Chilli Vinegar Recipe - Quick and Easy (2024)

Published: May 12, 2021 · Modified: Sep 4, 2022 by Luke and Kay · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

How to make chilli vinegar, the perfect condiment to many dishes. Such a quick and easy recipe with no cooking involved.

Garlic cloves, red & green chillies and basil leaves, with malt vinegar. Ready to use in an instant and over time the chillies, garlic and basil will infuse their hot flavours into the tart vinegar.

How to make chilli vinegar?

Check out the slideshow video, for how to make this chilli and garlic infused vinegar, in minutes!

Continue reading for more about the UK history and advice to make the best chilli vinegar.

Or click below for a printable recipe and ingredients list to make the chili flavored vinegar now.

Jump to Recipe

What is chilli vinegar?

Chilli vinegar is well known in the UK for being served in London with the old fashioned co*ckney pie mash and liquor. Or sprinkled over the British classic fish and chips! It adds a lovely warming spicy-sweet flavouring to food.

Made with malt vinegar which is a very popular condiment in England, almost every home across the UK will have a bottle in their cupboard.

Often found in pubs or restaurants. You can smell it along the seaside piers, served on fish and chips and on market food stalls for sprinkling on your street food.

Sterilise vinegar bottle

To sterilise a vinegar bottle, clean the bottle and lid in soapy water. Then fill a large pot with boiling water enough to cover the bottle and lid, allow to stand in the hot water for 15 minutes to sterilise.

Ingredients

Chilli vinegar uses simple ingredients, malt vinegar, chillies, garlic and basil leaves.

Chillies- We used a mix of red and green bird eye chillies. You can use any variety you like? Keep the seeds intact as this helps makes the vinegar hotter.

Garlic- We add 3 cloves you can add more or less to your taste.

Basil Leaves- It is best to use fresh basil leaves. Use a chopstick to help push it into the bottle! If using dried basil add ¼ tsp.

Malt vinegar- otherwise known as brown vinegar, made from malting barley. It is milder and sweeter than white vinegar. It can vary from light to dark brown in colour.

Give the bottle a good shake before use, to help infuse the flavours into the vinegar.

How to use?

Chilli vinegar is traditionally served with pie mash and liquor. Or sprinkled over homemade chips or fries with salt!

Chilli vinegar can also be used in homemade sauces, marinades, and chutneys in place of other kinds of vinegar to give a hot, acidic kick.

Great for adding with oil for salad dressings or splash into your casseroles, stews or curries for some extra depth.

Also good with meat and fish, why not try adding a splash of chilli vinegar to our oven-baked seabream recipe.

How to store chilli vinegar?

The malt vinegar acts as a preservative to the chillies, garlic and basil, so this chilli vinegar condiment will be good for 2 weeks, stored in the fridge.

After which, I suggest straining the vinegar through a sieve to remove the chillies, garlic and basil before they taint.

You will still have the delicious chilli vinegar flavouring and it will still be ok to use for about 4 months stored in the fridge between uses.

📖 Step by Step Recipe

We hope you enjoy you chilli, garlic and basil infused vinegar. Let us know how you use yours?