Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (2024)

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Apple scraps, the peel and core, are perfect for making this homemade apple cider vinegar recipe. An unpasteurized DIY apple cider vinegar is ideal for cooking, animal husbandry, treating body ailments, and promotes good gut health.

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (1)

Homemade apple cider vinegar is extremely easy to make and quite delicious. Plus, it is a great way to utilize the entire apple in order to create a zero waste product.

During apple season it’s a shame to give the peels and cores to the chickens or pigs. This easy recipe contains 3 ingredients and a bit of patience. Roughly 2 to 4 weeks of patience.

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In need of apple scraps?

Unless you have an unlimited supply of apples on hand, the apple scraps for making apple cider vinegar are gathered from a variety of projects during the Fall season.

During September and October my time is spent working on apples. Whether I am preserving them for long-term storage or using them in baked good, we are never short of apple scraps for making this homemade apple cider vinegar recipe.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

  • Canning Apples
  • Apple Pull-apart Bread
  • Canning Apple Juice Concentrate
  • Crock-Pot Apple Butter with Canning Tips
  • Canning Apple Salsa
  • Apple Pie Moonshine
  • Easy Applesauce Recipe with Canning Tips
  • Spiced Apple Shrub
How to Can Apples | Canning Apple Slices for Cooking and Baking

Using Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

Once apple scraps have fermented you will have a truly delicious unpasteurized (raw) apple cider vinegar. And so you know, there are plenty of uses for this DIY apple cider vinegar.

  • Cooking
  • Salad dressing
  • Bath and beauty aid (skin conditions and scalp issues)
  • Promotes good gut health for humans and livestock

However, homemade raw apple cider vinegar is not advised to be used as an acidity booster for home canning goods. An acidity lifter needs to be at least 5% or higher. There is no testing tool which can verify the exact acidity level for a homemade ACV, making it an unreliable acidity booster in the canning world.

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe – Ingredients

  • apple scraps, skins and core
  • non-chlorinated water, ideally spring or drinking water
  • a starter (I prefer this one unpasteurized apple cider vinegar), (optional) a small splash of raw ACV

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe – Equipment

  • Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (4)
  • Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (5)

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe – Instructions

  1. Fill the jar 3/4 full.
  2. Add non-chlorinated water of choice leaving a 1 1/4-inch headspace.
  3. Using an air bubble remover remove any air trapped between the apple scraps.
  4. Gentle added the fermented weight. Adding more water to ensure that the fruit and weight are completely submerged.
  5. Wipe the rim of the jar and place the paper coffee filter onto the jar. Secure the coffee filter with the ring.
  6. Store in a cool dark location up to 2 – 4 weeks. At this point the fermenting process will have begun, and a sweet vinegary smell is present. Depending on the temperature during the fermenting process, a mother can form.
  7. Strain the liquid into the swing top bottle using a fine mesh sieve and jar funnel.
  8. Store the young apple cider vinegar in a cool dark location. Once a tart flavor is achieved, the ACV will be ready to be consumed.

Notes

To speed up the fermentation process add a splash of unpasteurized ACV (from an existing batch or a market brand) to a new batch.

Between 2 to 4 weeks of fermenting, and depending on the temperature of your home, a mother can form. The mother can be strained along with the apple scraps, or add to the filtered liquid. It is completely safe to consume.

Cloudy white scum can form on the top of the ferment, simply remove and discard. However, if the ferment molds, discard it immediately. Mold often presents itself to be black, white, or even pink it color and will have a fuzzy texture to it.

Apple Pull-Apart Bread using Canned Apples

To learn more about preserving food through canning, fermenting, curing, and storing fresh, make sure to grab a copy of my book, The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest.

Printable Recipe Card – DIY Apple Cider Vinegar using Apple Scraps

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (6)

Apple scraps, the peel and core, are perfect for making this homemade apple cider vinegar recipe. An unpasteurized DIY apple cider vinegar is ideal for cooking, animal husbandry, treating body ailments, and promotes good gut health.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Fill the jar 3/4 full.
  2. Add non-chlorinated water of choice leaving a 1 1/4-inch headspace.
  3. Using an air bubble remover remove any air trapped between the apple scraps.
  4. Gentle added the fermented weight. Adding more water to ensure that the fruit and weight are completely submerged.
  5. Wipe the rim of the jar and place the paper coffee filter onto the jar. Secure the coffee filter with the ring.
  6. Store in a cool dark location up to 2 - 4 weeks. At this point the fermenting process will have begun, and a sweet vinegary smell is present. Depending on the temperature during the fermenting process, a mother can form.
  7. Strain the liquid into the swing top bottle using a fine mesh sieve and jar funnel.
  8. Store the young apple cider vinegar in a cool dark location. Once a tart flavor is achieved, the ACV will be ready to be consumed.

Notes

Equipment

  • 1/2-gallon mason jar, or quart size mason jars for smaller batches

  • fermenting weight, glass or stone

  • paper coffee filter

  • Air Bubble Remover

  • 16-ounce swing top bottle

  • fine mesh Sieve

  • bottle funnel

To speed up the fermentation process add a splash of unpasteurized ACV (from an existing batch or Mrs. Braggs) to a new batch.

