How do You Make Vinegar?
Vinegar is made via a two-part fermentation process. First, yeast consuming sugars within fruits and grains and produce alcohol; this is 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 vinegar at home, you first essentially make wild fermented fruit wine, and then that wine turns to vinegar!
How to Make Vinegar from Fruit
It is so easy to make vinegar from fruit. You only need three ingredients: fruit, sugar, and water. It helps if you have some raw apple cider vinegar with the mother as a starter, but it is not necessary.
You can use pretty much any type of fruit to make vinegar. I suggest sticking to high fructose fruits and staying away from high-sorbitol fruits. These are two types of fermentable sugars found in fruits, and high sorbitol fruits tend to cause kahm yeast.
These are my favorite fruits to use:
- apples
- pears
- mango
- strawberry
- grape
- figs
- watermelon
- Another favorite of mine is pineapple vinegar, and I have a specific recipe for that kind, click here
To make vinegar from fruit, you just need a good bit of whatever fruit you want to use, water, and some organic cane sugar. You also need a large glass jar. For this recipe, I suggest a gallon glass jar and a cloth cover with a rubber band. You have to 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.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
There is a slight difference between apple cider vinegar and apple scrap vinegar. The recipe in this blog post is more similar to an apple scrap vinegar, even though I use the whole fruit and not just scraps.
In order to make “true” apple cider vinegar, you need to first make apple cider, and then change that apple cider into vinegar.
Here’s my blog recipe for making apple cider at home. Once you make apple cider, you can turn it into vinegar by adding a vinegar mother and covering with a cloth lid. It should take about 4 to 6 weeks to turn the apple cider into vinegar.
I think my recipe (below) is easier and more functional for making vinegar at home. It’s definitely easier than going through the whole process of making cider first.
It is slightly less acidic than apple cider vinegar, but still delicious. Plus, this method is applicable to many types of fruit or mixes of fruits.
What is a Homemade 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.
You can use the vinegar mother SCOBY from your first batch of vinegar to culture the next batch of vinegar.
Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
I still call the vinegar I make using this recipe “apple cider vinegar” when I make it with apples. It tastes almost exactly like the ACV I buy at trader Joe’s, and I bottle it in recycled apple cider vinegar bottles from the store.
The keys to remember when making ACV or any fruit vinegar at home:
- 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.
- You must use a breathable cloth lid. The microbes involved in vinegar production require oxygen to convert alcohol to acetic acid.
- Use a clean glass container. It is best to use glass when fermenting acidic vinegar. Clean your equipment well before getting started.
What do you use fruit vinegar for?
I use my homemade fruit vinegar in any recipe where I would use store-bought vinegar. Since fruit varies in sugar content depending on ripeness, the acidity of each person’s vinegar will vary a bit depending on the fruit used.
It may or may not be adequate for pickling and canning pickles. To make a strongly acidic vinegar, you can use more sugar and use fruits high in fructose, like mangoes. 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 to use in pickling recipes should be approximately 2.4 pH (about 5% acidity).
Here are my favorite ways to use homemade vinegar:
- for homemade salad dressing
- with homemade bone broth
- in heirloom culturing recipes like this fermented cherry tomatoes recipe
- 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”)
- I love using my fruit vinegar to make Fermented Pickle de Gallo.
- You can also use homemade vinegar in Oxymel and Fire Cider recipes.
Things You May Need:
How to Make Vinegar from Scratch
My easy fermented fruit vinegar recipe requires only four ingredients: fruit, sugar, water and starter. This is the perfect recipe to use up fruit scraps and overripe fruit. You can use this recipe to make homemade apple cider vinegar, apple scrap vinegar, berry vinegar, and more!
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Ferment: 9 weeks
Ingredients
- 6 cups of fruit*
- 255 grams of organic cane sugar
- Water
- 3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar with the mother (as starter culture)
- 1 gallon glass jar
- tight-weave cloth covering
- rubber band
Instructions
- Please read the recipe notes.
- Chop the fruit into small chunks.
- Add the sugar and apples (or other fruit) to a 1-gallon glass jar.
- Add water to the jar until full.
- Add in a few tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother. This helps establish a good microbial community, and while it isn’t absolutely necessary to add I highly recommend it. If you’ve made vinegar before and have a vinegar mother, you can add it.
- Stir the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Place a cloth lid (tight-weave is best, like t-shirt material) on the jar and secure with a rubber band.
- 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.
- You should notice the mixture bubble within one week.
- After three weeks of fermentation, strain out all the fruit pieces, replace the cloth lid and allow the mixture to ferment for 6 more weeks.
- 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 fruit vinegar.
- After fermentation, bottle the vinegar and seal it with a solid lid. Store at room temperature in your pantry.
Notes
- you can use any of your favorite fruits in this recipe. High fructose and fructan fruits tend to make the best vinegar. See a list of my favorite fruits above the recipe card. Use organic and homegrown fruit whenever possible. Conventional fruits sprayed with pesticides may not work well and may lead to kahm yeast.
- 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.
Hi, I appreciate your simple instructions and recipe without all the scientific stuff. I just have one question. You give the measurements in cups but the sugar in grams. How many cups is 255 grams of sugar. Thank you
Yeah the sugar is en exact measurement to help create a good acidity. Cups of fruit is a flexible measurement and introduces variability because all fruits are various levels of ripeness with various amounts of sugar. Google can convert grams to cups for you if you want to convert.
Above it says-
“To make a strongly acidic vinegar, you can use more sugar”
How much more sugar would you recommend to get the ph to 2.4?
Also,
Just strained mine and now it will set for another 6 weeks. If it does form a mother, next time to use it do I set it on the top of the apple/sugar/water mixture in the jar at the start? Thanks!
