8 Apple Cider Vinegar Brands, Ranked From Worst To Best

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Apple cider vinegar is a versatile but often overlooked condiment that can elevate the flavor profile of salad dressings, improve the texture of meats, balance soups, and much more. There are many reasons to use apple cider vinegar, but not every bottle of the stuff you find on the grocery store shelf will provide the same experience. For the best results in every application, you want to find the product with the highest possible quality. Without single-handedly tasting every option, how can you tell which apple cider vinegar brands are most worth your hard-earned money?

Thankfully, I did all the legwork for you and personally tasted eight of the biggest apple cider vinegar brands before ranking them from worst to best. My background in the food industry and extensive use of apple cider vinegar in my personal life made me a good candidate for this ranking. Most brands listed here had only one apple cider vinegar product, in which case the opinion was based solely on my experience. When brands had other apple cider vinegar variants I couldn't personally taste, I took into account what people were saying online to best gauge those products' quality. Then, I looked at all feedback, including my review and online discourse, to gain a solid understanding of the brand as a whole. 

You can find my full methodology at the end of this article, if you're interested. Now, without further ado, let's see how major apple cider vinegar brands stacked up against one another.

Like many other brands on this list, Bowl & Basket does make many other vinegars, but has only one apple cider vinegar product. Bowl & Basket is Shoprite's private label and is the brand I have the most toxic relationship with overall. Despite being regularly disappointed or outright disgusted by its products, I keep coming back for more, buoyed by an occasional fantastic experience. Was I incredibly disappointed by the brand's milk chocolate bar and store-bought hamburger buns? Yes. Did I hope for different results with the apple cider vinegar? Also yes. 

With that out of the way, this product had the vinegary taste singularity of lower-ranking brands, but with a slightly artificial tone that was both unexpected and undesired. The mouthfeel was lighter than every other option, with a texture more like water than vinegar.

I wouldn't use or purchase the Bowl & Basket Apple Cider Vinegar again. Hands down, this was the worst brand I tried for this list, and you'd find better results with literally any of the other seven options.

Despite producing a full range of different vinegar types, Cento only has one apple cider vinegar product. I like many of Cento's other products. In fact, I think it's one of the best canned tomato brands, and I appreciate many of its other canned products — which is why it's unfortunate that I was left so disappointed by the apple cider vinegar offering. 

At first glance, I had high hopes because it was organic, contained "the mother," and came from a brand I trusted. But it turned out to be very one-dimensional in its taste profile, featuring only a sharp vinegar note, devoid of any notable fruity or earthy tones. But, even this was weaker than I expected, which is why I ranked the brand lower than Mike's Amazing.

I wouldn't purchase this again, nor would I use it again if I could help it. Skip this and opt for one of the top three (or even four) brands in this ranking instead.

Mike's Amazing Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is the only apple cider vinegar offered by the brand. One thing I want to note is that there's conflicting information about how this apple cider vinegar is produced, which makes me feel a little put off. On the company's website, it claims the vinegar is unfiltered and left with "the mother" — and there is a little bit of this webby substance at the bottom of the bottle. But that same bottle also says the product has been "triple filtered for purity." It's entirely possible these refer to different things, but it bears mentioning regardless. 

That being said, this was a very mediocre apple cider vinegar offering. It had a straight vinegar punch with a barely perceptible apple taste that you'd miss if you weren't paying attention. Overall, I'm not thrilled with Mike's Amazing Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Since I wouldn't buy or use it again, I can't recommend it in good faith. Choose a higher ranking apple cider vinegar instead.

Holland House makes an assortment of other vinegars, including red wine, white wine, and malt vinegars. However, the Holland House Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is the only apple cider vinegar the brand offers. Holland House's option includes "the mother," although it seems like there's a lot less in the glass bottle versus higher-ranking options like Bragg. That being said, this had a very fruit-forward taste with a tang that featured an edge more like sour apple varieties than straight vinegar. The flavor profile didn't feature any of the earthy notes I look for in the best apple cider vinegars, which means the taste wasn't quite as layered as I prefer.

Despite feeling a little underwhelmed overall, Holland House isn't disgusting by any means, and I'd definitely use it again. I just wouldn't purposefully seek it out. That being said, if you're looking for a milder vinegar, this is your best option.

