Learning how to make apple cider vinegar at home is one of the easiest things to make and even if you've had trouble, I've got troubleshooting tips so your homemade apple cider vinegar turns out, because it's one of those things that every homestead (and home) should have on hand.You know that saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away, well I think apple cider vinegar should go into that saying too.
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As a frugal loving Mamma, I love that I can take something I'd normally throw away, and turn it into a useful and actually good for me item. To make apple cider vinegar, which this method is technically apple scrap vinegar, you only need 2 ingredients and a Mason jar.Because we're using apples and they fall on the heavy pesticide list, I only use organic apples or ones we've grown (or neighbors) where I know they've not been sprayed. Totally up to you, but the quality of the ingredients we put in determines the quality of the end product.Disclosure: Some of the below links are affiliate links.
Ingredients to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple peels, cores, and scrap pieces of appleWaterMason jar and bandCoffee filter/cheese cloth/towelNote: If you're on city water or water that has chlorine in it, either boil the water for 20 minutes and let it cool or let it sit uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to remove most of the chlorine.
How to Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother
- Place your apple peels, cores and scrap pieces of apples into a clean wide mouth Mason jar until 2/3 of the way full. Cover with water until apples are completely submerged.
- Place a breathable material on top of the lid and hold it in place with either a metal band or a rubber band to keep out contaminants and most importantly, to keep out the fruit flies.
- Store it on the counter top or where you'll remember to keep an eye on it for 2 to 3 weeks. Check that the apples have remained below the surface of the water every few days. *This is the first ferment See below for tips to know it's ready to strain
- After 2 to 3 weeks (you can even go 4 weeks, just keep an eye on your liquid level being above the apple scraps), strain out the solids and put the liquid into a clean Mason jar and place a breathable cloth or lid on it. Put it in a dark area and let it continue to ferment until it becomes vinegar, usually about 4 to 6 weeks. *this is the second ferment and this stage goes on until the vinegar is all used up
How to tell Homemade Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is Ready to Strain
- Bubbles, during the first ferment (before you strain out the solids) check for bubbles. The presence of bubbles mean there is good bacteria activity.
- Color change, The color should start to darken up and no longer be clear water, but a light yellow at this stage.
- Odor, You should start to smell a slight vinegar odor. It shouldn't be a bad smell, but a light tang so to speak. It first turns to alcohol and then it turns to vinegar.
Troubleshooting tips for Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
If you develop mold on your apple cider vinegar it's because the apple scraps were not kept beneath the surface of the water. Use a fermenting weight to hold the scraps beneath the water or a smaller jar with water inside to act as a weight. Remove any pieces with mold and allow it to ferment for another week. If mold grows back, toss it out and start over, making sure to use a weight from the beginning.
There's a film on top, what now?
Try skimming off the layer of film and letting it ferment for another week, making sure everything is submerged beneath the water.
How to make apple cider vinegar without sugar.
Many people will use a small amount of sugar or honey to help jump-start the vinegar (this provides the bacteria more to feed on), but I've never found the need to do this as apples have a good amount of sugar in them already. You can also use a few teaspoons of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother in it as well, but again, I've never had to do this.
The apple cider vinegar has cloudy stuff in it?
Congratulations, you've got a strain of good bacteria and yeast growing called the mother!
from left to right, first jar is in the first ferment, second jar is at 2 weeks of the second ferment, and the third jar is one year old homemade apple cider vinegar
Note: Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar can be used in place of store-bought in everything except canning. For canning safety, vinegar must be 5% acidity and we don't have a true reliable way to test the level of our homemade apple cider vinegar to make sure it's safe for using in canning (the little ph strips are not reliable enough for this).
When is Home Apple Cider Vinegar Ready to Use
It should turn from a pale yellow to a darker golden color. It should smell like vinegar, with a strong odor (not a bad rotten smell) but that tang of vinegar. You should see some cloudy sediment when you shake the jar, almost cob-webby in appearance.Did you know that apple cider vinegar (the real stuff with the mother in it like we just made at home) is one of the most versatile items you have in your home? Seriously, from helping with your health (we got studies to back this one up) to skin care, to cleaning, to cooking and baking (one of my favorite ways to use it) and to help rid the kitchen of fruit flies?
