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Make tarragon vinegar with this fresh herb! It’s fast and easy to infuse subtle herby flavor, great for salad dressings and roasted vegetables.
Why we love this recipe
Got extra fresh tarragon on hand? Let’s make tarragon vinegar! Tarragon vinegar is the perfect way to bottle up the licorice-like flavor in this beautiful green herb. It makes a herby flavored vinegar that’s perfect for using in salad dressings or sprinkling onto roasted veggies.
It also makes a great DIY gift for people who love to cook! Here’s how to make tarragon vinegar at home, and how to use it.
What is tarragon vinegar?
Tarragon vinegar is white vinegar that’s infused with fresh tarragon. What does it taste like? Tarragon has a licorice or anise flavor, so the infused vinegar tastes bright and tangy, with a subtle licorice finish. Take one sip and you’ll be amazed at the unique flavor that the tarragon adds! (We were.) It’s a great way to use up fresh tarragon that you have on hand.
How to make tarragon vinegar
Tarragon vinegar is very easy to make: the hands-on time is about 5 minutes! Once you’ve infused the herb into the vinegar, you’ll need to wait over a week for the flavor to develop. That’s really the hardest part of this recipe! Here are a few tips for making it:
- Find a nice bottle with a stopper (optional). Tarragon vinegar looks beautiful in a glass bottle, especially if you plan to gift it. If you don’t care about aesthetics, use a covered mason jar or other glass container.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil with the herbs. Once it’s just boiling, remove it from the heat.
- Use a funnel to pour it into the bottle. Trust us on this. You don’t want spillage!
- Wait 10 days. It takes 10 days for the flavor to fully develop. You can certainly taste before then and see if you like the flavor!
Replace with fresh herbs for a bright green color (optional)
Here’s the thing. Once you pour boiling vinegar onto the tarragon, it turns a muddy green color. So after the 10 days, you can replace it to get a beautifully bright green color. This is only if you’d like, and it’s especially nice for gifts. If not, you can leave the existing tarragon in the jar, or discard it. Either way! Store in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.
It’s a great DIY gift!
Make this as a DIY gift for people who love to cook! It’s a unique gift idea. You could also include some recipes for what to do with it. Speaking of…
Ways to use tarragon vinegar
There are lots of ways to use tarragon vinegar! Probably the easiest is in salad dressings, but you can also use it for roasted or sauteed veggies. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Sprinkle on a salad with olive oil. No recipe needed!
- Tarragon Dijon Dressing: Substitute it for white wine vinegar in this Dijon Mustard Dressing.
- Orange Tarragon Dressing: Replace the lemon juice in this Citrus Salad Dressing.
- Tomato Salad: Sprinkle lightly onto tomatoes, like in this Fresh Tomato Salad.
- Sauteed Veggies: Add at the end of cooking Ultimate Sauteed Vegetables!
- Roasted Veggies: Sprinkle lightly onto Roasted Broccoli (skip the lemon juice), Roasted Fennel, Roasted Mushrooms, or Roasted Zucchini and Squash.
What other ways have you used tarragon vinegar? Let us know in the comments below.
More tarragon recipes
Tarragon is one of our favorite fresh herbs! Here are a few more ways to use it:
- Try Tarragon Aioli
- Mix up deliciously herby Tarragon Chicken Salad
- Go for creamy Tarragon Chicken
Dietary notes
This tarragon vinegar recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Tarragon Vinegar (DIY Tutorial!)
Make tarragon vinegar with this fresh herb! It’s fast and easy to infuse subtle herby flavor, great for salad dressings and roasted vegetables.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 6 tarragon sprigs, plus additional if desired (see below)
- 2 cups white vinegar
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and dry the tarragon and a glass bottle. Place the 6 sprigs of tarragon in the bottle.
- In a sauce pan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour the vinegar into the bottle using a funnel.
- Cool to room temperature, then store in refrigerator or pantry for 10 days to allow the flavor to develop.
- After the 10 days, you can replace the tarragon with new fresh tarragon so it’s bright green, or leave the existing herbs. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
More herb recipes
Got herbs? We’ve got recipes! Here are all our favorites for when fresh herbs are in season:
- Basil Recipes Basil is king in the summer! Try pesto, pizza, pasta and more.
- Parsley Recipes The best recipes for using up a bunch! It adds an herby brightness, perfect for salads and main dishes.
- Chives Recipes The best recipes with this garlicky, oniony fresh herb, from dips to potato soup.
- Mint Recipes Fresh mint is incredibly versatile, great for drinks, salads, desserts….and even pesto.
- Cilantro Recipes Cilantro is all about big flavor! It’s perfect in sauces, salsa, and guacamole.
- Dill Recipes Dill has a unique flavor! Try it in dips, potato salad, and of course…pickles.
This is a lovely easy recipe for tarragon vinegar. A few drops in roast beef gravy is a beautiful addition. I always gets lots of compliments when I serve it and everyone asks me for the secret ingredient, so much so that I made it to gift last Christmas.
I use French Tarragon… tastes better than the coarse Russian one. It diesback after summer so I make the vinegar every year. I use good white wine vinegar .. food grade.
The taste dissipate over the year.
Doesn’t anybody make Sauce Bearnaise anymore .. great on steak and uses up the leftover Hollandaise
You recommend storing this homemade Tarragon Vinegar for far fewer months than I found via Google and wonder why.
1)https://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18650
2)https://www.streetsmartkitchen.com/does-vinegar-go-bad/
FOR BEST QUALITY
SAFE AND USABLE
1. Distilled White Vinegar
indefinitely indefinitely
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
5 years indefinitely
3. Red & White Wine Vinegar
2 years indefinitely
FOR BEST QUALITY
SAFE AND USABLE
1. Distilled White Vinegar
indefinitely indefinitely
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
5 years indefinitely
3. Red & White Wine Vinegar
2 years indefinitely
SHELF LIFE OF VINEGAR
As mentioned, vinegar does not expire. Like other condiments, vinegar may have a best before date but not an expiration date. This means vinegar is still safe and usable after the best before date has lapsed.
According to the Vinegar Institute, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration because of its acid nature. It can keep for a long time. However, if not stored properly, the quality of vinegar will decline. The acetic acid in vinegar can be affected by water absorbed from the air. This will affect the flavor of your vinegar. Let’s take a look at the shelf life of different kinds of vinegar.
This important since I am hoping to give the bottles I am making for Christmas gifts which is six month away – egads. Am I in trouble?
Hi! 6 months is the longest that we’ve used it. I don’t have a good answer for you.
Tarragon vinegar adds a special tang to potato salad. I sprinkle it on peeled, cubed potatoes while
they’re still warm, season with seasoning salt and pepper, and refrigerate overnight to let flavors absorb before adding the mayonnaise and other ingredients. It gets raves.
Best tarragon salad. Please. 446, New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 1963. Helen’s Tossed Green Salad. Unforgettable.
Would making this with white wine vinegar taste much different than using just plain white vinegar? Thanks!
Would love to have a screenshot of Helen’s salad you mention … searching for verified pleasing recipe uses for my tarragon vinegar! Thank you