Fire Cider: call it a folk remedy, health tonic, or homeopathic remedy, but one thing is certain, and that is that it’s delicious.
Raw apple cider vinegar is infused with the health promoting ingredients ginger, garlic, onions, citrus fruit, horseradish, turmeric, and hot pepper, then mixed with raw honey to balance the tart spiciness of the vinegar.
Fire Cider
This Fire Cider Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy recipe stands as one of the most popular on my blog. The beauty of this, beyond its all-star cast of healthy ingredients, is that it just plain tastes wonderful.
Well, okay, we MAINLY drink it because we like it, but the health benefits are nice.
Important Note: I am NOT under any circumstances claiming this will cure anything. I’m laying out a recipe that is both delicious and nutritious. I am also explaining some of the purported health benefits of the ingredients that go INTO the recipe.
This post is no substitute for professional medical advice, but is a classic folk tonic/remedy. I trust you all to use your own best judgment in the manner.
What is fire cider?
I have a little true story to explain to you how a girl who makes Kielbasa in Air Fryer and Dubai Chocolate Brownies also makes Fire Cider Health Tonic.
It all began with me hopping in my car and driving eight and a half hours to Maine to spend four days with my friends. We spent our days wandering Portland, Maine eating donuts, duck fat french fries, ice cream, bubble tea, cookies, more duck fat fries, fried cheese curds, fried chicken skin banh mi, bacon dusted french fries, and washing it down with beer.
It was great stuff, but oy. We were overstuffed.
We wandered into the a shop where the clerk enthusiastically offered a sample of something called Fire Cider to us. Given that I have been known to drink pickle juice and/or a shot of raw apple cider vinegar each morning (more on the health benefits of that in a moment), it didn’t take much to convince me to try it.
It was a SHAZAAM moment. It was exactly what we all needed to de-sluggify all of us after our rich food benders. One of my girlfriends gasped and exclaimed that it instantly cured her heartburn.
My friends each grabbed a bottle. I grabbed two.
When I got home, my husband looked at me sideways when I told him what it was, but he drank the sip I gave him and his eyes grew huge as he declared, “THIS IS GREAT! We’re going to need to keep this around!”
Fire Cider Controversy
I went online to order a larger quantity and discovered that the manufacturer had a bit of fire cider controversy surrounding them because fire cider was an old folk remedy and health tonic made by many herbalists and the company had trademarked the name. Okay, well, knowing me, you’ll probably have realized at this point that when I read I could make my own, that was a foregone conclusion.
The controversy has since been settled and the courts have decided that the company can no longer own the trademark for Fire Cider. And you may have noticed fire cider is sold just about everywhere now. But you can make a gallon or so for the same price you’d pay for a tiny bottle in stores.
Fire Cider Benefits
How is fire cider good for you? It’s full of vitamins and minerals, is anti-fungal and anti-viral. And it makes a great, non-narcotic cough suppressant and throat soother!
What is this magic? It’s all about the ingredients.
Fresh horseradish is known to be effective against the flu and common cold, tonsilitis, respiratory disorders, urinary tract infections, and pathenogenic fungus.
Ginger is used to treat arthritis, muscle pain, upset stomach (motion and morning sickness and general nausea), gas, upper respiratory tract infections, and cough.
Onions are used to boost cardiovascular health, bone and connective tissue benefits, and as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Garlic is used to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack, atherosclerosis, asthma, building the immune system, help level blood sugar, and is used topically to treat fungal infections.
Habanero peppers boost your metabolism, and offer headache, sinus, and arthritis relief as well as releasing endorphins.
Benefits of Fire Cider
Oranges are great for heart health. A part of a best-case-scenario-anti-cancer-diet, fighting cholesterol, to help in weight loss, and to break up or prevent kidney stones, oranges are invaluable.
Lemons are known to aid in digestion, alleviate Meniere’s Disease, kidney stones, and ringing of the ears. They’re also a cure for scurvy (chronic lack of Vitamin C) and treat colds and flu. Lemons also improve the function of blood vessels, and reduce inflammation and retention of water.
Turmeric is pretty much a cancer fighting beast. It’s known to delay liver damage and reduce carcinogenic compounds in other foods. It’s been shown to make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemo and radiation and inhibit the growth of malignant melanoma and breast cancer. As a bonus, it can alleviate arthritis symptoms and skin conditions.
Maybe I should let the experts describe what the main compound in turmeric -cucurmin- does. Advanced Experimental Medical Biology in 2007 states: “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses.”
