Strawberry Vinegar
Sweet, tart, and infused with fruity deliciousness, strawberry vinegar is going to be your next favorite salad dressing essential. All you need is three ingredients and a few minutes of kitchen time to transform your regular vinegar into one with a beautiful pink color and a delicate strawberry flavor.
Use it as a base for all your salads this summer, and you’ll never go back to plain old vinegar again!
I’ve been using apple cider vinegar for almost all of my salad dressings all this while, and I absolutely loved the crispy, fruity notes it had.
Inspired by just that, I decided to make a nice infused vinegar, and I have to admit, it was my first try, but I loved the outcome.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
The simplicity of this recipe is my favorite. Even if you’re one of those who think you can’t make vinegar from scratch, I promise this easy-peasy recipe will be hard to mess up.
Plus, you can make it in a big batch over the weekend, store it, and use it for weeks, if not longer.
Ingredients For the Strawberry Vinegar Recipe
Here’s all you’ll need to make this simple strawberry vinegar.
Strawberries: Fresh, ripe strawberries are the essence of this infused vinegar. Use bright, juicy strawberries, ideally organic ones.
White vinegar: I used plain white vinegar, but you could also use rice vinegar or white wine vinegar if you want to.
Sugar: This one’s optional, but I also like to add a bit of sugar to lend it a slightly sweet flavor and to balance the acidity.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can also use strawberry tops instead of berries to make this fruit vinegar.
- Strawberry top vinegar is actually a great way to reduce your food waste too!
- If you’re doing this, just remember to clean the tops nicely and let them dry completely before you use them.
How to Make Strawberry Vinegar
Once you have everything ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the strawberry vinegar.
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the strawberries.
Step 2: Cut them into quarters.
Step 3: Pack the strawberries into a clean jar, ideally a quart jar.
Step 4: Bring the vinegar to a boil. Add in the sugar and mix until dissolved.
Step 5: Pour the mixture over the berries and allow it to cool down completely.
Step 6: Put on the lid and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 weeks.
💭Top Tip
Remember that the mixture should come to a rolling boil- it should keep boiling even when you're stirring it. This will ensure that the peppers cook well, and the jelly reaches the right consistency.
How to Store the Leftover Strawberry Infused Vinegar
Your homemade strawberry vinegar can last for months if stored correctly.
I would recommend storing it in a clean bottle or a canning jar before you store it in the fridge.
You can let it stay at room temperature too, just make sure you keep it away from direct sunlight.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Make sure you use a clean, ideally sterilized container to store the vinegar. Doing this will help prevent any possible bacterial growth.
- Also, remember to keep the lid on the jar at all times, keeping the surface of the vinegar from being exposed to air. Use a sealable jar or airtight canning jar lids for best results.
- If you want the strawberry vinegar to have a more intense strawberry flavor, leave the berries in for up to 5 days before you strain the vinegar.
- Use a large jar for best results. Also, don’t add too many strawberries- the liquid should cover the berries at all times.
- Pour the vinegar over the strawberries while it is still boiling hot. This will kill all the bacteria that could possibly cause the fruit to ferment, and eventually, the vinegar to spoil.
- Remember to use fresh strawberries for this recipe. Avoid picking ones that look too soft, or have spots or soft spots on them. Also, make sure you wash them thoroughly and allow them to dry completely before you use them for the recipe.
- You can also try using other fresh fruit, specifically fresh berries to make different flavored vinegars. Blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries are great choices and can lend a nice fruity and tangy flavor to a simple vinegar.
How to Use Strawberry Vinegar
The sweet and tart flavor of this delicious homemade strawberry vinegar makes it perfect to liven up all your green salads. I also love the idea of teaming it up with some of my strawberry sugar and creating mocktails that have a nice sweet and tangy flavor.
You can also make a nice vinaigrette using this infused vinegar. Team it up with some olive oil and seasonings of your choice, and you’re done. I love pairing it with my jalapeno honey and jalapeno salt to make a sweet and spicy vinaigrette.
Recipe FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend using balsamic vinegar, since it has its own strong, unique flavor.
Red wine vinegar, is again, not a good choice for this recipe, simply because its own flavors can get masked by the fruity strawberry flavor.
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If you tried this strawberry vinegar or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Strawberry Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries
- 2 cups vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the strawberries.
- Cut them into quarters.
- Pack the strawberries into a clean jar, ideally a quart jar.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil. Add in the sugar and mix until dissolved.
- Pour the mixture over the berries and allow it to cool down completely.
- Put on the lid and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 weeks.
