8 Best Substitute For Vinegar

If you have been to East Asia, you would know that rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar) is made from fermented rice. It is also known in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. Rice vinegar provides complex aromas and rice vinegar is generally used as a sweetener in some fries, pickled vegetables, salad dressings, sushi rice, and a lot of Asian cuisine and recipes. 

There are different varieties of the rice vinegar and that includes brown rice vinegar, red rice vinegar and black rice vinegar. If your recipe calls for rice vinegar, then you can use those as well. 

Aside from being used as a natural flavor enhancer, rice vinegar is also beneficial to those who have diabetes. Consuming a small amount of rice vinegar during or after a meal that is loaded with carbohydrates helps in moderating insulin spikes. Rice vinegar may help those people with diabetes who would want to enjoy their salads without worrying too much about what they eat. 

Due to its nice tangy taste and subtle sweetness, rice vinegar has been loved by many people and incorporated into many Asian dishes. But this popular Asian condiment might run out of stock in your kitchen. 

If that happens, there are few substitute for rice vinegar that you can create on your own, or might be available in the kitchen already. Let me show you some of the things that you can use as a rice vinegar substitute below. 

What Can You Use as a Substitute for Rice Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar)?

There are a lot of things to substitute rice vinegar, but we have shortlisted some of the best that you can find in the stores easily. If you need to buy them, I have provided a link on each substitute that you can click anytime. 

Substitute For Vinegar

Sherry Vinegar

Another substitute for a missing rice vinegar will be sherry vinegar. It comes from Cadiz, a Spanish province. Sherry vinegar is a gourmet type of wine vinegar, which means it can be used in salad dressings, wine sauces, vegetable glaze, vinaigrettes and a lot more. 

The taste of sherry vinegar is slightly sweet, mildly acidic, with a rich and nutty flavor. It could be a good substitute for rice vinegar in situations where you need to use it. If you need to lower your blood sugar and blood pressure, sherry vinegar should be incorporated on your dishes. 

It also helps in weight management if you need to lose some fats. Sherry vinegar also helps in increasing good cholesterol and increasing fullness after meals. Substitute sherry vinegar to your rice vinegar for a healthier meal. 

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Apple Cider Vinegar

Do you love Apples? Well, it isn’t only a fruit used in pies, cocktails or salads, but it can also be turned into a cider vinegar or the apple cider vinegar. This substitute for rice vinegar comes from  fermented apple juice, thus, the name apple cider vinegar suggests. All you need to do is to crush the apples and squeeze out its juices. 

Apple cider vinegar is commonly used in salad dressings, marinades, vinaigrettes, chutneys, and food preservatives. Just like any other vinegar, the apple cider vinegar has a sour taste. But it has a rich tart with a hint of apple taste. Apple cider vinegar may also leave a very dry, almost woody flavor.

If you need to find a great substitute for the rice vinegar, the apple cider vinegar should be considered as it will not only provide a good flavor on your dishes, but it can also provide health benefits such as weight loss, lower blood sugar, and healthier cholesterol levels.

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Balsamic Vinegar

If the apple cider vinegar comes from the apples, the balsamic vinegar is made from grapes. It is made from wholly or partially, freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems. 

Balsamic vinegar is originally from Italy. It is also a very dark, concentrated, and intensely flavoured type of vinegar. If you ran out of rice vinegar, the balsamic can be a good substitute due to its mouth exploding rich, complex sweetness and comes with some hints of fig, molasses, cherry, chocolate, or prune. 

Aside from its wonderful flavors, balsamic vinegar also provides a lot of health benefits, that includes improving skin health, reducing blood sugar, promoting healthy digestion, lowering cholesterol, and a lot more. 

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Red Wine Vinegar

Red wine vinegar comes from the red wine being fermented, strained and bottled. Red wine vinegar has a very intense flavor, that is why other people would want it to be aged in bottles to reduce the flavor intensity. 

Red wine vinegar is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking due to its delicious and unique tangy flavor. It is best in vinaigrettes, and is also commonly used in marinades and pickling solutions. Though it mainly comes from the red wine, red wine vinegar has no alcohol content. 

Aside from cooking, the red wine vinegar is also good for your heart, as it comes from the red wine. Its acetic acid and resveratrol content is good for preventing blood clots, lowering cholesterol level, treats inflammation, and regulates blood pressure. 

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Champagne Vinegar

Ever heard of a champagne turned into vinegar? Well, there is actually a champagne vinegar that you can find in the market. The champagne vinegar comes from fermented Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. A “mother” or bacteria is added to turn it into acetic acid once it is aged. 

Champagne vinegar usually has a mild, floral accent. It is best to be used in marinades. Sauces like hollandaise and homemade mayonnaise can also use champagne vinegar. Combining other ingredients such as olive oil, lemon, garlic, and spices with the champagne vinegar will make a great vinaigrette for salads.

You can substitute the champagne vinegar to the rice vinegar if ever you run out of stock in the kitchen. Since the champagne vinegar is composed of acetic acid, it is very good in aiding digestion and promoting good gut health. 

To extend its shelf like, store the champagne vinegar away from direct sunlight or in a cool dark place. Champagne vinegar can be consumed within 6 months from the time it is first opened. 

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White Wine Vinegar

White wine vinegar is one of the closest to substitute rice vinegar. White wine vinegar is produced by fermenting white wine, then straining and bottling it. 

If you taste the white wine vinegar, you will get a tangy and zingy flavor. You should not be confused by the white wine vinegar and the white vinegar as they have a very different taste. White wine vinegar is generally used in creating sauces, marinades and to dress salads, fish and meat. 

Having a white wine vinegar, in place of rice vinegar, in one of your meals should provide a lot of health benefits. Like the other substitutes, white wine vinegar also helps in controlling blood pressure. White wine vinegar also strengthens hair bonds naturally and has anti-aging properties. 

If you will use white wine vinegar in place of rice vinegar, you can get this in the stores nearby or just click the link provided above. 

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Lemon Juice

If you are looking for that tanginess in rice vinegar for your recipes but is not available in the kitchen, look for a lemon juice instead. It would still offer that bit of tanginess as the acidity of the fruit matches perfectly with the acidity found in rice vinegars. 

Aside from that, if you are going to create sauces or dressings for salads, the citrusy scent of the lemon juice will definitely enhance the smell and flavor of the dishes. 

Lemon juice is also rich in Vitamin C, a good way to boost your immune system while eating your favorite food. Soluble fiber and plant compounds are also in the lemon juice that give them a number of health benefits.

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Lime Juice

Don’t be confused with lemon or lime juice as your rice vinegar substitute. Limes are citrus fruits with green skin, while lemons have yellow skins. Since they are from the same family, lime juice can also be considered as your rice vinegar substitute. 

Lime juice has its own distinctive flavor too, which is very for dressings on salads. Lime juice makes a great addition on vinaigrettes for its mild flavor and acidic taste. Lemon or lime juice, this citrus juice contains high levels of Vitamin C and other antioxidants which is beneficial for your overall health. 

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Haven’t Found Your Perfect Rice Wine Vinegar Substitute?

If you haven’t spotted a rice vinegar substitute, then try to explore other options, like raspberry vinegar. You can also use other seasoned vinegar, if you prefer to use them on your Asian dishes instead of a rice vinegar. But those listed above are considered as the best substitute for rice vinegar.