Raw apple cider vinegar is known to be a good source of acetic and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), mineral salts, amino acids, and other key components of good nutrition. But it is also a well-loved folk remedy thought to ease digestion, fight obesity and diabetes, kill lice, and reverse some signs of aging.
Does it do all of that? I doubt it. But it surely tastes good and its nutritional value is undisputed.
Raw honey (locally produced) is a fantastic, all-natural fighter of seasonal allergies. It’s best to choose raw, locally produced honey for the benefits listed above. Because bees collect pollen from flowers in your area and then convert it to honey to feed their hives, eating raw, local honey is like a tasty allergy shot.
The second choice is raw honey from anywhere. The third choice would be pasteurized commercial honey.
Fire Cider Recipe
There’s not too much to this, just grate or chop everything up and put it in a jar. But I do want to caution you about a couple of things.
If you cannot or will not use a plastic lid, do lay a piece of parchment paper on the rim of the jar before fixing your lid in place. Raw apple cider vinegar is quite likely to rust or discolour a canning jar lid.
You’d hate to have all your waiting and work ruined by a rusted lid. Replace that parchment sheet every week or so.
I prefer to use Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar for my Fire Cider. I always keep it on hand because I love the flavour.
Because it still has the ‘mother’ in it, it packs a higher nutritional punch. Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods also have in-house brand versions that are great.
I’d advise you to use organic produce if at all possible. This way you won’t be infusing your lovely health tonic with anything you wouldn’t want to have in it.
When you grate your horseradish, make sure you do it in a well-ventilated area or you will regret it. That stuff packs some serious oomph and will empty your sinuses in 30 seconds flat.
You may reserve the solids, dehydrate and grind them to use a spice blend or discard them. Either is fine!
You’ll notice there is not an actual quantity of honey listed in the recipe. You should add this to taste.
We tend to like ours less sweet, you may prefer yours more so. Start with 1/4 cup and whisk it well, then add 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking and tasting after each addition, until you reach your desired sweetness.
Store your finished Fire Cider Health Tonic & Homeopathic Remedy in a sterilized wine bottle or canning jar. It keeps well in a cool, dark cabinet for up to a year.
What Is Fire Cider Good for?
Oh! I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that the finished Fire Cider is fabulous as a dressing for cooked greens or in salad dressings. Boost your health while enjoying your dinner!
Guys. Gals. Friends, Romans, Countrymen… I have put Fire Cider IN A COCKTAIL. It was magical. Please experiment and report back.
How much Fire Cider to Take Daily?
We drink a tablespoon (or more!) every morning to maintain health. When we feel ill, we take a slightly larger dose of Fire Cider to help boost our immune system. Word has it on the street that it’s an extremely effective hangover cure.
So, I want to know… are you curious enough to try it? What do you think?
Fire Cider: Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 large horseradish root scrubbed very well, about 7 inches long
- 1 large ginger root about 7 inches long
- 1 large onion root and stem end removed and peeled
- 1 large orange do NOT peel. Use the whole fruit.
- 1 lemon do NOT peel. Use the whole fruit.
- 16 cloves of garlic peeled
- 2-4 habanero peppers stems removed
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- raw apple cider vinegar
- raw honey
Instructions
- Grate the horseradish and ginger roots. Roughly chop the onions, orange, lemon, garlic, and habanero peppers. Stuff them into a half-gallon glass jar with a tight fitting lid or divide evenly between two quart sized canning jars. Sprinkle the turmeric in on top (dividing evenly between the two jars if using quart jars). Pour the raw apple cider vinegar in over the contents, allowing it to settle in through the crevices and adding more so that the contents are submerged. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the rim of the jar, then screw the lid tightly in place. Let the mixture sit in a dark, cool place, allowing it to marry and infuse for 4 weeks, shaking once daily.
- After 4 weeks, pour the contents into a muslin or cheesecloth lined colander positioned over a stable pot. Let it drain for 30 minutes, then gather the corners of the cloth, twisting and squeezing until you cannot release any more liquid. When it’s fully strained, add honey to the liquid to taste and pour into a sterilized wine bottle or canning jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year, shaking well before using.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Originally published August 8, 2014. Updated August 2016 and January 2019.
Reader's Thoughts...
