. No two will look exactly the same because the wild microbes from fruit scraps will be slightly different across batches. If it’s not chalky or fuzzy, it’s probably a perfectly normal mother.

You can use the vinegar mother SCOBY from your first batch of vinegar to culture the next batch of vinegar.

Equipment for Vinegar Fermentation

I suggest a gallon glass jar and a cloth cover with a rubber band for this recipe.

You must use a cloth lid when making vinegar because acetic acid bacteria require oxygen to convert alcohol into acetic acid. I usually make cloth lids for fermentation by cutting up old t-shirts.

Here is all the equipment you need:

• 1 gallon glass jar
• a cloth lid and a rubber band
• a kitchen scale
• large spoon (for stirring daily)

What Do You Use Pineapple Vinegar For?

I use my homemade pineapple vinegar in any recipe where I would use store-bought apple cider vinegar.

Pineapple vinegar may or may not be adequate for pickling and canning pickles. It depends on how ripe the pineapple is. To make a strongly acidic vinegar, use more sugar and scraps from very ripe and sweet pineapple. You can also add in some sulfite-free wine, tequila, or vodka in place of some of the water.

You can also test the pH with a pH strip to see if it is good for pickling/canning. Vinegar that is safe for pickling recipes should have approximately 2.4 pH (about 5% acidity).

Here are my favorite ways to use homemade vinegar:

• for homemade salad dressing
• in heirloom culturing recipes like this fermented green tomato recipe
• I love to drizzle it over honeydew melon with raw honey and a pinch of salt.
• In mineral-rich hydrating drinks (I like to mix a tablespoon of fruit vinegar into a quart of water with a splash of coconut water, orange juice, and a pinch of sea salt for a homemade hydrating “Gatorade”)
• You can also use homemade vinegar in Oxymel and Fire Cider recipes.

Homemade Pineapple Vinegar

The keys to remember when making pineapple vinegar or any fruit vinegar at home:

1. Stir the vinegar once daily. Remove the cloth lid, give it a good stir, replace the lid, and repeat daily until you strain the vinegar.
2. You must use a breathable cloth lid. The microbes involved in vinegar production require oxygen to convert alcohol to acetic acid.
3. Use a clean glass container. It is best to use glass when fermenting acidic vinegar. Clean your equipment well before getting started.

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How to Make Pineapple Vinegar from Pineapple Scraps

My easy pineapple vinegar recipe requires only four ingredients: pineapple scraps, sugar, raw vinegar for a starter culture, and water. This is the perfect recipe to use up pineapple scraps.

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• Prep: 10 min 10 minutes
• Ferment: 9 weeks 9 weeks

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Ingredients

• 6 cups ripe, organic pineapple scraps* chopped
• 255 grams of organic cane sugar
• Water
• 3 tablespoons raw vinegar with the mother*
• 1 gallon glass jar
• cloth covering
• rubber band

Instructions

1. Please read the recipe notes.
2. Wash the pineapple rind well with warm water. Chop the pineapple scraps into chunks.
3. Add the sugar and pineapple to a 1-gallon glass jar.
4. Add water to the jar until full.
5. Add in a few tablespoons of raw vinegar with the mother. This is your starter culture and helps establish a good microbial community (see notes below)
6. Stir the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved.
7. Place a cloth lid on the jar and secure with a rubber band.
8. Stir the mixture once or twice a day and allow to ferment at room temperature for three weeks. Don’t forget to stir it. I like to just do it first thing in the morning each day.
9. You should notice the mixture bubble within one week.
10. After three weeks of fermentation, strain out all the pineapple pieces, replace the cloth lid and allow the mixture to ferment for 6 more weeks.
11. You will notice a vinegar mother form on the surface (it looks like a kombucha SCOBY but is very light in color). You can keep this to start your next batch of vinegar.
12. After fermentation, bottle the vinegar and seal it with a solid lid. Store at room temperature in your pantry.

Notes

• Vinegar works best with a starter culture. While it is possible to make vinegar without it, adding a vinegar mother or raw apple cider vinegar with the mother to the mixture ensures success. If you have a kombucha SCOBY or raw kombucha, you can sub for that with good results.
• For very strong vinegar, you can also add in some sulfite-free wine, tequila, or vodka in place of some of the water.
• You should use RIPE organic or homegrown pineapple scraps in this recipe. Conventional pineapple is prone to kahm yeast, which is not suitable for vinegar fermentation.
• If you’ve had trouble with kahm yeast when making vinegar, try boiling all the ingredients then allowing it to cool before adding the raw vinegar with the mother starter culture.

Kaitlynn Fenley Food Microbiologist and Fermentation Specialist

Kaitlynn is a Food Microbiologist and FSPCA-certified fermentation specialist. An alumna of the LSU College of Science, she combines her academic background in microbiology with her Cajun heritage to create safe and delicious recipes.

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