Homemade Cranberry Vinegar
This cranberry vinegar is so bright and flavorful. It’s perfect for delicious salad dressings, marinades and more.
We love making infused vinegars. You can use them in so many things and inevitably, when you do, anyone who eats the food made with it has to ask what that special flavor is. The next thing they ask is if we have a recipe.
As you can probably tell, we love to share our recipes with folks so that they can enjoy them too.
What you need
- Cranberries- you can use fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries or even dried cranberries.
- Vinegar – Use a light vinegar. We prefer to use cheap white vinegar but champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar will all work.
There are lots of optional spices and herbs you can add to the vinegar. We usually just use the two ingredients because then the vinegar is more versatile. You can always add the additional flavors when making your recipe.
Optional ingredients
- sugar – white granulated sugar, turbinado sugar are best.
- cinnamon sticks – use 2-3 per batch
- whole cloves – about half of a teaspoon of whole cloves, not ground cloves.
- sprigs of fresh thyme – great for more savory uses.
How to make it
Step One
Rinse berries under cold running water.
Sort out any that are damaged or are not fully ripe.
Step Two
Add vinegar to saucepan and then add berries.
Turn heat low.
Step Three
Once berries pop, remove the pot from the heat. This will take about 5 minutes, depending on on how hot the vinegar is.
Step Four
Allow the vinegar to cool in the pot, in a jar or in a bowl until room temperature.
Strain out the cranberries using a fine mesh sieve or strainer.
Pour strained vinegar into jars or small bottles for gifts.
Why should you make your own?
- It’s incredibly easy and only takes a few minutes hands-on time.
- The flavor is unexpected and incredible.
- It’s so versatile. See examples of uses below.
- It will take you to a whole other level in your cooking, to elevate flavors in your foods.
- If you can find it to purchase, it is incredibly expensive. Making it yourself costs about $2.00.
Uses for cranberry vinegar
- Makes incredible vinaigrettes in about 2 minutes. See recipe below.
- Delicious in other salad dressings too.
- Perfect for marinating or basting pork, venison, fish or chicken and poultry.
- Great for quick pickles like these pickled radishes or pickled onion.
- Perfect to drizzle on certain vegetables, like beets (beetroot)
- Makes wonderful, unique Christmas or hostess gifts.
- Drizzle on sandwiches.
How to store it
Once you have added it to jars or bottles, store in the refrigerator or a cool basement for at least 6 months.
More infused vinegars
More recipes with cranberries
- Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
- Cranberry Jalapeño Jelly
- Dried Cranberries
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Canning Cranberry Sauce
- Boozy Cranberry Sauce
- Apple Cranberry Crisp
- Cherry Cranberry Crisp
Helpful tools
That’s how easy it is to make cranberry infused vinegar. Give it a try.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Cranberry Vinegar
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberries
- 2 cups white vinegar
Instructions
- Add berries to vinegar in small, non reactive pan. Just warm the vinegar.2 cups cranberries, 2 cups white vinegar
- Reduce heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until cranberries pop..
- Pour all of the ingredients into a canning jar. Cover with paper towel, secured by a rubber band, or use plastic lid.
- Let the berries steep for an hour or more (up to a couple days) in a cool spot or the refrigerator.
- Drain contents of jar into a fine mesh sieve. Discard pulp.
- Store in clean, sterilized glass canning jar, in cool dark place for about 6 months.
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Notes
Uses for cranberry vinegar
- cranberry vinaigrette
- salad dressings -use whatever spices you like to make the dressing, like salt, pepper, dried parsley, dill weed. Add a tablespoon of honey to make it a bit sweeter.
- a delicious dip for French fries
- basting on chicken, venison. pork or fish. It’s especially good when grilling
- marinades
- cranberry shrub and cocktails and cordials
- it’s great on fresh vegetables like beets (beetroot)
- it’s said to be a great remedy for common colds, coughs and sore throats. Just drink a tablespoon of cranberry vinegar straight, or add a tablespoon to a cup of hot water and drink it like a tea.
Nutrition
Originally published January 24, 2023.
