Chive Blossom Vinegar

By
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
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
Updated on 07/23/21
chive blossom vinegar in Ball jar

The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3 Calories
0g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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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 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 1mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 1mg 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 stalks. 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. For the quick method, you pour hot vinegar over the blossoms and steep for three days. With the longer method, which we're featuring in this recipe, you infuse the blossoms in room-temperature vinegar for two weeks. This yields a more strongly-flavored, higher-quality product and is well worth the longer infusing time. You can use this same method to make other herbal vinegars.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    chive blossoms, vinegar and chopped chives in bowls

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

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

    chive blossoms in bowl with mortar

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

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

    chive blossoms packed in glass jar

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

  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.

    chive blossoms in vinegar in jar

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

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

    chive blossoms in vinegar in jar with lid on

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

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

    finished chive blossom vinegar, bright pink, strained into glass jar; small strainer and chive blossoms on side

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

  7. Cork or tightly cover the bottle.

    finished chive blossom vinegar in glass pour spout container with lid on

    The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe

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.

Quick Hot Vinegar Method

Place the chive blossoms and optional chive leaves in a clean, heat-proof glass jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar). Heat the vinegar until it comes just to a simmer (don't let it get to a full boil), then pour the hot vinegar over the chives. Cover tightly and label the jar with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 3 days. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle and then cork or seal. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.

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.