Here's
28 ways to use
Apple Cider Vinegar
How to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar at Home
Ingredients
- Apple peels cores, and scrap pieces of apple
- Water
- Mason jar and band
- Coffee filter/cheese cloth/towel
- Note: If you're on city water or water that has chlorine in it either boil the water for 20 minutes and let it cool or let it sit uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to remove most of the chlorine.
Instructions
- Place your apple peels, cores and scrap pieces of apples into a clean wide mouth Mason jar until ⅔ of the way full. Cover with water until apples are completely submerged.
- Place a breathable material on top of the lid and hold it in place with either a metal band or a rubber band to keep out contaminants and most importantly, to keep out the fruit flies.
- Store it on the counter top or where you'll remember to keep an eye on it for 2 to 3 weeks. Check that the apples have remained below the surface of the water every few days. *This is the first ferment See below for tips to know it's ready to strain
- After 2 to 3 weeks (I've went 4 weeks, just keep an eye on the apple scraps staying beneath the liquid level), strain out the solids and put the liquid into a clean Mason jar and place brethable material onn it. Put it in a dark area and let it continue to ferment until it becomes vinegar, usually about 4 to 6 weeks. *This is the second ferment and this stage goes on until the vinegar is all used up
- After it's turned into vinegar, place a lid on and use it until it's all gone, but don't forget to start another batch!
Notes
Want more from scratch and frugal recipes in your home? This tutorial is from The Made-From-Scratch Life, Simple Ways to Create a Natural Home. P.S. check out the bonuses while you're there!Now that you know how easy it is to make apple cider vinegar with the mother at home, go get your first batch started!
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Thank-you! I have been wanting to make apple cider vinegar, and I just noticed that the organic apples are one sale this week, the squash is too, so I will wipe it down with the vinegar. This old dog is learning a few new tricks. Thanks again Melissa
Woo, hoo!
Question, actually. I’d been trying to figure out how to make cider vinegar, and always assumed you needed to start with apple juice, proceed to cider, then on to vinegar. I was delighted to see this article! I have an old apple tree, never have sprayed it (so do need to cut each apple open to verify that no undetected “wildlfe” resides inside, lol). With my crummy (but pricey) juicer, I get very little juice, so gave up trying that.
For years, I’ve made large volumes of applesauce for canning, without peeling or coring them (unless the above mentioned residents are present), spending the better part of a week doing this. It does make the applesauce dark, but I hope it has slightly higher nutrient content. I cook it down and then run the whole mash through a food mill or an electric equivalent. I run the mash through twice, then have ended up discarding the skins, seeds into compost. Even though cooked, would that remainder material create vinegar if I “inoculate” it with some amount of an organic, commercial cider vinegar, or chop up a small amount of fresh, uncooked apples to add?
Additionally, I’ve always washed my apples pretty thoroughly at the beginning of this project, but am now questioning whether that would remove too much of the necessary bacteria? We’ve got pretty dirty air here (busy streets, dust storms, air base nearby) plus birds, squirrels, occasional racoons traipsing through the tree – so I never questioned the scrubbing.
What’s your experience been, or what’s your gut hunch on these issues?
from another “old dog” named Pam!
It wouldn’t be raw apple cider vinegar with cooked apple remains and I”m not sure there’d be enough left for the good bacteria to feed on, so I’d say just stick with the raw uncooked pieces. I’ve only ever used raw myself.
If you’re just scrubbing your apples with water I think you’ll be fine. I just give mine a good rinsing and rub with a brush if needed, before making the vinegar.
Hope that helps!
Hello, I don’t have access to fresh apples. I’ve started dehydrating apples and I would love to use the core &peels to make vinegar. However, I’m concerned about the pesticides used on store-bought apples. I wash the apples with water but should I clean more thouroughly if I’m going to use the skin for villager?
Can you use Crabapples?
You should be able to, you may want to add a bit of honey or a teaspoon of sugar wit the crabapples as they don’t naturally have as much sugar content in them. Let me know how it goes.
Can you use pears?
Yes, you absolutely can, I haven’t personally, but many readers said they have.
