Apple cider vinegar is useful for a variety of different things. From personal care to cleaning around the house, it’s a versatile solution that deserves a spot in any kitchen pantry. In our article, we are going to identify the ten best apple cider vinegar brands currently available and cover their main benefits in greater detail.
Best Apple Cider Vinegar Brand Comparison Table
Product | Photo | Available Volume (Ounce) | Unpasteurized | Organic | Packaging material | Check Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bragg Editor's Choice | 32 - 128 | Yes | Yes | Glass | Check Price | |
Kevala | 35 | Yes | Yes | Glass | Check Price | |
Viva Naturals | 32 | Yes | Yes | Glass and Plastic | Check Price | |
Eden Foods | 16 | Yes | Yes | Glass | Check Price | |
Spectrum Naturals | 16 | Yes | Yes | Glass | Check Price | |
Vermont Village | 128 | Yes | Yes | Plastic | Check Price | |
Napa Valley | 128 | Yes | Yes | Plastic | Check Price | |
Trader Joe’s | 16 | No | Yes | Glass | Check Price | |
Dynamic Health | 16 & 128 | Yes | Yes | Plastic | Check Price | |
Vitacost | 32 | Yes | Yes | Glass | Check Price |
Best Apple Cider Vinegar Buying Guide
Apple cider vinegar has many potential uses that can help improve your health and wellbeing. From helping with conditions like indigestion and heartburn to improving your hair’s texture and shine, it’s a very versatile option to consider.
To get the most out of it, there are several important things you should learn about it. We are going to cover those elements in this portion of our buying guide.
Apple Cider Vinegar With The Mother – What Does It Mean?
One of the most common things you will see on apple cider vinegar containers is with the mother. You may be asking yourself, what exactly is the mother?
The mother is naturally present in all apple cider vinegar. However, it is often removed to provide a clearer product that is more appealing to the average consumer. Vinegar that contains the mother has a natural cloudy appearance that requires shaking to evenly distribute it.
What About Organic And Non-Organic?
Apple cider vinegar products that are certified organic cannot be made from apples that have been treated with synthetic compounds like pesticides. Organic also means that the product cannot be genetically modified or undergo invasive procedures like radiating treatments during processing. These same organic processing standards apply to the apple cider fermentation and bottling process as well.
While it is true that organic products will cost you more, you are avoiding a wide range of potentially damaging chemical concoctions. This is often worth the extra price to secure peace of mind knowing your product is manufactured in a safe and responsible manner.
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Plastic Or Glass – The Benefits of Each
In addition to understanding the importance of the ingredients used in your apple cider vinegar, the packaging plays a big role too. Both package types have their own advantages and disadvantages to consider.
- With plastic, products are often slightly cheaper and are much lighter to carry around. They’re also less susceptible to accidental breakage during shipping.
- For glass bottles, they typically have much tighter lids that keep your product safe from harmful bacteria in the air. They are also safe for acidic compounds like vinegar since they don’t contain harmful chemicals like BPA.
For both bottle types, they can usually be recycled at your local processing center in your town. With plastic bottles, they have a much larger negative impact on the environment when allowed to degrade in landfills.
Raw and Processed – What’s The Difference?
Another one of the most common things you will see on product packages is phrasing like raw and processed.
Raw apple cider vinegar is the most basic version that contains the largest amounts of beneficial bacteria, acidic compounds, and protein structures.
On the other hand, processed products undergo a further step of refinement to improve their safety and make them last longer. The biggest way to determine if a product is processed is to see if it has been pasteurized.
Best Apple Cider Vinegar Brand Reviews
Bragg USDA Gluten Free
– The Most Famous Brand
This is one of the highest quality apple cider vinegar brands you can find. Grown from organic apples in accordance with the California Organic Foods Act of 1990, this product has tons of great features that make it one of your best choices.
The best thing about this product is that it’s got the rich mother in it and is completely organic. Furthermore, it’s also not pasteurized helping to preserve the beneficial enzymes that help with conditions like acid reflux. Apart from that benefit, it’s also kosher certified as well.
Verdict
- Non-GMO ingredients
- Certified organic
- Contains large amounts of beneficial mother
- Not found
Kevala Organic – Most Budget-friendly ACV
Using apples that are only grown in America, this product is another ideal choice to consider.
It contains the beneficial mother. It’s also certified organic and is raw to preserve the beneficial properties of the product. In addition to these features, this is also one of the most affordable choices.
It remains at 5% acidity to prevent the growth of harmful foreign bacteria. It has an excellent taste, one of the best on this list.
Verdict
- Very affordable
- Contains the mother
- Less likely to crack during shipping
- Not certified kosher
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Viva Naturals – Hypo-Allergenic Product
Being naturally free of the most common food allergen products, this option is yet another worthwhile choice. It’s made in a facility approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative as being free of allergens, such as milk, peanuts, and eggs.
Viva Naturals is certified organic and kosher. You can rest easy knowing that this raw product contains large amounts of beneficial mother in it. It also has mixing instructions on the back for making your own digestive tonics.
It’s got a pleasantly light taste but still tastes like raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
Verdict
- List mixing instructions for drinking
- Full of beneficial bacteria
- Priced very affordably
- Smaller bottle contains less product
Eden Foods – for Real Gourmet
With its large package size, this product is an ideal choice for weight loss use. It’s aged in wood to improve the flavor of the vinegar for use in all your favorite recipes.
Perhaps the best thing about this product is its amber glass bottle design. This helps preserve the nutritional quality and flavor of the product for a long time. Also, it’s completely organic and contains the beneficial bacteria and enzymes in the mother.
