Substitutions / red wine vinegar
What to use instead of red wine vinegar
Use apple cider vinegar in equal amounts. Slightly fruitier and less sharp, but works well in most dressings, marinades, and sauces.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple cider vinegar | 1:1 | Slightly fruitier and less sharp, but works well in most dressings, marinades, and sauces. |
| Sherry vinegar | 1:1 | Richer and nuttier in flavor — a good match where red wine vinegar's depth matters most. |
| Lemon juice | 1:1 | Brighter and citrusy rather than vinegary, so it shifts the flavor profile noticeably. |
How much is a cup of red wine vinegar?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh red wine vinegar in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.