Melissa I actually use Vinegar mixed with water to rinse my apples etc. off with. Since Vinegar is a disinfectant as well I thought it would work for vegetables instead of that stuff you buy in the store to do that…Don’t see why it wouldn’t work.Can rinse them off but the vinegar smell doesn’t affect the fruit or vegetable.
Hi Pam,
I tried to make ACV and it grew mold as you suggested might happen. Does the dark space need to be below a certain temperature? If it is to warm could this have caused the mold to grow and on the flip side if it is to cool will is slow down the process and cause the first fermentation to take longer?
Thanks,
Greg
For it to ferment, it needs to be about 65 degrees Farenheit but as warm as 72 is okay. Were the apple scraps submerged all the way? And yes, colder will take the first ferment longer.
I’m in Lake Charles, LA and it is 1:07 am in the morning. I just made my first batch of apple cider vinegar. It is in the 1st stage. I’ll check it again in 3 weeks (:!
Sarah, congrats and girl, you’re up early, talk about the early bird getting the worm. lol
How long would you say you can store homemade apple cider vinegar? I don’t use it that often but I like having it around. Does it go bad or could you save it indefinitely?
Thanks
Deena
Deena,
It doesn’t really go bad, but it will darken up and get stronger. I’ve had some going an close to a year and half. If it get’s too strong, you can dilute it with a little bit of water.
Does the finished product need to be refrigerated?
No, it’s totally shelf stable
Do I have to put a solid cover on the jar after the apples are removed (because I don’t have any non metal ones)(plastic for gallon jars)or can I use the coffee filters or was paper? Thanks for all the wonderful and USEFUL information we are learning a lot of new things.
Jane,
If you don’t put a solid one on, then it will evaporate out over time. But you could use coffee filter/paper for another few weeks after removing the apples and then swap a metal one or plastic one on. You just don’t want the metal to come in contact with the vinegar due to the acidity of the vinegar, but in normal use, it wouldn’t be contacting the lid unless it was almost over flowing.
On 05Nov2016 I used my apple scraps, added distilled water and placed a coffee filter on the half gallon jar. I let this mixture sit in a dark place until today (01Dec2016). Girl you should see the “mother” in this jar. I’m shocked that it actually came out this good. Thanks for your recipe!
Sarah,
Woot, woot! That is awesome sauce. So glad it turned out well for you.
I followed your recipe this fall in my first attempt to make ACV. I didn’t have any issues with mold, or weird colors. I had bubbles and the right vinegary smell during the first ferment. Then I strained and jarred it, put it in a cupboard and let it go for the second ferment. I checked on it, and I think I made hard cider?! It smells boozy and even had pressure in the jar. When I opened it, it started to bubble. So I capped it and figured it needed more time. Couple more weeks, same thing. Boozy smell and tiny bubbles… any idea what I did wrong? Any tips to save it?
Thanks!!
Melinda,
Trying using a lid that breathes a little bit, that’s not air tight. I use the plastic white screw lids. The oxygen should help it and then check it again after a few more weeks. It should smell more vinegary than boozy.
Melissa, Thank you for the video. I have been using Bratts Apple cider vinegar for some time now for medicinal purpose. but it can get quite expensive at $8.00 a quart. So thanks to you I will be making my own now. I have reverted back to the old ways of living and eating less processed foods. Once again, thank you.
Fred
You’re so welcome Fred and glad you found it helpful!
Melissa,
I have attempted to make ACV. How long does it take for it to turn to the dark color?
Thanks,
Lori
Mine darkened after a few months Lori, but it continues to darken the longer it sits. My year-old acv is quite darker than the 6 month.
[…] You won’t believe how incredible easy it is. Check out this tutorial w/ photos and a video on How to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Because I use apple cider vinegar all the time, from cooking, to catching fruit flies, and in […]
Thanks Melissa K. for sharing all of the fantastic info on what to do with our apples
Would this work if I collected peels over a few weeks in the freezer before starting the ferment?
I haven’t tried it with frozen peels personally but I’ve seen a few others. Let me know how it goes if you do
Mellissa,
I was so happy to find your video for making apple cider vinegar. I use a lot of vinegar around here and was so thrilled at the chance to make my own. And it was so easy! It’s been about three weeks since I bottled up my vinegar for the second fermentation. It has a nice color and doesn’t smell bad. But every time I take the lid off to check it, it pops like a cork shooting out of a champagne bottle. Is that normal?