Alissa says
I learnt about FireCider recently and made some at a bushcraft symposium I attended. Ours was very similar. We used jalapenos and rosemary, no horseradish, habanero, orange or honey, but I am sure all those would be great in there too. We were also instructed to leave the skin on the garlic and onion (if it was in good condition) My instructor also said it’s best to use distilled vinegar as it will pull more of the good stuff out of the other ingredients as it doesn’t have anything extra in it already like apple cider vinegar does. Then after you have let it sit and have strained out the chunks, you increase the liquid amount by 1/4 to 1/2 with apple cider vinegar.
Rebecca says
Hi Alissa- I think it’s great that you make it according to your likes! I prefer to make it with ACV because I like the taste of it better than distilled vinegar, but that’s an excellent alternative!
Cindy Creech says
I have been reading various recipes for Fire Cider & I have some questions. One blogger (cultured.guru) writes, ” Since we wild ferment it (instead of using apple cider vinegar) there’s billions of gut healthy microorganisms included to nourish the gut microbiome…” The implication seems to be that the “wild” fermentation process produces probiotics that the apple cider vinegar process does not. So, your recipe is an infusion, not a fermentation. Right? Next question, there’s an ½ inch or more of the “mother” remaining at the bottom of about 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar in my pantry (I have not been shaking it each time I use it.) Is it still good for this application or should I buy a fresh bottle. Do you use fermentation weights? My house stays about 67 * over the winter. Is that warm enough?
Rebecca says
Hi Cindy- First, I would definitely call my recipe an infusion. I think your ACV will be fine, but I think you’re probably going to need more than 1 cup. 🙂 I do not use fermentation weights for this. I just make sure that the stuff is packed in the jar firmly and the ACV covers it abundantly. And I think the temp of your house should be fine!
Shelly Kalina says
This does not have to be refrigerated while it sits for 4 weeks? Just want to be sure! Thank you!
Rebecca says
Hi Shelly- It does not need to be refrigerated! Carry on and enjoy!
Molly Franks says
I’m really looking forward to making this. It sounds delicious!!
Rebecca says
It is so, so good and so, so easy! <3
Sarah says
I made this and it did cure my flu/cold symptoms in half the time it normally lasts. However, the taste is smell is god awful no matter how much honey I put in it. Just wondering if this is normal or if something went wrong. I’ve never had another fire cider to compare it to, but P.U! I will continue taking it because it seems to really help but it smells so bad I was paranoid about food poisoning. Thanks!
Rebecca says
Heh- I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. I kind of like the smell, but it is pungent! As I can’t smell your batch, I can’t tell you, but it should be okay as long as it isn’t bubbling and/or growing a film or mold on it.
Mark Rivet says
Dumb question. Should I peel the lemon and orange? Or include the skins.
Rebecca says
Hey Mark- Include allllllllllll of the parts of the lemon and orange. There’s a lot of good stuff in there. 🙂
Mark says
Thanks Rebecca. I once made some lemon cello like that. Fill up a container with lemon zest and a cup of sugar. Fill it with 100 proof grain alcohol and leave it set. Then strain it into a bottle. It’s an italian after dinner drink. I love things like this. My wife calls all my concoctions snake oil.
Hoorah!
Rebecca says
Nice! I love Limoncello! And go go snake oil 🙂
Wendy Larose says
Can the ingredients be re-used for another batch (like vanilla beans) or are they expended after the 4 weeks
Rebecca says
If I have been faithful about straining it right at the end of the 4 weeks, I very often do a weaker “second brew” but leave it to infuse about twice as long (so 8 weeks) to get as much out of it as possible. Someone told me they dehydrated the solids and ground them up to use as seasoning and that sounds lovely.
Debbie C says
Hlo! I am excited to try another fire cider recipe. I make my own apple cider vinegar. Sorry for other people being nasty. This is my first time reading your blog and I really like your style.
In cooking I usually don’t Peel ginger. Just chop and throw in. Should horseradish be peeled first before grating? I thought maybe the straining would catch the “hair”. But I wanted to be sure. Also, I was blessed with organic fresh tumeric. How much to use in place of powdered? TIA! Debbie
Wendy says
Read somewhere back in the comments that about 3″ of fresh turmeric would suffice. I have no access to that so cannot speak from experience
Rebecca says
Truth? You can put as much or as little of any of these things in as you’d like. You’ll still benefit from it… this is just my particular favourite combination and I think it tastes closest to the commercial brand Fire Cider. Happy “brewing”!
Hamilton says
Homeopathy conversations YAWN
How much apple vinegar do you use in the recipe please?
