Are you a fan of home fermentation like I am? I want to share with you today a simple technique for making your own vinegar. Not just any old vinegar – pineapple vinegar!
The great part about this is that you’re putting to use the leftover rind and core from when you slice a pineapple for serving. Make sure you save those pineapple scraps, so you can turn them into a new, homemade, FREE byproduct. (I mean, you were just going to throw them away, right?)
So if you don’t feel like composting them, then grab these ingredients and materials and jump right in.
Contents
What Is Pineapple Vinegar Good For?
Pineapple vinegar is used in Korean and Mexican cuisine in the same way as apple cider vinegar. It also has a host of health and gut benefits.
I’ve added some delicious recipes that use pineapple vinegar at the end of the post!
What To Do With Pineapple Vinegar?
With all the health benefits of apple cider vinegar plus a soft twang of pineapple, pineapple vinegar can be used in a variety of dishes, or simply taken with water for the probiotic benefits.
Pineapple vinegar is a popular ingredient in Mexican dishes like Birria, and can also be used in salsas.
It’s perfect instead of apple cider vinegar in my morning detox drink
You can also use it instead of apple cider vinegar in salad dressings for a nice summery flavor!
How do you make homemade pineapple cider vinegar?
At its most basic form, pineapple vinegar is made in the same way as apple cider vinegar. To make your own pineapple vinegar, we will use leftover pieces of pineapple skin and flesh, add a started of apple cider vinegar and leave it to ferment. In a week you will have delicious, fresh, homemade pineapple vinegar.
How To pick a ripe organic pineapple
I prefer to use organic pineapples for making vinegar, simply because you will be fermenting the skin in the liquid, so any it’s a good idea to choose free of pesticides.
To choose a ripe pineapple, look for one that is slightly soft with a bit of give when you squeeze it, but not too much. Pineapples that are completely hard are not fully ripe, and probably won’t ripen on the shelf.
A ripe pineapple with have a firm skin and a delicious smell at the base of the pineapple. If it smells yuk or has no smell at all, it is not likely to be ripe. Another great way to check is if you can pull out a leaf from the top of the pineapple. If it gives way easily, this is a good sign that the pineapple is ripe.
Equipment For Making Pineapple Vinegar
Fermenting Jar – You can use a fermenting jar or a large glass jar. I use this amazingly adorable 3-quart jar I found at World Market, but feel free to use 1/2 gallon or even 1 gallon jars, whichever you prefer.
Sharp Knife & Cutting Board – For chopping the pineapple rind and core into small bits
Coffee filter – or cheese cloth to cover jar opening
Rubber Band – to secure your coffee filter or cheesecloth around the jar opening
Storing Flagon – for storing your vinegar after fermentation.
Ingredients for Homemade Pineapple Vinegar
Organic Pineapple – The core and rind leftover from serving 1 organic pineapple (Please be sure to read notes section before making pineapple vinegar for best results.)
Sugar water – at a ratio of 1/4 cup sugar dissolved in 1 quart non-chlorinated water, as much as you need to mostly fill your jar
Store bought Apple Cider Vinegar – the RAW kind, which contains the “mother” – you will need to add 3 tablespoons ACV per quart of water you add to the jar. This serves as a starter culture and helps with acidity. Do NOT purchase vinegar that is not labeled raw, it won’t work for you.
Instructions for making pineapple vinegar
Chop the core into small pieces, about 1 x 1 inch or so. Also slice the rind into 1 inch wide slices, and then chop those slices into about 1 inch pieces as well.
Place pineapple scraps into your fermenting jar
Make a sugar water solution
Make a sugar water solution by dissolving 1/4 cup of sugar in 1 quart of water. Make enough sugar water solution to fill your jar.
Add enough sugar water to nearly fill your fermenting jar. (Be sure to leave enough room at the top of the jar to add the ACV starter.)
Add Apple Cider Vinegar
Add your apple cider vinegar to the jar. You’ll need to remember how many quarts of sugar water you added, so that you can add the correct amount of ACV to the liquid.
