Basil Flower Vinegar with Thai Basil and Sweet Basil

The short answer: cut the flowering tops off your basil, pack them loosely into a clean jar, cover them completely with vinegar, and let the jar sit out of the sun for one to two weeks. Strain it, bottle it, and keep it in the fridge. Thai basil in rice vinegar is made for cucumber salad and quick pickled onions. Sweet basil in apple cider vinegar is made for tomatoes and vinaigrette.

Once basil starts to flower, the advice is always the same: pinch the flowers off so the plant keeps making leaves. That advice is right, and it is in our herb guide too. I just used to throw what I pinched in the compost.

This year I kept them. The flowers and tender tops taste like a softer version of the leaves, so instead of a handful of green in the compost, I made two jars of vinegar.

Why two jars

I grow sweet basil and Thai basil, and they taste nothing alike, so each one got its own vinegar.

Thai basil tastes a little like anise and licorice, and its flower spikes carry purple bracts. It went into rice vinegar, which is mild enough to let that flavor come through.

Sweet basil is the flavor everybody knows. It went into apple cider vinegar, which is a natural match for tomatoes and olive oil.

If you only grow one basil, make one jar. Any culinary basil works, and the vinegar will taste like a gentler version of whatever that plant tastes like.

Cut them before your first frost

Basil is one of the first things a frost takes, so this is a job for right now. Go by your own first frost date rather than the calendar. Here in East Tennessee, zone 7B, ours usually comes in October. If you are in the US, you can find your zone by zip code on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, and your local extension office will have your frost dates. Anywhere else, search your town and “average first frost date.”

It is one of several things on our fall garden checklist that are worth doing before that first cold night.

What you need

• Basil flower spikes and tender leafy tops, enough to loosely fill a jar about two-thirds full
• A clean pint jar for each kind of basil
• About 2 cups of vinegar per pint jar: rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• A lid, plus a square of parchment if the lid is metal
• A marker for labeling

How to make basil vinegar

1. Cut the tops in the morning after the dew dries. Take the flower spikes and a few inches of stem and leaves.
2. Look them over. Shake out any small visitors. Rinse only if they are dirty, and pat them completely dry, because extra water dilutes the vinegar.
3. Pack each jar loosely, about two-thirds full.
4. Cover everything with vinegar. Press the basil down so nothing sticks out above the surface, or it will darken.
5. Put the lid on. If it is a metal lid, put a square of parchment under it, because vinegar corrodes metal.
6. Label and date both jars. Two jars of basil vinegar look alike two weeks later.
7. Let them sit out of direct sun for one to two weeks. Then strain through a fine strainer or a coffee filter, bottle it, and keep it in the fridge.

What each jar is good for

Thai basil and rice vinegar

• Cucumber salad. Sliced cucumbers and a splash of this vinegar, and you are nearly done. Our cucumber guide has more.
• Quick pickled onions. Thin-sliced red onion covered with the vinegar for about twenty minutes. Our sweet pickled onions work beautifully with it.
• Slaw and noodle salads, in place of plain vinegar in the dressing.
• Dipping sauce, mixed with soy sauce for dumplings or spring rolls.
• Rice bowls and stir-fry, a splash at the very end.

Sweet basil and apple cider vinegar

• Tomatoes, sliced, with olive oil and flaky salt.
• Vinaigrette. Three parts olive oil to one part basil vinegar, with salt, pepper and a little mustard to hold it together.
• A pan splash after searing chicken or pork, to lift the brown bits off the bottom.
• Roasted vegetables, a sprinkle right out of the oven.
• Potato salad or pasta salad, in the dressing.

A few things worth knowing

• Seasoned or plain rice vinegar both work. Seasoned rice vinegar already has sugar and salt in it, which makes it a ready-made cucumber salad vinegar. Plain rice vinegar is milder and more flexible.
• Raw apple cider vinegar “with the mother” may turn cloudy or grow a soft film as it sits. That is harmless, and the coffee filter takes it out.
• Herbs in vinegar and herbs in oil are not the same project. Vinegar is acidic, which is what makes this safe. Fresh herbs in oil at room temperature are a botulism risk, so herb oils need to be refrigerated and used within a few days, or frozen.
• Use basil you know is food. Skip basil sold as an ornamental bedding plant, which can be treated with products that are not meant for food crops.

Frequently asked questions

Can you eat basil flowers?

Yes. Basil flowers are edible and taste like a softer version of the leaves. Every culinary basil works, and the flavor follows the variety, so Thai basil flowers taste like anise and sweet basil flowers taste like classic basil.

How long should basil vinegar steep?

One to two weeks, out of direct sun. Taste it at one week. Past two weeks the flavor can turn bitter, so strain it by then.

Does basil vinegar need to be refrigerated?

Keep it in the fridge once it is strained. That is the simple, safe choice, especially if you used a seasoned rice vinegar, which has sugar in it. It keeps its best flavor for a few months.

What is the best vinegar for basil vinegar?

Use a vinegar you already like the taste of. Rice vinegar is mild and lets Thai basil come through. Apple cider vinegar pairs well with sweet basil. White wine vinegar keeps the color brightest if you are using purple basil.

Can I make basil vinegar if my basil has not flowered?

Yes. Use the leafy tops. Basil vinegar is traditionally made with the leaves, and the flowers are a bonus when you have them.

Same few minutes of cutting you were already doing, and now there are two jars on the shelf instead of a handful of green in the compost. For everything else about growing, cutting and keeping basil, the complete herb guide has it.

Putting up more from the garden? Our Canning and Preserving guide gathers all of our jams, pickles, salsas, ferments and herb recipes in one place.