Rice Vinegar vs. Rice Wine Vinegar: What’s the Difference?

Rice wine vinegar, also known as rice vinegar, is a type of vinegar made from fermented rice. It is made by fermenting the starches and sugars in rice until they convert into alcohol and then eventually into acetic acid, which is responsible for vinegar’s acidic taste. Rice wine vinegar can be made with white rice, brown rice, or black rice. Rice vinegar is commonly used to add acidity to many Asian dishes, from Chinese stir-fry to Japanese sushi. It’s also used in pickling, and to make light, flavorful salad dressings, vinaigrettes, and dipping sauces, and can serve as part of a marinade. It is a staple condiment in Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese pantries.

Rice wine vinegar is another name for rice vinegar; they are the same product. Rice wine vinegar is simply another name that references the fermentation process that converts the rice into alcohol and then into vinegar. Since they are the same product, and despite them having different labels in some grocery stores, rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar can be used interchangeably in cooking.

Rice wine vinegar should not be confused with rice wine, which is a type of alcohol made by fermenting the sugars and starches in rice until they convert into alcohol. Rice wine is a sweet alcoholic drink that can be consumed as an alcoholic beverage or used in Asian cooking, particularly in vegetable dishes, dumplings, and soups. When rice wine is used in cooking, it is commonly heated to evaporate the alcohol. Just as you wouldn’t use white wine or red wine in a recipe that called for white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar due to the alcohol content, rice wine is not the best substitute for rice wine vinegar. Common rice wines include Japanese sake, Chinese Shaoxing wine, and Japanese mirin.

Seasoned rice vinegar is a type of rice vinegar that has added sugars and salts. It has a sweet flavor and often contains more calories than rice wine vinegar. Seasoned rice vinegar is typically used to flavor sushi rice or as part of a vinaigrette in salads, and it should not be used interchangeably with rice vinegar, which is much milder. You can make your own seasoned rice vinegar by adding salt and sugar to regular rice wine vinegar.

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