Fire cider is raw apple cider vinegar steeped for about four weeks with horseradish, garlic, onion, ginger, hot pepper and citrus, then strained and sweetened with raw honey. It tastes sour, hot and sweet all at once. People take it as a small shot, splash it into warm water, or use it like a spicy vinegar in dressings and marinades.
The herbalist Rosemary Gladstar gave the recipe its name in the early 1970s. It has been a folk tradition long enough that in 2019 a federal judge ruled "fire cider" a generic term that no company can trademark (WAMC). There is no single official version. The one below is the classic combination with exact quantities for a quart jar.
TL;DR: Pack 1/2 cup grated horseradish, 1 chopped onion, 1 head chopped garlic, 1/4 cup grated ginger, 1-2 sliced jalapenos and the zest and juice of an orange and a lemon into a quart jar. Cover by 1 inch with raw apple cider vinegar (5% acidity). Steep 4 weeks, shaking daily. Strain, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey, and keep it in the fridge. Makes about 3 cups.
Fire Cider Recipe
Makes: about 3 cups | Hands-on time: 30 minutes | Steep time: 4 weeks
Make a batch in early October and it is ready in November.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (about 3 oz) peeled, grated fresh horseradish root
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 head garlic (10-12 cloves), peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup peeled, grated fresh ginger (a 3-inch piece)
- 1-2 jalapenos, sliced (or 1 habanero for more heat)
- 1 orange, zested, then juiced
- 1 lemon, zested, then juiced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- About 3 cups raw apple cider vinegar (5% acidity), enough to cover by 1 inch
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey, added after straining
Instructions
- Clean the jar. Wash a 1-quart glass jar and its lid in hot soapy water and let it dry.
- Prep the roots and aromatics. Peel and grate the horseradish and ginger, chop the onion and garlic, slice the peppers, and zest and juice the orange and lemon. Work near an open window; fresh horseradish is sharp on the eyes.
- Pack the jar. Add everything except the honey, including the citrus juice, zest, rosemary and peppercorns.
- Cover with vinegar. Pour in apple cider vinegar until the solids are covered by at least 1 inch. Press them down with a spoon to release air bubbles and top up with vinegar.
- Protect the lid. Put a square of parchment under the lid so the vinegar never touches metal, then close the jar tightly.
- Steep for 4 weeks. Keep the jar in a cool, dark cupboard. Shake it once a day and top up with vinegar if anything floats above the surface.
- Strain. Pour through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth and squeeze the solids hard. That last squeeze holds a lot of the flavor.
- Sweeten with honey. Stir 1/4 cup raw honey into the strained vinegar until dissolved. Taste and add more, up to 1/2 cup, until it is sharp but drinkable.
- Bottle and refrigerate. Pour into clean glass bottles, label with the date, and store in the fridge.
Why the honey goes in last
Honey dissolves more easily into strained vinegar than into a jar packed with roots, and adding it at the end lets you sweeten to taste once you know how hot the batch turned out. It also keeps the honey raw: nothing in this recipe is heated.
The honey-to-vinegar ratio
Start at 1 part honey to 12 parts strained vinegar (1/4 cup honey to 3 cups). That is tart and fiery. Most people end up around 1:6 (1/2 cup to 3 cups). Past that it turns into a syrup. A mild wildflower honey lets the horseradish and ginger lead; a darker honey like buckwheat adds a molasses note that stands up to the heat.
Fire Cider Timeline
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Prep, pack and cover with vinegar |
| Days 2-28 | Shake daily; keep solids under the vinegar |
| Day 28 | Strain, sweeten with honey, bottle |
| After straining | Refrigerate; best within 6 months |
Some people steep for as little as 2 weeks for a milder batch, or up to 6 weeks for a stronger one. Four weeks is the traditional middle.
Ingredient Notes
Horseradish supplies most of the heat. The sharp bite does not exist in the whole root: grating breaks the cells, and an enzyme converts a compound called sinigrin into allyl isothiocyanate, the volatile oil that hits your sinuses. Acid holds that pungency, which is why prepared horseradish is packed in vinegar (Wikipedia summary of the chemistry). Grate it fresh and get it into the vinegar quickly. If you can't find the root, use 1/3 cup jarred prepared horseradish with no cream added.
Apple cider vinegar needs to be at least 5% acidity. Check the label. Extension food-safety programs recommend 5% vinegar for anything you are preserving, because weaker vinegar may not be acidic enough (Illinois Extension). Raw, unfiltered vinegar "with the mother" is traditional, but pasteurized 5% cider vinegar works.
Garlic and onion give fire cider its savory backbone. Chop rather than leave whole so the vinegar reaches more surface.
