Welcome to my ranking of the best rice vinegar—perhaps one of Sporked’s stranger taste tests, if I do say so myself. How exactly do you determine the best rice vinegar brands? What does good rice vinegar actually taste like? Can you tell the difference in a straightforward taste test? All valid questions I myself asked when I started this process and now, thankfully, have the answers to. Let’s get into it.
How I sourced the rice vinegar
For this ranking, I focused on popular, affordable rice vinegar brands that are easy to find at major grocery stores. Yes, there are fancy bottles you can buy on Amazon or direct from small-batch producers, but we didn’t include those this time around. We wanted to be practical, for both our audience and our taste test budget.
How I conducted my rice vinegar taste test
I tried each rice vinegar individually off a spoon and also mixed each one with soy sauce to mimic a makeshift dumpling sauce. (To be frank, I actually never buy dumpling sauce. Nothing beats what you can make out of the ingredients in your fridge.) I also tried all of the seasoned rice vinegars, aka rice vinegars with salt and sugar added into the mix, over plain sushi rice, per their intended use.
What we looked for in the best rice vinegar brands
Most of the rice vinegar brands you’ll find in grocery stores have a similar acidity level—usually around 4.2%. And sure, I’ll be brave and say it: They all taste pretty darn similar. Rice vinegar is a byproduct of sake production; it’s sour and tangy, but with an underlying delicate rice flavor that gives it a subtle sweetness and softness. Some rice vinegars taste smooth, light, and mellow; others have a bit more sharpness or funk, depending on the brand and fermentation process. Seasoned rice vinegars in particular should taste rich and umami-fied (my new favorite word), since they’re pre-mixed with sugar and salt. Like I said, the brands listed below don’t vary that much in terms of flavor, but there are definitely subtle differences worth noting. And hey, maybe this would have been a different tasting experience if we dropped the big bucks on more premium brands, but personally, I don’t think that’s really necessary. Or super helpful to you, the average consumer. All of our recs are easy to find, reasonably priced, and fairly authentic (Japanese brands sometimes tweak their vinegar ratios for U.S. stores, but they’re still Japanese brands). So without further ado, let’s take a look at the best rice vinegar for sushi, salad dressings, pickled veggies, and more.
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- Kikkoman Rice Vinegar
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Just like our ponzu ranking, Kikkoman is here as the budget pick. Kikkoman, a Japanese company with global popularity, tends to run around a dollar or two cheaper than other brands. Their standard rice vinegar has a very light and mellow flavor, even though it carries a similar acidity dilution as the others on this list (4.2%). I find it a touch too watered down, but the flavor discrepancy is really small. I think it’s a good choice for salads and lighter sauces, but not something where you want the sourness to really shine. The biggest sacrifice with choosing Kikkoman is that it comes in a plastic bottle instead of a glass bottle.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Marukan Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar
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Marukan is a Japanese rice vinegar brand that’s been around since 1649. Yep. That’s longer than the United States has been a country. This seasoned rice vinegar is downright addictive—a weird thing to say about rice vinegar, I know, but stay with me. I tasted it off a spoon and wanted to go back for more. Unstable mental health aside, I did that because of the underlying umami of it all. It makes plain warm rice taste so vibrant and savory. While this was hands down the best seasoned rice vinegar for sushi rice out of all the ones I tried, I actually took it home for its dumpling sauce potential. I make frozen dumplings on a biweekly basis, and when I combined this with soy sauce, it made one of the best simple dipping sauces I’ve ever had.
Credit: Merc / Sprouts
- Mizkan Rice Vinegar
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I’ve been on a sliced cucumber craze lately (we can all blame this TikTok user), and if I had to pick an unseasoned rice vinegar to dress up my raw veggies, Mizkan would be the way to go. The flavor is so balanced. It’s not as light as Kikkoman and not nearly as bold as our #1 best rice vinegar. It’s incredibly smooth without tasting too diluted or watery. Even better, it’s almost just as affordable as Kikkoman (and it comes in a glass bottle). If you’re looking for a very standard, mellow rice vinegar, go for Mizkan over Kikkoman if you have the option. But don’t be too concerned if you don’t—both will do in a pinch!
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Marukan Genuine Brewed Rice Vinegar
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Marukan’s Rice Vinegar is diluted at 4.3%. Whether it’s the slightly higher acidity, the quality of the rice itself, or the slower brewing and fermentation process Marukan uses, the effect is a sharper, bolder, more rounded flavor that lingers. It’s not too acidic or sour by any means; in fact, they actually age their standard rice vinegar after the fermentation process to mellow it out. Again, Marukan has been around for a long time. Centuries, plural. Let’s put a little respect on their name. They know what they’re doing, and in my humble opinion, that’s what makes them the best rice vinegar brand to buy.
Credit: Merc / World Market
Best Budget
Best Seasoned
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other rice vinegars we tried:
Mizkan Seasoned Rice Vinegar Mild and Sweet, Simple Truth Organic Brewed Rice Vinegar, Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!