When I first started canning, I used a lot of distilled white vinegar. It was cheap, readily available, and a lot of the traditional recipes used it so I figured I should too. However, I found that I didn’t always love the flavor of white vinegar.
It was unrelentingly acidic and just didn’t bring anything interesting to the jars of pickles and chutneys in which I used it. Gradually, I started shifting from white distilled to apple cider, red wine, and white wine vinegars (I’ll use champagne vinegar when I can get it, but it’s pricy).
You might think that I was doing something potentially unsafe with my vinegar switch, but I wasn’t. That’s because I was making sure to only swap other 5% acidity vinegars in for the white distilled. As long as the vinegar has the same acidic concentration, you can always pull out one vinegar and replace it with another.
Whenever you buy a jug of vinegar, it should say right on the label (like the one in the picture above) that it has either been diluted or reduced with water to 5% acidity. There are a couple of cases when your vinegar won’t be 5%. Rice vinegar is typically sold between 4% and 4.3% acidity (however, Linda Ziedrich has a formula that allows you to still use it with all your favorite recipes) and in some commercial settings, apple cider vinegar is being sold at 4%.
The moral of the story is that as long as you read the vinegar labels carefully and make sure that you’ve got a bottle containing vinegar that has a 5% acidity, you can use whichever you’d like in your pickles!
Thanks, that is great advice. I am a science-geeky kind of guy, but I have missed that info on the vinegar bottle.
Some distilled white vinegar is also made from petroleum, believe it or not, so if you do use it, check the label to be sure yours is made of grain. If it doesn’t say what it’s made from, you can assume it’s petroleum-based.
ewww, really?
Why would they use petroleum? I am trying to stay away from any products that have chemicals in them..can’t understand using ethylene glycol in toothpaste,baby shampoo and lotions as well as shampoo and lotions for adults..I guess that is why the warning came out about not letting the shampoo water run down your back while washing your hair!! but, I can’t understand their purpose..thanks for this info..
Thanks; I didn’t know that before. I may experiment with my pickle recipe this weekend and use white wine vinegar instead.
Back in my lab tech days, I knew how to do these types of conversions. That’s been a…number of years though and I can’t quite recall the formula. Does anyone happen to know the conversion for 6% to 5% vinegar? The champagne vinegar I have is 6%. I just used it as is since it wouldn’t affect the safety but I’d prefer to convert the volumes and use less if I am able. I’m thinking it’ll be the same route divide 5% by 6% and then multiply the volume of vinegar by 0.83. Does that sound right? Thanks!
Oh, and then I’d end up with a lower volume of brine by a bit, too, l so I suppose I should reduce the amount of produce, too.
Marisa, that’s great info, thank you very much. What about Balsamic vinegar, that are sometimes 6% acidity? Is that safe to use in place of vinegar that is only 5%?
You can use balsamic vinegar, but you really don’t want to make a pickle with straight balsamic. It will be way too strong.
I was going to ask that, too! I have white balsamic that is 5.5% (and regular balsamic that’s 6%). and I was wondering about using it (the white balsamic) in pickled mushrooms and peppers and things.
Incidentally, the most common distilled (white) vinegar here (Germany) comes concentrated, you have to dilute it to 5% yourself (4 parts water to 1 part vinegar gives you 5%, according to the bottle). I have to look for specifically gluten-free kinds, of course (ah, “grains”, so unspecific…)
Do you believe it would be too strong when you pickle cherry tomatoes? So do you use a combination of balsamic and white vinegar?
Thank You.
Ginny
Marisa,
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your blog before but I’m a regular reader and just wanted to tell you how helpful your Canning 101 series has been to me.
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Rochelle! I am so happy to hear it!
Interestingly, the first time I used your Dilly Beans recipe (from here on the blog), I didn’t love them. The second time I made them, from the book, I couldn’t stop eating them! When I compared the recipes later, I figured it must’ve been the difference in the vinegars. I prefer ACV in many pickling recipes, but not my Dilly Beans apparently!
Hi Marisa,
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve nominated you for a One Lovely Blog Award: http://backyardowl.com/2014/10/20/one-lovely-blog-award-my-15-blog-loves/.
Your recipes and books have been HUGE helping hands in my journey to learning to can, and I can happily say that I now jam and pickle and preserve quite skillfully each summer. Thanks for your wonderful recipes and beautiful photographs.
All best,
Emily
Another thing to check the label for is flavoring. Some Apple Cider Vingers, if you read the label carefully, are not real cider vinegar but “apple cider flavored.”