Hi Lisa,
Yes, totally normal, it means the ferment is active. You can “burp” the jar every few days to keep the building up of the gas down.
Hi Melissa, I love your stuff. I listen a lot. I have a question regarding the use of store bought apples that are not organic. Do you have a way of washing them so that you can be sure they are clean enough to make the vinegar? When you have a chance I’d love to know. Thank you
Hi Elaine,
Washing them off with water or even water with some vinegar will help remove surface residue but if they’re not organic the apple peels and the apple itself absorb the pesticides and you can’t remove them by washing as they’re within the apple cells.
Dear lady, 50 yrs ago, the family went through a very difficult period of time, my dad was a great gardener in WW11., so having learned about growing things and bottling them we got through it. I remember having just picked the apples from my two trees, prepared and bottle preserved them I was left with piles of apple cores and skins. I hate wasting anything so I decided to cook them and add sugar. After straining the rough stuff we had pots of great apple jam for months after.
I have recently made tincture of cayenne pepper, excellent for elderly in the winter time, plus it supports the whole bodily system. I bought the best cayenne powder, called ‘African birds eye’ pepper. I made one tincture with 3.5% Vodka and a non Alcoholic one with apple cider vinegar. As you say it’s easy to make tinctures. Before retiring I made herbals in my complementary medicine practice.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I make my own apple cider vinegar but have always used organic sugar as “food” for the fermentation. I bought apples today (before I’d checked my mail and saw your email) since they were on sale in the “cheap bin” at WM. So, I got about 10 pounds for just a few dollars. Will give your recipe a try, as I also use ACV for many things around our homestead, including when I make my soap/shampoo from scratch. I also use the ACV as a final rinse when washing my hair since it gives it that nice squeaky clean feeling. I also use ACV in the final rinse when doing my laundry and yes, I do make my own laundry soap too. 🙂
Love this, Melissa, thank you. I will be making my own ACV very soon.
Thank you Melissa, for your generosity and sharing your lovely natural recipes with us.
I am looking forward to trying the Apple Cider Vinegar and cleaning using vinegar.
But for the greed of man, I think there would be room for all to have their little piece of land to live the old style natural life without all the chemicals, and enjoy nature.
Best wishes to you and family,
June from Australia
Hi Melissa
Wish I’d found this site two weeks ago ?
I made a large batch and forgot to stir it around the three week mark. Mould has developed at this stage. I strained rather tham just removing mouldy parts. LIquid is med colour not dark. Do you think I’ve stuffed it up?
Cheers Annie
I’d let it go for a few weeks at this point and see what happens. As long as no more mold develops (make sure it’s mold and not kahm yeast or the mother) then you should be fine. I wouldn’t throw it out yet. And the color can darken over months but depending on the apples used, it sometimes stays a lighter color
My printer is not working at the moment and would like to send this bt email to my cottage industry address but can’t see a way to forward this. my working e mail is [email protected] can you help me with this?
Hi! I am wondering if I can use the mother from one batch of ACV to make another batch instead of starting with the apple scraps. (Kinda like Kombucha) Thanks!
Dorothy,
What are you going to put the mother into? In other words, what are you going to feed it? The apple scraps are what make it ACV.
Thank you for your post and your valuable information. I have made acv several times using your recipe but this time the end result is thick, almost syrup like. No mold and it does not smell bad. Have you ever experienced this? Do you know the cause? Thank you
I wonder if they had more pectin in them, I haven’t experienced that.
I made some and i got some fruit flies in it somehow. Is that ok just to strain them out with the apples?
As long as they’re just on top, hopefully they didn’t lay eggs, you’ll know if they did after straining if you find more in it.
Im using 1/2 gallon jars , does that make a difference ?
Nope, you’ll just have more ?
Melissa…my acv is on it’s second ferment and pale yellow…so how long will it take to reach the amber color of yours and ready to use? Then do we strain it again??
The color can depend on the apples and the longer it sits the darker it gets. If you’re strained out all the solids you don’t strain it again. Usually the deep color happens in mine closer to the 6 month mark.
