How To Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar at Home

In this post I am going to show you how to make your own homemade apple cider at home using apple scraps or chopped apples.

You might be thinking. Why make your own apple cider vinegar? Well, sure. I get it. Why make something when it is so readily available in just about any market you find? The thing I have realized is that making your own items at home is two fold. First, you get to feel the pride of making something yourself while learning something new. Second, and probably where most of you lay, is making things like apple cider vinegar results, in a superior product. Hands down, the homemade products I have produced in my home have far surpassed the quality of anything I had once purchased.

 Unfortunately not all apple cider vinegar holds the same health benefits, taste or quality. So even with those grocery stores aisles packed with bottles of the stuff, many are low quality, strained off, or diluted vinegars that just don’t hold the same weight. There are also other benefits to making your own.

Obviously, there is the cost factor. Not that store bought apple cider vinegar is overly expensive but making your own is much cheaper. Furthermore, you will reduce the waste coming from your kitchen. Which is something we all benefit from and can use more ideas for doing. This is what the whole idea of sustainable living is all about. Finding uses for things that were once so easily tossed out. In this case, the bowl of whole apples not being eaten. Even those apple scraps like apple peels and leftover cores can be given a new purpose by opting to make real apple cider vinegar at home. 

One thing to note here is that you can adjust how much you make in each batch by adjusting the size jar you use. So depending on the amount of apples you have to make a batch of vinegar, you will need a jar that can be filled about halfway with the apples. Despite what this recipe calls for, when you read ahead you will learn that you can make any amount of vinegar with a simple sugar water ratio.

You can always start a next batch and often I have several batches going at once. Just make sure if you do that, you label them. Otherwise it can get a little confusing pretty quickly.

Homemade Apple Cider Is…

• Done through a simple fermentation process.
• A great way to reduce waste in the kitchen by repurposing food scraps like apple cores, and scraps.
• A delicious, true apple cider vinegar.
• ​The best way to get good bacteria into your diet.
• A superior product over the store-bought apple cider vinegar.
• Great for apple season to use up the scraps you might have from the apple harvest.

Ingredients

Apples- the amount of apples needed is completely flexible. You can make a small batch or large batch if you have enough apples. The nice thing too is you can use any type of apple for this even a variety of different apples combined will do. You can use the peels, and cores or chopped apple pieces. Don’t worry about removing the stems. 

Sugar- use regular white refined sugar, it does not have to be organic etc. Make sure to use white sugar not brown sugar for this.

Water- I prefer and suggest to use filtered water over tap water specifically, chlorinated water, that way nothing interferes with the fermentation process.

Tools

Large Mason Jar or another glass vessel (or crock)

Cloth (muslin, cheesecloth or cut piece of cotton)

Rubber Band or Mason Jar Lid (without the center)

​Fine Mesh Strainer

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no cost to you).

Directions

Fill a large clean jar with apple scraps or chopped apples about 1/3 to 1/2 way. If you are not following the specified recipe, measure the amount of water you need to fill the jar after the apples are placed in. You will need 1 tbsp. of sugar for every cup of water or 1 cup of sugar for every gallon of water you use. Pour the water into the vessel along with the correct amount of sugar per the water you need. Use a large spoon to stir the entire contents well. Cover the vessel with a piece of cloth and secure it with either a rubber band or a mason jar lid rim if using a mason jar for this.

Place the jar of apples on a spot on your kitchen countertop with low light where you will see it to remember to it stir daily. Do not place it in the window sill or direct sunlight. You will need to stir the apples and sugar that settles on the bottom once a day with a large spoon. Once the apples have sat for 2 weeks you can now strain it off.

Use a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. I like to also add a piece of cheesecloth to the inside of my mesh strainer to ensure no pieces of apple have fallen through the holes. This is not necessary. Once strained you can add the cloth lid back to the jar and place the jar in a dark place at room temperature.

