Chive Blossom Vinegar

Written by
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith is a food writer and certified botanist who has written five books on foraging and preserving food.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Leda Meredith
Updated 08/18/19
Chive blossoms

 

BruceBlock / Getty Images 
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
3 Calories
0g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 3
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 0g
Calcium 3mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chive blossoms have an onion-like flavor that is more delicate than the commonly used leaves. They make an herbal vinegar that is a lovely gift and also very useful in your kitchen. Use chive blossom vinegar in salad dressings, potato salad, and marinades.

There are two ways to make chive blossom vinegar: One is quick but has a less subtle flavor. The other takes patience but yields a higher quality product. Both are tasty. The longer method of making chive blossom vinegar, as well as other herbal vinegars, is well worth the longer infusing time.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chive blossoms (fresh)
  • 1 1/2 cups vinegar (of choice)
  • Optional: 1/4 cup chopped chive leaves

Steps to Make It

The Best Method

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Crush the blossoms to release their scent and flavor.

  3. Loosely pack them into a clean glass pint jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar first).

  4. Pour the vinegar over the chive blossoms until they are completely immersed in the liquid. Stir the chives down into the vinegar with a spoon or chopstick.

  5. Tightly cover the jar and label it with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 2 weeks.

  6. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.

  7. Cork or tightly cover the bottle.

The Quicker Hot Vinegar Method

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Place the chive blossoms and optional chive leaves in a clean, heat-proof glass jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar).

  3. Heat the vinegar until it comes just to a simmer (don't let it get to a full boil).

  4. Pour the hot vinegar over the chives.

  5. Cover tightly and label the jar with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 3 days.

  6. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.

  7. Cork or tightly cover the bottle.

Tips

  • For best results, pick chive blossoms when they are fully opened but have not yet started to fade and go to seed.
  • White wine vinegar works well with onion-like flavors, but you could also use red wine vinegar or homemade apple vinegar.

Recipe Variations

  • Combine the optional fresh chive leaves with the blossoms. They will add a more intensely onion-y flavor to the finished vinegar.
  • Use garlic chive (Allium tuberosum) blossoms instead of regular chive (A. schoenoprasum) blossoms. Garlic chive blossoms are white rather than pink, and as their common name implies they have a strong garlic-y flavor. Garlic chives usually bloom later in the year than regular chives.