Hi Melissa,
I began my batch on 11/15/19 and strained the scraps today. The liquid is quite pretty thick and the scraps are pretty gelatinous. Is this normal or has this gone bad? No mold and it is a pale yellow. Also, do you feed the scraps to chickens, compost or toss?
Thanks in advance.
Jen
I’ve had a few people experience it thick, peels do have pectin in them and the mother can be gelatinous too, so all sounds normal. The scraps are great for chickens or compost!
Hi! I followed your recipe, but got a layer of yeast on my vinegar. Is that good or bad?
Thanks for all the good recipes you so willingly give. About your thyroid look into adding sea vegetables to your diet
I grew up in a time when we lived like homesteaders,except it was just normal living. We were always prepared, and when a major storm knocked out electricity, our neighbors, who did not live on top of us, brought their food to our house and we cooked on our gas stove. There were 3 fireplaces in the house, so we brought mattresses down and put them in front of the biggest one. It was one grand party for us kids!
Years later, the lessons learned saved us from the angst suffered by others when storms and pandemics created havoc. I appreciate your recipes and learning how canning has evolved and its safety improved. I have tried to get your canning e-book, but it never shows up in my mailbox. Don’t know what’s up with that, but thank you for all you do!
I have been wanting to make my own apple cider vinegar since I use it all the time. Thanks So Very Much. Can’t wait to start making it some as soon as I have gotten together my scraps!
I did click the link above “Start preserving and using your apples with our free apple mini cookbook, just click here to get instant access.” and after that page comes up and I enter the information I get a page stating “not found, error 404”
Melissa, I tried making ACV and was not successful. First, the apples float so they are never completely submerged. Second, it never turned to vinegar, it just smelled like apple juice and didn’t taste vinegar at all.
I did this last year, had a nice mother after the first ferment. It was great. This year it’s just thick and slimy after the first ferment. Is that OK?
I have followed the instructions and it has been a few months. My acv looks exactly as it should,and I’ve had zero funky smells or molding. I am, however, very nervous to drink it raw! I’m sure I have no reason to. Mine took a long time to get past that sudsy, hard cider-esk phase until it finally settled to a bubble free vinegar. Months, not weeks. So is this ok for me to cook with? Ok to drink?
Yes and it does take months past the first straining stage. You should be fine. Congrats on your first homemade vinegar!
I am just starting out and decided to jump in and give this a try. I currently don’t use a ton of ACV, so I was making just a small batch to see how it went.
My apples keep floating to the top and molding. I don’t have a glass or ceramic weight that I can use in the small jar that I have. Would it be safe and ok to use something plastic with water in it to weight down the apples? Or do I need to totally scrap this little batch and just weight until I can purchase some weights and do a larger batch that I can fit a baby food jar in for a weight? (and purchase a jar of baby food!) Or do you have any other ideas for items to weight down the apples?
Thank you!
Kristy, I wonder if you can use fermentation weights to keep you apple pieces submerged? I use the weights to keep cabbage submerged when I make sauerkraut.
I was wondering the same thing about weights!
I made this last year and it turned out really well
Hey Melissa!!
Can you tell me what kind of apples that you use for ACV? We eat HoneyCrisp apples every day (store bought) but wondered if these would be okay to use? I currently use Bragg’s ACV, but it’s quite pricey. Do I keep the peels and cores in a jar in the fridge until I get enough for a full jar? Do I just keep adding the peels to the jar until I get enough to fill it up? LOVE your site! We usually have a 50′ x 80′ garden every year. I make 95% of my items from scratch, make my own laundry soap, so I try hard to do as much from scratch as possible!
Hi, can you use other sugar(ex. Coconut)?
Since our apples were scarcer this year, I used fallen apples (with bug areas, bruises and seeds removed) for apple cider, and was wondering if the apple pieces when the solids are removed, around 3 – 4 weeks, may be safely used for in an apple crisp?
You want to make sure you are not putting the seeds in with your scraps/cores. Cyanide comes from apple seeds and you don’t want to be putting them in where they will be concentrated! Thanks for the content.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/11/cyanide-in-fruit-seeds-how-dangerous-is-an-apple
i thought my ACV was done fermenting, strained it, put it in a flip top wine bottle(with the mother) and when I went to open it the other day the lid popped and it seems carbonated….did i accidentally make a kombucha?