Allow it to sit for one month before taste testing. The bacteria will continue to work on converting it into vinegar. The time this takes will vary on environment but roughly should take 1-3 months to complete.  Once ready, bottle the apple cider vinegar and store in a dark cool place.

Notes

• You can use chopped apple pieces, apple scraps and you don’t have to remove the seeds etc. 
• The cloth you use to cover the apples should be a breathable fabric like muslin, cheesecloth or cotton. A coffee filter will also work.
• Keep track of how many cups of water you use each new batch you make so that you approximately how much sugar will be needed. If not using the recipe specified.
• You will want to place the apples out of direct sunlight and preferably in a room that is 70 or 75 degrees. 
• It is vital to stir the apples daily for the first fermentation round to prevent any mold from forming at the top. 
• For the second fermentation stage it will take about 1-3 months before the vinegar is ready. 

What to Expect During the Process

During the first stage of fermentation you can expect to see your apples begin to brown and little bubbles forming in the liquid. This is a great sign that fermentation is taking place. If your apples begin to break apart and you see small pieces floating in the bottom, that is ok. We will be straining it off and you will be left with liquid only at that point.

If you forget to stir one day, not to worry, 9 times out of 10 this won’t hurt. I know this from personal experience. Simply stir the apples the moment you remember and do a visual inspection of the surface to make sure you don’t see any mold beginning to form. The liquid becomes quite cloudy. Once the apples are strained off and the second stage of fermentation begins.

The bacteria will keep on working to convert the sugar or alcohol into acetic acid, creating vinegar. You can test the PH level with these simple PH test strips if you like. The PH should be in the range between 2-3. Or you can do a simple taste test. After a month, you can taste the vinegar to see if it is vinegary enough for you and if not allow it to sit for another month or two. Tasting it every few weeks or so. Bottle it when ready.

Health Benefits

We like to have apple cider vinegar on hand purely for the fact that it tastes so good in our salads, and other things I add it to. But an amazing bonus to making your own acv is the health benefits of it. Apple cider vinegar is filled with probiotics  which means that the acv actually aids in good digestion. Adding it to your diet can help balance your gut microbiome. The correlation between gut health and your overall health is pretty fascinating.

You can read more about how acv can benefit you here. One thing to note is since you are making the apple cider vinegar, your vinegar will include the “mother”. This means it contains the initial good bacteria that was created during the fermentation process. Some store-bought vinegars filter it out and thus make them of lesser quality. You want the mother in your apple cider vinegar in order to get the full health benefits of it.

FAQ’s

What are the best types of apples to use for the best flavor?

In my experience, using a variety of different apples seems to result in a more flavorful vinegar. I like using a combination of tart apples with sweet apples to achieve the best tasting vinegar with sweet apples being the majority. My first batch of apple cider vinegar I didn’t realize this and used all tart apples which resulted in a very tart, almost too tart acv.

We have a Granny Smith and Gala apple tree in my little orchid which is just perfect for making acv. Gala and pink lady apples are the sweet ones I normally use and I toss in there some Granny Smith apple but only one or two depending on the size of my jar. Keeping in mind that the kind of apples you use will impact the flavor. Using solely tart apples or solely sweet apples is a taste preference but can be done. What’s nice about making your own, is that you can experiment and see which ones you prefer using. 

How long does the homemade vinegar keep?

Apple cider vinegar can actually stay good for up to 5 years however the flavor will likely be best within the first 2 years. Placing it in a cool dark place is best for storage but some people do like to keep it in the fridge if you have the space so that the bacteria activity will slow down and prevent the vinegar from further fermenting.

​What can I use acv in ?

Acv is a versatile vinegar to have in your kitchen. Some common uses for apple vinegar are salad dressings, a great acid addition for making bone broth, marinades, sauces, and making meat dishes like pulled pork. Just to name a few. 

How To Store

Store your homemade apple cider vinegar out of the light in a cool dark place or in the fridge. The vinegar has a long shelf life and can last up to 5 years however, the flavor will be best within the first two years.

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• Lacto-Fermented Pickles

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