You can increase the sugar by 50 grams and that should do the trick. and yes, just add the mother to the next batch at the start or after you strain it, either way works. It will probably sink to the bottom, but it will still work.
It never formed a mother, does it eventually if I leave it longer than 6 weeks?
Thanks!
it should! if it doesn’t form one but still smells and tastes like vinegar, its fine.
Merry Christmas!!! Thank you very much for sharing this vinegar recipe. Now i made grape vinegar today, hopefully it will be a success…
Hi, I have a couple questions: should the vinegar continue to bubble after straining the fruit out? And how long does it take for the mother to start to form? I strained mine about a week ago and it doesn’t look like anything is happening so I’m not sure if it’s still fermenting. Thanks for the recipe!
No, vinegar does not bubble after straining, and you wont see much visible activity.
Hi, can I use this as cleaning vinegar as well? Thank you.
I don’t recommend cleaning with it. It’s stickier than distilled white vinegar.
On week 8 of making Apple vinegar using scraps and there is no scoby. Is this normal or did something go wrong?
It’s normal. Sometimes a SCOBY won’t form, or it will take a long while when it’s cold. If it smells like vinegar and tastes acidic, it’s good to go.
Can I ferment fruit/fruit scraps with leftover wine that has been un-sulfured and skip the first fermentation step?
yes! you can do it like in this recipe! White Wine Strawberry Vinegar Made with Strawberry Tops
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience! Mine hasn’t grown a scoby, did I do something incorrectly?
Nope! Sometimes it takes a long while for a scoby to form, and sometimes they don’t form.
Thank you for a great explanation Kaitlynn! Can you tell us the percentage ratio of water – sugar – fruit? I intend to make small different sized batches.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am halfway through the second six weeks, and I had a beautiful pellicle forming on the top. I noticed today though after checking on it, that the pellicle had sunk to the bottom and a new one seemed to be forming on top — My jar is stored on the ground in a corner and I picked it up to check on it and I’m thinking I jostled it? Should this be a problem?
Also, when I make a second batch and use the mother SCOBY in it, do you add that into the jar in the first phase with all the fruit scraps or just place it on the top after straining?
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! The pellicle sinking to the bottom is totally normal. Mine sinks to the bottom all the time, and it’s not a problem. When I use the mother SCOBY to make another batch, I put it in during the first phase and it usually sinks to the bottom. When I strain it, I pick it out of the fruit scraps and put it in the strained liquid too.
Thanks
Can I use raw honey from my beehives instead of cane sugar?? Love your content, thanks so much!
yes! Honey will work great.
My fig vinegar has attracted many fruit flies. I have a doubled up piece of cheesecloth on it since day one. Am I doing something wrong, and what can I do to minimize flies?
It needs to be a tight-weave cloth, like a cut square of cloth from an old T-shirt. The holes in cheesecloth are too big, so the flies can find their way through. Also make sure the cloth is tightly secured around the rim of the jar with a rubber band.
Hi there, I would love to try this with the abundance of peaches I’m getting from my garden. Peaches weren’t on your favorites list though so I’m wondering if they are too high in sorbitol. Thanks!
yes, they are. Sorbitol is the main ferment-able sugar in peaches. I would suggest making this peach cider. If you don’t drink, you can brew the cider then turn the cider to vinegar by adding some vinegar with the mother. Homemade Peach Cider Recipe with Honey (Peach Cyser)
Question: Can I use frozen fruit to make vinegar? I have a lot of homegrown strawberries which I froze. Can I use them?
yes, frozen fruit can work! Add a little extra raw vinegar as starter to ensure it starts fermenting.
Hi Kaitlynn! Thanks for responding to the comment about frozen fruit. Should we thaw it first or is it okay to put in still frozen and then add the extra vinegar as described? If we have a vinegar mother should we wait until the fruit has reached room temp in the mixture? Thank you!
A very encouraging description!
I’d like to make rhubarb vinegar. Should I do anything differently? I do not have access to a ‘mother’.
You shouldn’t need to do anything differently! I recommend using any raw vinegar you can find at the store as a “mother” because this recipe works best with vinegar starter culture
You know your stuff!!! My son is now involved in this journey, so we’re going the long way now. How do I (we) make ACV from homemade hard apple cider? Can I useBragg’s ACV with the mother to kickstart the process?
just put some heard cider in a jar, and add in some starter acv with the mother. Cover with a tight-weave cloth.
Hey! Today I finished my first ever batches of vinegar. I experimented with different fruits. I did three jars of pineapple, two jars of apple, 1 jar of peach, and 2 jars of cranberry. All the pineapple jars turned out just lovely! The apple… one of the jars turned out great, the other smelled… awful… so I dumped it. The peach turned out great! And I seem to have made some quite delicious cranberry juice. Just wondering what I might have done wrong with that one jar of apple that made it smell rank and why my cranberry jars, though developing a mother like the rest, just tastes like potent juice. Any thoughts or guidance would be appreciated. Also what to do with all these mothers now??
Hey! There are many things that could have gone amiss with that one jar of apple vinegar, and there’s no way for me to know since I can’t smell it or see it or test it. As for the cranberry vinegar, cranberry juice is the same acidity as store-bought vinegar, so your perception of the acidity isn’t going to change much as it turns to vinegar. If you see a healthy mother growing on the surface and it smells nice, then it sounds like you have cranberry vinegar
Hi there! I started this recipe today, but I accidentally put too much apple cider vinegar in the mixture. I put a 3 tablespoon amount in the half gallon jar. When I meant to half the apple cider vinegar. Should I rinse the strawberries and start over? Or will the extra vinegar just speed up the fermentation process or makes the end result more acidic?
It’s all fine! Don’t start over. The extra vinegar is great and won’t change anything, except maybe make it even better : )