Sauces, pastes & condiments · Vinegars
Rice vinegar
Mild, slightly sweet vinegar brewed from rice, used for sushi rice, dressings and Asian pickles.
Also called: rice wine vinegar
A kind of vinegar
Photo: Sotaque, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)
What it is
A pale, gentle vinegar fermented from rice or rice wine. Japanese rice vinegar is very mild and clean; Chinese white rice vinegar is sharper. 'Seasoned' rice vinegar already contains sugar and salt for sushi, so adjust other seasoning. It is different from Chinese black vinegar and from mirin (a sweet cooking wine).
How it’s used
- Seasoning sushi rice
- Dressings for cucumber and noodle salads
- Quick pickled ginger and vegetables
- Dipping sauces for dumplings
- Balancing stir-fry and sweet-and-sour sauces
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mildly sour and slightly sweet.
- Appearance
- Clear to pale straw.
- Sold as
- liquid
- Cooking uses
- Mainly a seasoning, Usually eaten raw
- Common in
- Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai
Storage
Pantry-stable. Keeps well sealed in a cool cupboard.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 18 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrate
- 0.04 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
- Sugars
- 0.04 g
USDA FoodData Central: Vinegar, distilled (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Apple cider vinegar — Same amount with a pinch of sugar.
- White vinegar — Dilute with a little water and add sugar; much sharper otherwise.
Related ingredients
Recipes with rice vinegar
See all 29
Bibim guksu
Korean · 15 min · 527 kcal
Bibimbap
Korean · 1 h · 657 kcal
Bún chả
Vietnamese · 1 h 50 min · 922 kcalCantonese sweet and sour sauce
Cantonese · 8 min · 65 kcal · Vegan
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
International · 25 min · 244 kcal
Chinese plum sauce
Cantonese · 1 h 15 min · 40 kcal · Vegan
Chirashizushi (scattered sushi bowl)
Japanese · 1 h 20 min · 582 kcalCho-gochujang (vinegared chilli sauce)
Korean · 5 min · 37 kcal · VeganCold soba noodle salad with edamame
International · 28 min · 346 kcal · Vegan
Crispy Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry
International · 35 min · 432 kcal · Vegan
Cucumber sunomono
Japanese · 25 min · 30 kcal · VeganGoma dare (Japanese sesame sauce)
Japanese · 14 min · 80 kcal
17 more
- Gyoza (pan-fried pork dumplings) · Japanese
- Haemul pajeon · Korean
- Homemade hoisin sauce · Cantonese
- Hot and sour shredded potatoes · Chinese
- Hunan steamed fish with chopped chillies · Chinese
- Japanese potato salad · Japanese
- Mu saengchae · Korean
- Oi muchim (spicy cucumber salad) · Korean
- Ponzu · Japanese
- Shan tofu salad · Burmese
- Shandong sweet and sour carp · Chinese
- Singapore chilli crab · Singaporean
- Sumiso (vinegared miso sauce) · Japanese
- Sweet and sour pork · Cantonese
- Tiger salad · Chinese
- Wakame and cucumber sesame salad · Japanese
- Yangnyeom-ganjang (seasoned soy dipping sauce) · Korean
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