Apple cider vinegar is a constant staple in my home. It is easy to make, it reduces food waste, and it has many beneficial uses.

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I have been drinking apple cider vinegar for years. I love incorporating healthy foods and healthy drinks into my daily diet.
 
When I learned I could make my own apple cider vinegar at home, I had to give it a try.
 
Follow along and I’ll show you each step involved, the various uses for apple cider vinegar, and I’ll show you a cost-benefit analysis of making your own homemade apple cider vinegar vs. buying it at the store.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar?

For starters, this apple cider vinegar recipe isn’t true apple cider vinegar. It is apple vinegar, also commonly called apple scrap vinegar. In order to make apple cider vinegar, you must start with apple cider and then turn that into vinegar through fermentation.
 
For the sake of commonly known and used terminology, I’ll be calling this recipe apple cider vinegar. It still has all the benefits of vinegar, but it is just slightly less acidic.
 
Since I have yet to try making apple cider at home, I use either whole chopped apples or apple scraps when making this recipe. Apple skins and cores leftover from making homemade applesauce are perfect for this recipe. Making both recipes together results in absolutely no food waste!

Check out this post to see an easy way to make homemade applesauce:

Easy Crockpot Applesauce

How Does Fermenting Apples Work?

Fermentation is a two-step process in which beneficial bacteria convert sugar into alcohol, and then into acetic acid.
 
The first step is called alcoholic fermentation. It involves yeast consuming the sugar present in the apples and turning that into alcohol.
 
The second step, acetic acid fermentation, converts the alcohol into acetic acid through acetic acid bacteria.
 
The end result is a raw and tangy apple cider vinegar. When it is left unfiltered and unpasteurized, it contains enzymes, proteins, and healthy bacteria known as the “mother”.

For another fermented fruit vinegar recipe, please see this post:

Muscadine Vinegar Recipe (The Easy Way)

When fermenting, it’s important to use filtered water. Check out these water filters from ProOne for optimal water quality:

What Does Raw, Unfiltered, and with the “Mother” Mean?

Besides organic and non-GMO, “raw”, “unfiltered”, and “with the mother” are three classifications commonly attributed to apple cider vinegar. When purchasing apple cider vinegar at the store, you definitely want all of these classifications to ensure you are getting the best quality.
 
All three terms are related to each other and overlap in meaning, but here is what they each specifically mean.

• Raw: Raw apple cider vinegar is the best kind there is. “Raw” means that the ACV is unfiltered, unpasteurized, unprocessed, and it contains the “mother”. Basically, nothing has been done to the apple cider vinegar to change it from it’s natural state or degrade any of the beneficial compounds naturally present.
• Unfiltered: When apple cider vinegar is unfiltered, that means the “mother” and any sediment are removed by passing through a series of filters. The end result of filtered ACV is clear instead of cloudy.
• The Mother: When apple cider vinegar is described as having the “mother”, that means that it contains all the beneficial microbes that come about through the fermentation process. It is made of yeast, bacteria, and protein strands.

What are the Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

Blood Sugar Regulation
 
Apple cider vinegar, when consumed daily, may help in balancing blood sugar levels. It is especially helpful to drink it before or during meals.
 
Weight Management
 
The acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may help suppress appetite and promote satiety. When obese adults drank ACV daily, reductions in body weight, body fat, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels were found.
 
Brain Health
 
Apple cider vinegar may help the brain by protecting it from oxidative stress. The antioxidant activity of the polyphenols which are present protect the brain from premature aging and inflammation.
 
Digestive Health
 
The mother present in apple cider vinegar can help maintain a balanced gut microbiome, which then helps maintain healthy digestive function. ACV may also provide prebiotic compounds that help promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Additionally, acid balance in the stomach can be supported by consuming apple cider vinegar.

(source)

Another great fermented vinegar recipe full of health benefits is homemade muscadine vinegar. Equally as easy to make as apple cider vinegar!

What Can You Use Apple Cider Vinegar For?

Homemade apple cider vinegar can be used in almost the same ways you can use store-bought apple cider vinegar. Some common ways to use ACV are:

• When making homemade bone broth
  • Bone Broth from Chicken
  • The Best Beef Bone Broth
• Homemade salad dressing
• Marinades
• Fire Cider
• Lemon juice substitute
• Pickling recipes
• Hydrating electrolyte drink
• Hair rinse
• Foot soak
• Natural facial toner
• Natural household cleaning
  • Lavender Vinegar
  • Muscadine Vinegar

The only thing I wouldn’t recommend using homemade apple cider vinegar for is canning. With canning, acidity levels need to be just right to ensure proper food safety. I am not a canning expert, but if you want to use homemade ACV instead of store-bought, I would at least recommend testing it first with pH strips so that you know the acidity of what you are using.
 
