Learn how to substitute rice vinegar in recipes. You will learn what rice vinegar alternatives are more applicable to the dish you are making and how to make them using simple common ingredients.
You have a variety of options when it comes to the types of vinegar that you can buy at an average store. However, it becomes quite a challenge to find an alternative to the type that you need if there is none at the store. Every type of vinegar has its unique and special flavor profile. And by choosing its alternative you need to nail at least several characteristics, where acidity is the main one, then goes the level of sweetness and sourness. I hope that you now understand that there cannot be one ingredient vinegar substitute. With the recipes below, you will find how you can adjust the taste of several options with simple ingredients as sugar, salt, and water.
What can I use if I don’t have rice vinegar?
Rice vinegar has a very distinct taste that is mild and sweet. Therefore, you can’t simply use white vinegar that is sharp and sour instead of this delicate vinegar. Balsamic vinegar, whether white or regular, won’t be a good alternative because of its tangy flavor. You will find these tangy notes also in red and white wine vinegar, which are definitely stronger and richer than the rice vinegar. Even with the best and most obvious substitute for rice vinegar – apple cider vinegar – you need to make it work by adding some extra sweetness. Below, you will find four recipes where I will show you how to make a perfect rice vinegar substitute.
Bear in mind that all of them have the main ingredient that brings acidity to the table, and it can have its own flavor. If you chose apple cider vinegar, remember that while pickling its apple taste becomes more pronounced. With the juice of lemon fruit, you add a hint of citrus taste to the cooked dish. Having this information, now you can choose the best alternative to rice vinegar for your recipe.
Recipe 1: Apple Cider Vinegar instead of Rice Vinegar
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar;
- 5 tbsp. hot water (boiled);
- 1 tsp. sugar;
- ½ tsp. salt.
Combine salt with sugar in a deep bowl. Pour hot water and apple vinegar into the bowl with dry ingredients. Keep stirring the mixture until salt and sugar fully dissolve.
Recipe 2: Soy Sauce with White Vinegar instead of Rice Vinegar
Ingredients:
- 50 ml light soy sauce;
- 50 ml white vinegar;
- 1 tbsp. sugar.
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl. Give a mixture a good stir to mix the ingredients until smooth. Check that the sugar fully dissolves.
Recipe 3: Lemon Juice instead of Rice Vinegar
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsps. lemon juice;
- 4 tbsps. warm water, boiled;
- 2 tsps. sugar;
- 1 tsp. salt.
Combine dry ingredients with liquid ingredients in a deep bowl. Stir the mixture until well combined.
Recipe 4: Grape Vinegar instead of Rice Vinegar
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsps. grape vinegar;
- 3 tsps. sugar;
- 1 tsp. salt.
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Put it on low heat on the stove. Let the mixture heat until dry ingredients fully dissolve in the liquid. Be sure not to get vinegar to boiling temperatures. When sugar dissolves take the pan from the stove and let it cool down to room temperature before further use.
I hope that the article was helpful and you found a substitute to use in your recipe instead of rice vinegar. I would highly appreciate it if you share these recipes with your friends on Pinterest or elsewhere. You are always free to ask any questions on the matter in the comment section below. If you have some other alternatives in mind, please, share them with others, too.