Hot peppers set the ceiling on heat. Jalapeno is moderate, habanero is serious. You can swap in 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes.
Citrus brightens the finish. Use the zest as well as the juice; the oils are in the peel.
How to Use Fire Cider
- As a shot. 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) straight, followed by water.
- In warm water. 1-2 tablespoons in a mug of warm (not boiling) water. If you like our honey lemon apple cider vinegar drink, this is its bolder, pre-batched cousin.
- In salad dressing. Swap it for the vinegar in any vinaigrette: 1 part fire cider to 3 parts olive oil, plus a pinch of salt. Our raw honey salad dressings have more ratios.
- As a marinade. 1/4 cup fire cider, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce for 1 lb chicken or pork, 2-4 hours in the fridge.
- On cooked greens and beans. A splash at the end, like hot sauce.
- In a cocktail or mocktail. 1/2 oz with sparkling water and a squeeze of orange.
A note on tradition versus evidence: fire cider is traditionally used as a winter tonic, and each ingredient has its own long folk history. It has not been tested in clinical trials, and it is not a treatment for colds, flu or anything else. Make it because you like the taste. If you want to know what the research does say about honey itself, our guide to honey for sore throat and cough walks through the studies.
Variations
| Variation | Add to the jar | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Turmeric | 2 tbsp grated fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground) | Stains everything yellow; use glass |
| Warm spice | 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 2 star anise | Good for sipping in warm water |
| Extra citrus | 1 grapefruit, sliced, instead of the orange | Brighter, more bitter |
| Milder | Halve the horseradish; seed the peppers | A good starter batch |
| Herbal | 2 tbsp dried thyme or oregano with the rosemary | Savory; great for marinades |
| Beet | 1 small raw beet, grated | Turns it deep magenta |
If you enjoy the garlic side of this, fermented honey garlic is the other pantry project to start in the fall. It takes garlic in the opposite direction: cloves in honey, no vinegar.
How to Store Fire Cider
- While steeping: in a cool, dark cupboard with every piece under the vinegar. Anything poking above the surface can mold.
- After straining: in the refrigerator, in glass, with a non-metal or parchment-lined lid. We use ours within 6 months, when the flavor is still sharp.
- Throw it out if you see fuzzy mold, the smell turns rotten rather than sharp, or the liquid is slimy.
Sediment settling to the bottom is normal. Shake before pouring.
Honey and infants. Fire cider contains raw honey, so do not give it to babies under 12 months. Honey can contain Clostridium botulinum spores that an infant gut cannot yet handle (CDC).
A few more cautions. Fire cider is very acidic and very hot. Dilute it if it bothers your stomach, and rinse your mouth with water after a straight shot to spare your tooth enamel. If you take medication or have a digestive condition, check with your doctor before making it a daily habit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does fire cider need to steep?
About 4 weeks. Two weeks gives a milder result and six weeks a stronger one. Shake the jar daily and keep the solids under the vinegar the whole time.
Do you put honey in fire cider before or after steeping?
After. Strain first, then stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey per 3 cups of vinegar. You can sweeten to taste once you know how hot the batch turned out, and the honey is never heated.
Does fire cider need to be refrigerated?
Yes, after straining. Keep it in the fridge in a glass bottle and use it within about 6 months for the best flavor. During the 4-week steep, a cool, dark cupboard is fine as long as everything stays submerged in 5% vinegar.
Why did my garlic turn blue or green?
It's harmless. Garlic's sulfur compounds react with acid and form blue-green pigments, the same reaction that makes Chinese Laba garlic jade green on purpose (America's Test Kitchen). The color doesn't change the flavor or safety. Only toss the batch if you also see mold or smell rot.
What can I do with the leftover solids?
The strained pulp is very vinegary and hot. Some people blend a spoonful into stir-fries, soups or chutney. Most of its flavor is in the liquid, so composting it is fine too.
Can I use regular vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?
You can use any vinegar labeled 5% acidity. White vinegar is harsher, and apple cider vinegar is traditional because its fruity flavor rounds out the roots.
How much fire cider should I take?
Most people take 1 tablespoon, straight or in warm water. There is no established "dose"; it's a food, not a medicine.
Start with Good Honey
The honey is the only thing softening all that heat, so it's worth using one with real flavor. Ours is raw and unfiltered, never heated above 95°F. Pick up a 16 or 32 oz jar of raw honey and start a jar this weekend. It'll be ready in four weeks.
Cook With Real Raw Honey
Recipes taste different with unfiltered wildflower honey — more floral, less flat. Start with the 16 oz squeeze bottle.
16 oz · $24.99
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