Additionally, I wouldn’t recommend drinking apple cider vinegar straight. The acidity can be very overwhelming and can cause irritation with your throat and stomach. Whenever I drink it, it is always diluted with water first.

How to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Making raw apple cider vinegar is mostly hands off, making this the perfect healthy recipe for someone short on time.

Ingredients

• Organic apples
• Sugar or honey (optional)
• Apple cider vinegar (optional)
• Filtered water

Equipment

• Mason jars
• Fermentation weights (optional)
• Breathable cloth
• Rubber band
• Fine mesh strainer

Instructions

Tap/click the images for a description of each step ⬇️

NOTE: The above photos show the process using a fermentation weight. Also, as you can see, the apple cider vinegar gets darker throughout the second fermentation process.

1. If you are working with whole apples, chop them into pieces small enough to fit into the opening of a mason jar. If you are working with apple scraps, add them to your mason jar.
2. Add sugar or honey if desired. It is optional, but it will give the good bacteria more food to digest, thus aiding the fermentation process.
3. Add already fermented apple cider vinegar if desired. This is optional as well, but it will aid the fermentation process by adding beneficial microbes.
4. Fill the mason jar with filtered water, leaving a couple of inches of space from the top. Stir everything together.
5. You can now add a fermentation weight if desired. A fermentation weight will keep all of the apples and apple scraps below the surface of the water, thus preventing any mold from forming. If you don’t have a fermentation weight, simply stir the mixture every single day. This will also prevent mold from forming.
6. Cover your mason jar with a breathable cloth and secure with a rubber band. The bacteria present need oxygen, so you want to use a breathable lid instead of a sealed one.
7. Allow the fruit to ferment for 2-3 weeks. Bubbles and a pleasant, slightly alcoholic smell are good signs that the apples are fermenting well.
8. After 2-3 weeks, use a fine mesh strainer to strain out all of the apples and apple scraps. Return the liquid to a mason jar and cover again with a breathable cloth and rubber band.
9. Allow to ferment at room temperature for at least another 4-6 weeks. This part of the process isn’t an exact time frame. 4-6 weeks is a minimum. Sometimes it takes closer to 2-3 months for it to fully turn into vinegar. Monitor the process periodically using your taste and sense of smell to determine when it is fully vinegar.
10. Once the second fermentation process is complete, jar with a sealed lid and enjoy! It can be stored at room temperature.

Tips

Tap/click the images for a description of each step ⬇️

• If you are using a fermentation weight, it is EXTREMELY important to check the process daily for any apple pieces that may float to the top. The fermentation weight is supposed to keep everything submerged under the water, but sometimes little pieces will escape past it. Those must be removed immediately to prevent mold from growing.
• If you are using a fermentation weight, you’ll need to use a wide mouth mason jar.
• If you are not using a fermentation weight, you can use any mason jar or glass jar you wish, but you MUST stir the mixture at least once per day. Stirring will prevent mold growth.
• As it ferments and bubbles, it can sometimes leak over the top of your mason jar. Be sure to keep your jar on a hard surface that won’t be ruined by liquid (i.e. no butcher block countertops).
• Just like collecting vegetable scraps for making homemade bone broth, apple scraps can be collected and stored in a freezer bag in your freezer as you make apple recipes. Once you have enough scraps saved, you can use those to make ACV.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

While I very much like the convenience of store-bought apple cider vinegar, I do also like saving money. Check out the price comparison between the homemade version and the store-bought version.

As of November 2025 in Tennessee:

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

A 3lb bag of organic gala apples is $4.75 at my local Aldi. There are usually 7 apples in each bag.

• $0.68 per apple

1 quart size mason jar holds approximately 2 whole apples chopped, and yields 3 cups of apple cider vinegar.

• 2 apples = $1.36

3 cups apple cider vinegar = $1.36

Store-bought Apple Cider Vinegar

Azure Market Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (find here)

• $3.38 for 16oz

To have 3 cups of apple cider vinegar, I would need 1.5 bottles of the Azure Market Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.

• 1.5 bottles = $5.07

FAQs

Related Posts

Easy Crockpot Applesauce

How to Make Raw Milk Kefir

Muscadine Vinegar Recipe

Lavender Vinegar

If you are new to fermenting, I hope you have found this information helpful! If you have any troubleshooting questions, feel free to reach out to me in the comments 👇.

Tag on Instagram @thesavvysaige

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This is a personal blog. All posts, recipes, recommendations, and how-tos are for informational use and personal viewing pleasure only. Blog posts are not written by AI.