5 Best Rice Vinegar Substitutes

Rice vinegar substitutes for cooking (Image via Unsplash/CA Creative)
Rice vinegar substitutes for cooking (Image via Unsplash/CA Creative)

Rice vinegar substitutes can help you in the preparation of Asian dishes in case you don’t have any rice vinegar on hand.

Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. It's popular for its sweet and mild flavor. It's generally used to prepare pickled vegetables, sushi rice, salad dressings, and slaws. However, you can prepare these dishes with other types of vinegar as well without compromising on the taste and flavor.

In this article, we bring you a few best rice vinegar substitutes and some of their nutrition facts.


Rice Vinegar vs White Vinegar

White vinegar, also known as distilled or spirit vinegar, generally contains 4–7% acetic acid and 93–96% water.

Traditionally, it's produced from the fermentation of foods such as beets, potatoes, molasses, or milk whey. Industrial production of white vinegar is done by the fermentation of grain alcohol (ethanol).


Rice Vinegar Substitutes to Consider

All kinds of vinegar have similar properties in terms of acidity but vary in flavor, taste, and aroma. It's best to consider the products that are produced using natural processes.

Try out these five flavorful and aromatic types of vinegar for your cooking:

1) Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is known for its detox properties. (Image via Unsplash/Towfiqu Barbhuiya)
Apple cider vinegar is known for its detox properties. (Image via Unsplash/Towfiqu Barbhuiya)

Apple cider vinegar is made from apples that have been crushed, distilled, and fermented.

First, apples are crushed and incubated with Brewer's yeast to convert the naturally occurring sugar to alcohol, and then bacteria are added to ferment the alcohol into acetic acid or vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar contains naturally occurring compounds that can help in reducing inflammation and levels of bad cholesterol. It's one of the most flavorful rice vinegar substitutes to consider.


2) Champagne Vinegar

This type of vinegar is made from Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. The wine is allowed to ferment into acetic acid.

Champagne vinegar has a mild floral flavor and aroma. You can use it for cooking several dishes without worrying about the taste. Champagne vinegar can be considered among the best rice vinegar substitutes due to its versatility.


3) Sherry Vinegar

Sherry vinegar is a wine vinegar made from sherry. It's mainly produced in the Spanish province of Cadiz.

Sherry is a wine made from white grapes. It undergoes an aging process inside wodden barrels for no less than six months. This vinegar has a strong but flavorful taste. It's among the best rice vinegar substitutes that can add flavor to your soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, and dressings.


4) White Wine Vinegar

White wine is fermented and oxidized into acetic acid to produce white wine vinegar.

It's known for its light fruity flavor. White wine vinegar is among the best rice vinegar substitutes for its aroma and versatility. It can make your soups and stews flavorful and tasty without the use of rice vinegar.

Check out the nutritional facts and health benefits of red wine.


5) Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is mild and can be used for cooking. (Image via Unsplash/Cristina Anne Costello)
Lemon juice is mild and can be used for cooking. (Image via Unsplash/Cristina Anne Costello)

If you find vinegar expensive or strong in taste, you can use lemon juice as a flavoring agent while cooking.

Rice vinegar substitutes need not be expensive and exotic. Lime or lemon juice can improve the flavor of various recipes and save a lot of money. Remember to use only a bit of it while cooking.


Is Rice Vinegar the Same as Rice Wine Vinegar?

Both rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are the same thing and are used in Asian cooking.

Rice wine vinegar is produced from rice wine by the process of fermentation. It'a a type of cooking vinegar containing a very low amount of acid. Rice wine, meanwhile, is a popular wine that gives an amazing taste to dishes.


Can Rice Vinegar Substitutes Give the Same Flavor?

If you're using a small amount of vinegar in your cooking, the aforementioned options can make your food flavorful and tasty without any worries. If you're considering these rice vinegar substitutes for cooking, consider products that are aged using traditional methods.

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