This is so a propos! Wednesday I was gifted a 1/6 hotel pan of sliced red onion! This will be transformed into a red onion marmalade and I’d like to sub some mission fig balsamic for the small amount (3 Tbs.) balsamic called for in the recipe. My bottle of balsamic doesn’t list the level of acid. It came from the local gourmet vinegar/oil shop and the clerk I called didn’t think balsamic had acetic acid in it. That doesn’t sound right to me. Do domestic (USA) balsamic vinegars need to meet a standard minimum of acetic acid? I’d love to be able to use the balsamic in the marmalade but don’t want to take a chance of spoilage. It will be preserved in 1/2 pint and 4 ounce jars in a 10-minute hot water bath. The recipe also uses 7 oz. red wine vinegar and the zest and juice of one orange. Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
To the best of my knowledge, balsamic vinegar is typically diluted to 6% acidity. However, I don’t know about your mission fig balsamic. I’d suggest that you don’t use it as your primary source of acid.
Thank you!
I have a question about vinegar %. I live in Poland, where I haven’t been able to find 5% white vinegar (only Apple). The only white vinegar here is 10%. Can I use half less vinegar if it is 10%. I am mostly canning salsas and jalapeno peach jam. For the jam the 5% apple works great, but I would prefer to use white for the salsa and if I could use half as much it would be even better as the salsa would be less liquidy.
I imagine that you could easily use less. I might use a bit more than half, just to ensure that you still have safe levels of acid.
I have a raspberry vinegar that is 6% acidic to confirm it’s ok to use this to make jam?
I am so hoping so! ????
Lynn
What recipe are you suggesting you use this vinegar in?
Hi! I am new to canning and just canned dill pickles, accidentally, with 4% vinegar instead of 5%. I never read the vinegar label when I bought it. (#newbieerror) can you advise me on what to do with all of my beautiful jars of dill pickles??
Hmm. How long have the jars been sealed? If it’s been 24 hours or less, you can pop them in the fridge and use them. If it’s been longer than that, there’s a risk and you’re best off throwing the contents away.
Thanks for this information as Apple cider vinegar is scarce this year. But you can find gallon after gallon of white vinegar.
I a(m in the middle of making some apple chutney and discover that I am a bit short of the vinegar. Can I replace a small quantity of vinegar (half a pint out of the 2) wth red wine?
They do not have the same acidity, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that.
Can I substitute raw organic apple cider vinegar in place of regular Apple cider vinegar in hot water bath pepper jelly?
As long as it’s 5% vinegar.
I have a tomato relish recipe that calls for 3 cups of Red vinegar. Surely that is not red wine vinegar!! Can you help?
It probably is red wine vinegar. Three cups doesn’t seem like an outrageous amount for a relish. It is often sold in gallon jugs alongside apple cider and white vinegar.
I have about replacing white vinegar to apple cider vinegar. I’m pickling okra for the first time and my old Ball book calls for white vinegar. what will be the flavor difference if i use apple cider vinegar ?
The flavor different will be minimal. As long as you are using vinegar with 5% acidity, either is fine.
Hello!
I accidently bought 6% heinz multipurpose vunegar. I used un several waterbath pickle recipes this summer. (Cucumber, beets, zucchini and tomato salsa) Ugh. Since its higher then the usual 5% is it safe for all of these canned items?
Thank you!
They are perfectly safe. They just might be a little stronger than you are used to.
I made freezer cranberry pepper jelly with rice vinegar (from another website) in a water bath process. I now see a new recipe note that says if canning this way, to use 5% alcohol vinegar.
Should I throw this jelly away?
Can you share the recipe? Knowing everything that went into it will give me a better idea of whether it’s safe or not. That said, cranberries are highly acidic, so I have less concerns about this than I would if it was a preserve made with figs or the like.
Crap. 5% ACIDIC, not alcohol.
I am in a panic.
How does one determine the acidity of hone made apple cider vinegar?
Best regards,
G. Gray
That question is outside my area of expertise. I do know that it is not advised to use homemade vinegar for preserved products.
Hi! So glad to find your site! Just made my first micro batch of jam using your “Start Here” water bath canning instrux. If a recipe calls for lemon or lime juice for the acid can you replace with a 5 or 6% vinegar? Or would you add the vinegar on top of the lemon/lime? Or just don’t, lol. Specifically wondering about your tomato jam recipe. I made one with a friend ages ago that used balsamic vinegar that was sock knocking but cannot find a recipe. Would love to reproduce. Tnx!
It’s not a great idea to swap vinegar in for lemon/lime juice, as they have different concentrations. You could add some balsamic vinegar to my tomato jam, but I would still keep the lemon juice in it to ensure that it’s safe for canning.
I have a pickle recipe that calls for 10% vinegar, and since I can’t get it anywhere in U.S, is there any way I can still use it with 5% white vinegar, perhaps by doubling the amount?
Is there water added to the pickle. That’s where you could make alterations in the ratio.
More and more white vinegars in the stores are 4% now. It’s important to look carefully before buying.
Very true.
Hi there, I have 6% vineger and I want to make 7%, how much 35% acidic acid do I add. I’m confused as to go about that.
I don’t have any idea how you’d go about doing that. I’m so sorry!