Eden uses and a slow press method with no extra enzymes to extract the juice. The juice is fermented slowly and aged. It goes through two different processes to first reach the desired alcohol level and then to turn that alcohol into the acetic acid apple cider vinegar is known for.
A product that has this many great features has to have a negative side too. After much searching, the main issue we found is that locating the expiration date on this product is somewhat difficult.
Verdict
- Bottle is designed to protect flavor and nutrients
- Comes in large package size
- Wood aging process adds unique flavor
- Expiration dates are difficult to locate
- Not kosher certified
Spectrum Naturals – Great for Salads
Diluted to a healthy five percent acidity, this is a great product worth checking out. Being unpasteurized, it’s a good source of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that naturally occur during the aging process.
This product is completely organic. You can verify this by looking for the large green USDA organic label on the bottle. This helps guarantee that this product is free of harmful pesticides and other nasty chemicals.
Spectrum has a unique honey color and a milder taste than other products on the list but retains a natural crispness. That makes this ACV a good choice for salad dressings and marinades.
Verdict
- Rich source of beneficial enzymes and bacteria
- Easy to use in most recipes
- Flavor is protected via a glass bottle
- Ingredients tend to settle quickly
Vermont Village – Universal Choice
It’s priced on the lower side making it a very budget-friendly option to consider. It has a pleasant, crisp taste and is very good for both salad dressings and drinks.
Besides its low price point, this product comes in a large container that is perfect for larger applications like skin treatments. It’s completely free of gluten and GMO ingredients. Furthermore, it’s kosher certified and is certified organic.
With all these great features, what is the biggest drawback of this product? Based on our findings, our biggest issue is the cheap cap design. This section is prone to slipping off easily leading to accidental spills.
Verdict
- Kosher certified
- Free of gluten and artificial flavors
- Budget-friendly pricing
- Flimsy cap is prone to leaking
- Shaking the bottle can lead to huge messes
Napa Valley – The Most Affordable Choice
Diluted to just five percent acidity and 100 percent unfiltered, this product is very beneficial to your health and tastes great. It comes in a relatively large package for its price and is perfect for use in a wide variety of your favorite recipes.
Since this product is unfiltered and not pasteurized, it is filled with lots of beneficial mother. This provides ample amounts of nutritious amino acids and beneficial probiotic microbial cultures.
In addition, it’s also very affordable when compared to some of the smaller products covered.
It comes in glass bottles for smaller sizes, but unfortunately for larger sizes, it’s available only in plastic containers.
Verdict
- Rich in microbial cultures
- Large package size
- Only requires moderate amounts of mixing
- Bottle does not state it’s BPA free
- No kosher seal on bottle
Trader Joe’s – Pasteurized Option
Made from only the ripest apples, this choice tastes great and is perfect for use in marinades and on your favorite salad.
Their apple cider vinegar has a pleasantly sharp, though somewhat uninspired, taste with plenty of the mother strands still intact.
One of the unique things about this ACV is that it is pasteurized to provide enhanced shelf life. Furthermore, it’s also unfiltered and contains large amounts of amino acids from the mother.
However, pregnant women who are under strict dietary rules are safer taking this version.
Verdict
- Completely organic
- Last longer than many other products
- Packaging stores away easily
- Lacks live probiotic bacteria
- Relatively small amount of product for the price
Dynamic Health – One More Inexpesive Choice
With a relatively large package size and organic ingredients, this is another excellent product you may want to try out. It’s made with non-GMO ingredients and has many great features to consider.
In addition to non-GMO ingredients and its organic nature, this product also has lots of the mother in each bottle. With its plastic bottle container, it’s also much less likely to crack during the shipping process.
It comes in 16-ounce sizes in glass bottles, and in 128-ounce sizes in plastic bottles. It’s very affordable, so if you aren’t sure if you like apple cider vinegar yet, you won’t risk too much going ahead to purchase this one.
Since you use a lot more product while treating your hair, it’s a good thing this option comes in a much larger size.
With so many great benefits, the product does have to have some minor issues as well. The biggest one is that even though the plastic bottle is BPA free, it is much more harmful to the environment than glass packaging options.
Verdict
- Certified organic
- Requires no refrigeration
- Mixing instructions are listed for drinking as well
- Plastic bottles are more harmful to the environment
- The mother does require more rinsing after applying to your hair
Vitacost
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, this is another product you should definitely check out. It’s made with only the finest apples and is completely organic. It’s also free of added ingredients like sugar, artificial flavors, and colors.
In addition to its organic nature, this product also contains the all-important mother. This provides the most important benefits of improving digestion and more. Furthermore, it’s also kosher certified as well.
It’s diluted to 5% acidity to safeguard the internal environment and prevent harmful foreign bacteria from growing.
- Kosher certified
- Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
- Free of most common allergen components
- Requires refrigeration after opening
- Glass bottle is heavier than many other options
Conclusion
Apple cider vinegar has a lot of potential health uses. It’s also a great product for naturally cleaning the home as well. Before deciding on one, you should carefully consider factors like its mother content, the source of its ingredients, and the packaging type that it uses. By paying attention to these important factors, you can select the best option to fit your needs.
Hi. Is it necessary to put apple cider vinegar in the fridge after opening or use?
Hello Maria,
On the label of the item, there is no mention about necessity to keep it in the fridge. This apple cider vinegar doesn’t lose its properties after opening or use in different storage areas. You can store it the way you like, preferably in a cool dark place. As to the refrigerator, it is more convenient to put it in the door.
Here are some important rules for apple cider vinegar storage in the fridge:
Just keep apple cider vinegar on hand in case you’ll need it.