Thank you xx
Rebecca says
HA. Thank you, Hamilton. You use as much ACV as you need to fill up the rest of your jar after putting in your solids.
Michelle Graefen says
Hello Rebecca! I too am a huge fan of ACC and Fire Cider. I made my own, however, I let it infuse for close to 12 weeks! What is your opinion on using my Fire Cider? It smells very strongly of garlic. Thanks so much!
Rebecca says
Hi Michelle- I don’t think there’s any problem with it infusing longer so long as the solids were covered. Strong is good 🙂
Sandy says
Hello from Maine! I just made my first batch and am excited to try it. The proportion of solids to liquid is very high though. I wonder if I need to add more vinegar. It seems that I won’t get much fire cider at the end. How much if it, roughly, do you get from 2 quarts of “brewing” mixture?
Rebecca says
Hi Sandy- the solid to liquid ratio is quite high. You’re looking to leech as much of the good stuff from the solids as you possibly can. It’s a VERY concentrated end product. 🙂 And it’s honestly hard for me to quantify how much I get. You get at least as much as the cider vinegar you put in, so long as you squeeze the solids quite firmly in cheesecloth to wring it out at the end. I have some friends who forego squeezing it, then go on and make a second batch of slightly weaker fire cider (but still good) from the solids. Either of those is a good way to get as much out of it as possible.
Rob S. says
This comment section is unbearable. The recipe, however, is fantastic. Thanks for posting this, I adore this stuff!
Rebecca says
HA. Truth. There are some real doozies in these comments. 🙂
Kim says
Hi! I just made a similar version of this. My recipe didn’t call for citrus or habanero. It just has the ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric root (grated) horseradish and vinegar. I was going to try yours and compare. With the lemon and orange, do you keep the peel on and chop them?
Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Kim- Keep the peel and chop them up whole! Enjoy!
Jill Killian says
I really had fun reading your article and am going to try your recipe. I have all of the ingredients on hand, minus the peppers. I always have peppers! Oy!
I do have a question for you. I have turmeric root on hand , what or why did you decide on using the ground version when all of your other ingredients are fresh? Preference or what you had? Do pardon my ignorance.
I inadvertently ordered a turmeric latte last week and it knocked my socks off and made me extremely content and ready to finish my tedious day. ?
Thank you again for a fun way to find a pretty cool recipe! (See? We are all not out to correct the world’s take on life??)
Rebecca says
Hi Jill! That’s a great question. The reason I went with dried turmeric is mainly that it is easier to find near me while fresh turmeric is hit and miss. If you CAN lay your hands on fresh turmeric it’s positively okay to sub it in. I’ve done it myself a few times. It’s just that everything else is available fresh to me year round where I live and turmeric is not.
And a turmeric latte sounds lovely!
Bloom says
I tried this as written 4 months ago and it was great! I just finished round 2 tonight using the juicer. Juice and grindings in the jar with the vinegar. We’ll see in a few months.
Rebecca says
Ooooh, let me know how that works out!
JoAnn M Lakes says
Making the Fire Cider in about 10 minutes from now. I picked up everything this morning at the farmers’ market. (I live in SW Florida, so this is our growing season) I pulled out my 1-gallon beverage dispenser and will drop everything in there. I’ve got to get this going! The Flu season is on its way and so are the snowbirds. I’m adding star anise since it really seems effective against the flu and its duration. Star anise is used in copious amounts in the of Tamiflu without all those nasty side effects, i.e. dying.
Laura says
Hello Rebecca, I’m so excited to try this! I was wondering if once opened it needs to be refrigerated? Idk if possible but could you email me the answer? There’s so many comments to scroll through.
Rebecca says
Hey Laura- I have good news. You absolutely do not need to refrigerate it once it’s opened! Not unless you prefer the flavour of it cold, and some folks do!
Lisa says
I know this is an old thread… donyou rough chop the entire citrus? Or do you just use the peel and flesh without using the pith (bitter)?
Rebecca says
The entire citrus is added, that way you get the nutritional benefits of all of the parts of the fruit! 🙂 Enjoy!!
Ryan says
How much apple cider vinegar is need for this recipe?
Rebecca says
Hi Ryan- It varies a bit depending on how tightly you’ve packed the jar. Just assume you’ll need less than it would take to fill the jar. 🙂
bobbi says
going to try this for winter this year!!! Also, where did you get that CUTE shot glass???
Thanks,
Bobbi
Rebecca says
HAHA! Thanks, Bobbi! I hope you love it! You can get those shot glasses here at this link.