Apple Cider Vinegar vs. White Vinegar: How Do They Compare?

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a type of vinegar derived from the bacterial fermentation of apple juice. Apple cider vinegar has a sour, vinegary taste with bright notes of sweet cooked fruit. You can brighten up salad dressings, chutneys, soups, or braising liquids with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or use it as a pickling agent to yield a sweeter flavor profile than white vinegar or red wine vinegar. However, using ACV in your brine may darken the pickling ingredients.

White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is the product of fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) into acetic acid. Adding water to this product dilutes the acetic acid content to five to ten percent, leaving a vinegar solution that is ninety to ninety-five percent water. The result is a clear, sharp vinegar with a neutral flavor. White vinegar is the most common kind of vinegar that you can find in any grocery store.

The vinegar fermentation process yields acetic acid, which gives vinegar its sour taste. The word “vinegar” comes from the French phrase “vinaigre,” which translates to “sour wine.” “Vin” means “wine,” while “aigre” means “sour.”

Home cooks and chefs often use apple cider vinegar and white vinegar interchangeably in various vinaigrettes and sauces. However, these two types of vinegar have distinct differences that cooks should note before adding them to a recipe. The next time you’re shopping for ingredients at the grocery store, consider the following differences between white vinegar and apple cider vinegar:

• Acid concentrations: Apple cider vinegar contains about five to six percent acetic acid, while white vinegar contains five to ten percent. This higher acid concentration makes most white vinegars more acidic than their apple-based counterpart.
• Color: Apple cider vinegar has a dark brown or amber color, while white vinegar is white and clear.
• Cooking uses: Apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are both popular ingredient choices for salad dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades, or seasonings for veggies like beets. White vinegar is clearer and more acidic, making it a better choice for pickling vegetables. White vinegar mixed with baking soda is a good leavening agent for baked goods, but ingesting a mixture of ACV and baking soda may cause bloating.
• Fermentation: Making white vinegar involves fermenting ethanol from various ingredients (including corn, wheat, and potatoes) into acetic acid in a one-step process. Apple cider vinegar goes through a two-step fermentation process—first by fermenting apple mash into alcohol after mixing it with sugar and yeast, then by adding acetic acid bacteria that feed off the remaining sugars to convert the mixture into vinegar.
• Household uses: White vinegar has antimicrobial properties, making it a popular disinfectant for cleaning purposes. Some experts credit apple cider vinegar as a DIY dandruff remover.
• Taste: Apple cider vinegar has a strong apple taste and smell, while white vinegar has a tart flavor and scent.

Apple cider vinegar and white vinegar make good substitutes for one another in most cooking applications, but the former is significantly more tart. In many cases, you can also use these vinegars as substitutes for other types of vinegar. For example, apple cider vinegar is a great swap for malt vinegar, while white vinegar works as a substitute for white wine vinegar.

While you can use apple cider as a pickling agent, white vinegar is a better option due to its higher acidity level.

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