Cover and ferment into vinegar
Cover the jar with your coffee filter/ towel or cheese cloth and secure well with a rubber band. Leave in a dark place (pantry is good) at room temperature for one week.
Strain and bottle
After 1 week, you’ll need to strain out the fruit. Return the juice/liquid to glass jar, cover the same way, and allow to ferment for another two weeks. Stir every couple of days. When finished, transfer to a glass bottle of your choice.
Important Notes About Making Homemade Pineapple Vinegar
- Make sure before you start the process that your pineapple is well-washed. Make sure there is no mold on the bottom of the rind.
- Try your best to find organic pineapples for better results (organic will not have pesticide residue that could affect the culture).
- After a while you will start to notice a strange, ugly, rubbery BLOB forming at the top of your vinegar – it’s forming its own mother! That is a good sign.
- Feel free to use your favorite granulated sweetener to make the sugar-water, but it has to be an actual sugar. (No stevia, xylitol, etc.) This can be pure white sugar or a less-processed sugar like evaporated cane juice or sucanat. It’s there to feed the microorganisms and will be consumed by the time it turns to vinegar.
- You can use raw honey but please note: since raw honey has its own particular mix of microbes, it will change the culture a bit. It might take longer as well. (I have never tried it.)
- You can actually do this with many different types of fruit! Try it with organic peaches, pears, cherries, apples, grapes, etc.
- If you end up with a moldy batch, toss it, no exceptions. Try using more ACV as a starter next time.
- Homemade vinegars vary in strength. You can expect a homemade vinegar like this one to be around 6 percent acetic acid or stronger.
- You can re-use old glass ACV bottles to keep it in when it’s finished. I also love using glass swing-top bottles. Using a non-metal lid is preferred; vinegar corrodes metal.
- Want to make more? Keep that rubbery, blobby mother. Add more sugar water, fruit, and ACV and keep it going!
Recipes That Use Pineapple Vinegar
With all the health benefits of apple cider vinegar plus a soft twang of pineapple, pineapple vinegar can be used in a variety of dishes, or simply taken with water for the probiotic benefits.
Pineapple vinegar is a popular ingredient in Mexican dishes like Birria, and can also be used in salsas.
It’s perfect instead of apple cider vinegar in my morning detox drink
You can also use it instead of apple cider vinegar in salad dressings for a nice summery flavor!
Print
Homemade Pineapple Vinegar Recipe
Description
This tasty homemade pinapple vinegar recipe is a delicious alternative to apple cider vinegar, and super easy to make. It’s a great way to use up pineapple in summer!
Ingredients
- Leftover bits of pineapple
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1–gallon nonchlorinated water
- 3 Tbsp Store bought Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother
Instructions
- Chop the core and rind into small pieces, about 1 x 1 inch.
- Place pineapple pieces into jar.
- Mix sugar and water together
- Add enough sugar water to nearly fill the jar.
- Add your apple cider vinegar to the jar, with 3tbs of apple cider vinegar to one quart of water.
- Cover the jar with your coffee filter/towel and secure well with rubber band.
- Leave in a dark place at room temperature for one week.
- Strain out the fruit. Return the juice/liquid to glass jar, cover the same way, and allow to ferment for another two weeks.
- Stir every couple of days.
- After two weeks, transfer to a glass bottle of your choice.
Notes
- Make sure before you start the process that your pineapple is well-washed. Make sure there is no mold on the bottom of the rind.
- Try your best to find organic pineapples for better results (organic will not have pesticide residue that could affect the culture).
- After a while you will start to notice a strange, ugly, rubbery BLOB forming at the top of your vinegar – it’s forming its own mother! That is a good sign.
- Feel free to use your favorite granulated sweetener to make the sugar-water, but it has to be an actual sugar. (No stevia, xylitol, etc.) This can be pure white sugar or a less-processed sugar like evaporated cane juice or sucanat. It’s there to feed the microorganisms and will be consumed by the time it turns to vinegar.
- You can use raw honey but please note: since raw honey has its own particular mix of microbes, it will change the culture a bit. It might take longer as well. (I have never tried it.)
- You can actually do this with many different types of fruit! Try it with organic peaches, pears, cherries, apples, grapes, etc.
