Strawberry Vinegar
Sweet, tart, and infused with fruity deliciousness, this strawberry vinegar is the salad dressing essential you didn't know you were missing. Just three ingredients and 15 minutes of active kitchen time is all you need to transform ordinary vinegar into something with a beautiful pink color, a delicate berry fragrance.
Just like my spicy pepper vinegar, this one has a flavor that works in salad dressings and marinades. Use it all summer- I promise you'll reach for it before anything else.
I've been on a dedicated infused vinegar kick- my blueberry infused vinegar was the post that started it all, and the response was overwhelming. Using fruit to transform plain white vinegar into something fruity, fragrant, and useful across a range of applications is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your kitchen.
So of course, strawberry felt like the natural next step- the sweet-tart flavor profile infuses beautifully into white vinegar in a matter of days.
Quick Look
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Infusion time: 2–5 days at room temperature.
- 👪 Servings: 8.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Fresh ripe strawberries, white distilled vinegar, sugar.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Wash and quarter strawberries 🡢 pack into jar 🡢 boil vinegar with sugar until dissolved 🡢 pour hot over berries 🡢 cool completely 🡢 seal and infuse 2–5 days 🡢 strain and bottle.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Extremely easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Use as a salad dressing base, combine with my jalapeno honey for a sweet-spicy vinaigrette, or use in mocktails and shrubs.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- You'll need just three ingredients and virtually zero skill. It's the perfect infused vinegar recipe to try if you're a beginner.
- You can make it once and use it for months. Stored correctly, this strawberry vinegar keeps for months at room temperature.
- It's a great way to put some extra strawberries to use. This, and my oven roasted strawberries.
Recipe Ingredients
- Strawberries: Fresh, ripe strawberries are the essence of this infused vinegar. Use bright, juicy strawberries, ideally organic ones.
- White vinegar: The clean base- white distilled vinegar lets the strawberry flavor and color come through without competing. It's the same choice I made for my pickled turmeric where a clean, neutral base is essential.
- 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!
- Use other berries- blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries all make excellent infused vinegars using the exact same method. Each gives a different color and flavor profile.
- Add fresh herbs to the jar to amp up the flavors. A small sprig of fresh thyme or basil can lend the vinegar a beautiful herbaceous note that works brilliantly in savory vinaigrettes- like in my lemon poppy seed vinaigrette.
How to Make 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
Pour the vinegar over the strawberries while it's still at a full, rolling boil- not just hot, but actively boiling. This kills surface bacteria and wild yeasts on the strawberry skin.
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. I always do this when I make my essentials like homemade gingerbread syrup or my chai infusion.
- 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.
- 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. This is a step you should follow every time you're working with fresh fruit- I realized this when I made my honey fermented cranberries.
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.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
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.
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.