My review is based on the Great Value Apple Cider Vinegar, but Walmart's private label also makes an Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. When I took a taste of this off a spoon, I was immediately greeted by an intense sourness that made my mouth pucker. There was a mild fruity sweetness that followed, but this apple cider vinegar didn't have the more complex flavor profile of better-ranked brands. However, I think it's a perfectly fine budget option overall, and might work fine in applications like perking up apple pie. That being said, I wouldn't buy this again simply because there were brands I preferred vastly more.

The Great Value Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar came highly rated, with people stating it's a decent alternative to name-brand options. One reviewer said, "It's super tangy and delicious if you are like me and love vinegars. I take this daily and salivate at the smell when I open it." Due to a mediocre personal experience and positive online discourse, I felt confident placing Great Value in the upper middle of this ranking.

Heinz is a company you probably best know from its condiments — you may know the ketchup best, but it also makes mustard, relish, gravy, and a wide range of sauces. Although the brand offers white, malt, and salad vinegars, Heinz only has one apple cider vinegar product. 

This brand's option doesn't have the substance crafted of cellulose, yeast, and beneficial bacteria that people call "the mother." But it's your best option if you're looking for apple cider vinegar without that inclusion — while many people claim this addition provides more benefits, some may be uncomfortable choosing a brand that includes it. The sharp tanginess is still strong, but a bit more muted than our top two options. There are defined earthy undertones, paired with a surprisingly strong fruity punch.

I enjoyed this apple cider vinegar from Heinz, and would definitely use it again. However, I wouldn't likely purchase it again simply because there are options I prefer more, thanks to their inclusion of "the mother." 

Steve and Ed's Organic Raw and Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar is the only apple cider vinegar product available from the brand. I really enjoyed this one — in fact, I enjoy quite a few of the brand's products. For example, it makes some of the best store-bought hot dog chili sauces, hands down. Here, I really appreciated the depth and complexity of the apple cider vinegar, which also contained "the mother," as I generally prefer it. The tangy sharpness was pronounced, but it blended nicely with the sweet fruity notes and earthy undertones. Despite being an overall thinner liquid, the web-like "mother" makes this feel like it has a slightly heavier consistency than alternative brands without it, which is something I appreciate.

Overall, I really liked this apple cider vinegar by Steve and Ed's, and I could definitely see myself buying it again if my top choice wasn't available. I believe the strong blended tang of this option would work well in an apple pie vinaigrette or for making apple cider vinegar pickles.

My ranking here was mostly based on the Bragg Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, which I tasted myself. The brand also makes several apple cider vinegar blends that I haven't personally tried, including Pineapple Turmeric, Honey, Cranberry Apple, Citrus Ginger, and Honey Cayenne. 

I found this apple cider vinegar to have an intense sourness accented by a mild fruity punch, which intertwined with earthy undertones and a very clean, classic finish. I also loved that this has "the mother." Other flavors have good reviews online: The Cranberry Apple blend comes highly rated on Holland Barrett, as does the Honey blend. The Citrus Ginger and Pineapple Turmeric come highly recommended on Amazon.

For the fullest disclosure, this has been my go-to brand for apple cider vinegar for as long as I can remember. However, I did enter into this taste test with an open mind and the hope that I might find a new favorite brand. As you can tell, that didn't happen, and my long-time favorite continues to reign supreme. Between a positive experience and overwhelmingly positive online discourse, I felt confident naming Bragg the top apple cider vinegar brand. Use it in any recipe or application where you'd normally use apple cider vinegar if you want the best possible results.

I chose apple cider vinegar brands for inclusion in this list based on what was available to me at my local ShopRite and Walmart in Vineland, New Jersey. For each brand, I personally tried one offering. Where additional offerings existed, I relied on customer reviews from reliable sources to create a comprehensive understanding of the brand as a whole. Each apple cider vinegar was tasted exactly as-is, without alteration, for the fairest possible assessment, and judged based nearly solely on taste. Texture or weight was occasionally considered when they were especially notable.

I relied on extensive use of apple cider vinegar for more than 30 years, and more than 15 years spent in the food industry, to feel confident in my ranking decisions. Prior work creating nearly a hundred ranking articles for Daily Meal also contributed. This includes similar brand-wide rankings like my ranking of eight canned baked bean brands and my ranking of 10 store-bought mozzarella brands. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.