- If you end up with a moldy batch, toss it, no exceptions. Try using more ACV as a starter next time.
- Homemade vinegars vary in strength. You can expect a homemade vinegar like this one to be around 6 percent acetic acid or stronger.
- You can re-use old glass ACV bottles to keep it in when it’s finished. I also love using glass swing-top bottles. Using a non-metal lid is preferred; vinegar corrodes metal.
- Want to make more? Keep that rubbery, blobby mother. Add more sugar water, fruit, and ACV and keep it going!
What do you think? Was that simple enough? Sometimes when I try to explain things I feel it gets wordy, but the process is really very simple: slice and chop, add sugar water, add raw ACV, and cover. Later strain and re-cover.
P.S. If you love fermentation, please come follow my fermentation board on pinterest.
That is such an interesting idea! I love the idea of fermenting but I’m always scared I’m going to do it wrong and make someone in my family sick. I guess I’ll just have to give it a try. The pineapple vinegar sounds delicious and so healthy for you! Very interesting post!
Thank you for your comment Denise! I know exactly how you feel; I felt the same way at first. Sometimes vinegar can be tricky, maybe you could start with an easier ferment, like Fermented Carrots. Those don’t take very long and are pretty simple! Please let me know how it goes if you try. <3
Thanks Danielle for your post. Home made pineapple vinegar seem interesting. Your instructions on how to do it is simple. Surely I’ll try to do it myself.
Hello, I didn’t have the raw unfiltered vinegar when I started my batch. I am ready to take the fruit out. Can I add the vinegar at this time? Thank you
Hi Donna, the raw vinegar is there to act as your starter culture, to start off the fermenting process. I am not sure if you can add the vinegar now or not, because I’ve never fermented vinegar without a starter in place. I would be wary of mold spores… I wish I had a better answer for you!!
hi, just want to ask if its ok if we ferment it in plastic bottles? Will it effect the fermentation process? also can i substitute yeast form acv? Thanks a lot, your answer will be of big help for my investigatory project.
Hi Lally, you should not ferment in plastic bottles due to the acidity of the ferment. Also, you can’t substitute yeast, but you can use other starters like kombucha vinegar. I would stick with the raw apple cider vinegar, though! It’s easiest. <3
Hello, do you have to refrigerate after fermentation?
Hi Rebekah,
I like to refrigerate after fermentation because I love drinking it cold! It will also slow/stop fermentation so you have less risk of explosions (if you are doing a secondary fermentation with a lid).
I hope it’s not too late to ask question about this lol. Why is your liquid so dark colored? Brown sugar?
I guess it might be a little too late; I can’t remember why it’s so dark. Maybe it was the sugar I used. 🙂
I take mine by the spoonful. I really just like it. Dad asked for a large jar for his boiled eggs to sit in. I don’t understand why people think they need a starter. Sugar is all I’ve ever needed. I only add a starter if I’m trying to speed up resting time. I’m throwing in a few sterile dried egg shells in this time after the resting period. Adding all those minerals to the vinegar. Hopefully it won’t change the flavor much. Thanks for sharing the benefits, that’s what I came here for.
I am not saying starter fermentation is wrong for over all health. But if you are looking fot paticular heath benefits sole fermentation is optimal. By adding starter fermentaion you will also add certain health benefits from starter cermentation and you will also speed up fdrmentaion period. By doing so you will take away benefits from desired fruit benifits. And like everything else when you speed up the process you will not get the desired outcome. These are just laws of nature that can not be redefined and by doing so you axe out what your main goal is. In this case both apple and pinapples are great digestive system purifiers. When ferment twice both dissolve unwanted mucas in your digestive track . Apple cider vinegar is much more powerful for this while Pinapple Cider Vinegar cleans your sexual organ tract. Laugh if you want but it is true and basic biology. Some use it to make there selves taste sweeter in that area ‘good for you. But the real reason to do so is for better fertility and greater offspring healthier, stronger and smarter. Again laugh if you want but in nature this is the overall goal of every animal including humans til recent narcisistic values have been trending in society.