Between 2 to 4 weeks of fermenting, and depending on the temperature of your home, a mother can form. The mother can be strained along with the apple scraps, or add to the filtered liquid.

Cloudy white scum can form on the top of the ferment, simply remove and discard. However, if the ferment molds, discard it immediately. Mold often presents itself to be black, white, or even pink it color and will have a fuzzy texture to it.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (7)
Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best apple for making apple cider vinegar? ›

Choose The Perfect Apples For Making Cider Vinegar

A blend of sweet, tart, and aromatic apples is ideal for creating a balanced and flavorful cider vinegar. Some popular apple varieties for cider vinegar production include Golden Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonathan, McIntosh, and Gravenstein.

What's the ingredients in apple cider vinegar? ›

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a type of vinegar made with crushed fermented apples, yeast, and sugar. It's used as an ingredient in foods such as salad dressings, pickles, and marinades. For many years, people have also used it as a home remedy for everything from fighting germs to preventing heartburn.

How long does it take to make your own apple cider vinegar? ›

Making vinegar is easy: you take fruit, add water and wait. Three or four months later, you'll have vinegar. Of course there are subtleties to this process, but the basic method is simple.

How to make apple cider vinegar mother from scratch? ›

Method #1
  1. ACV Mother.
  2. 4 cups Apple Juice** (Raw or pasteurized is fine)
  3. 1/4 cup strong apple cider vinegar starter. (Homemade apple cider vinegar tends to be less concentrated so if you are using your previous batch use 1/3 cup. If your brew is particularly strong use 1/4 cup)

Is dark or light apple cider vinegar better? ›

Unfiltered apple cider vinegar contains the mother of the vinegar which is a compound that is formed during the natural process of fermentation. Dr Sarna says that it is best to buy unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Unfiltered apple cider vinegar is darker in colour and is cloudy. It is also believed to be more potent.

How many apples does it take to make apple cider vinegar? ›

You only need about 1 1/2 pounds of apples plus a smidge of sugar (pennies) and water (free) to make a liter of apple cider vinegar. And there's no waste involved—you use the entire apple, peels & cores, too.

Can you use any apples for cider? ›

Most apples can be used in creating flavorful hard cider, but there are a few specific varieties that work best as cider apples. Galas, Gravensteins, Newtown Pippins, Rome Beauties and Winesaps are a few common varieties that can add amazing nuances and depth to hard cider.

Can apple cider vinegar clean out your liver? ›

One purported benefit of apple cider vinegar is its ability to detoxify the liver. “Apple cider vinegar is rich with detoxification properties and can promote circulation in the liver detox process,” says Jamie Bacharach, a homeopathic expert and the head of practice at Acupuncture Jerusalem.

How do you know if homemade apple cider vinegar is good? ›

Storing ACV in a cool, dark place and sealing the bottle tightly can help maintain its quality and shelf life. If you notice changes in smell, taste, or signs of mold growth and discoloration, then it might be time to replace your ACV.

Is it better to drink apple cider vinegar at night or morning? ›

Apple cider vinegar may offer health benefits, including supporting weight loss and lowering blood sugar. But drinking it at night does not seem to have any added benefit over drinking it during the day. Apple cider vinegar has been used in the culinary world and for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.

What happens if you drink apple cider vinegar every morning? ›

There's some evidence that supports the fact that apple cider vinegar, had first thing in the morning may promote faster weight loss and accelerate fat burning. Since it works primarily as a detoxifying agent, a shot of apple cider vinegar in the morning can clear out toxins from the body and aid a fresh start.

Why does my stomach hurt when I drink apple cider vinegar? ›

Because it is very acidic, it may cause stomach discomfort or digestive problems. However, this is unlikely to happen unless a person drinks a significant amount of the undiluted vinegar. Research into apple cider vinegar is limited, but some people do experience adverse side effects.

Why should I drink apple cider vinegar before bed? ›

ACV at night before bed

ACV consumption during nighttime is favorable in people with diabetes. It helps regulate blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. ACV should be consumed at least 30 minutes before bed. Otherwise, the contents can come back to the esophagus (reflux).

Does apple juice and vinegar make apple cider vinegar? ›

You only need three ingredients to make homemade hard apple cider vinegar: apple juice, yeast, and a mother of vinegar.

Does apple cider vinegar really burn belly fat? ›

However, there's little scientific support for these claims. Studies of apple cider vinegar for weight loss have not consistently shown significant and sustainable weight loss across diverse groups of people.

Is homemade apple cider vinegar good for you? ›

Key takeaways: Apple cider vinegar might have some health benefits, such as improving blood sugar and cholesterol levels. But there are also some potential side effects of taking apple cider vinegar or using it topically, including weakening tooth enamel and skin irritation or burns.

How do you make homemade vinegar? ›

Acetification
  1. Strain mash.
  2. Heat liquid to kill yeasts.
  3. Cool and back slop with 20% unpasteurized vinegar or a mother of vinegar.
  4. Cover jar with cheesecloth.
  5. Leave for 2-3 months until flavor has mellowed.
  6. Test titration to ensure minimum 4% acidity.
  7. Strain again, bottle and store.
Jul 31, 2020

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