Easy Fire Cider Recipe: How to Make Homemade Fire Cider

Are you in need of some natural immune support? Come learn how to make fire cider with this step-by-step guide. Our easy and flexible fire cider recipe is full of healing ingredients and herbs that will help you stay healthy during the cold and flu season – and feel better faster!

This post will cover everything you need to know to make homemade fire cider, including the key ingredients used in traditional fire cider recipes, some delicious optional ingredients we love to add to ours, the health benefits of fire cider, and tips on how to store and use it.

Note: This post was originally published in January 2019.

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RELATED: Apple cider vinegar is a key component of fire cider. Come learn how to make apple cider vinegar using whole apples or apple scraps. It’s one of our favorite ways to preserve homegrown apples.

A note on timing

Keep in mind that homemade fire cider must infuse for almost a month before it’s ready to use. So if you need immune support ASAP, check out our popular elderberry syrup recipe too! The kids love that one.

What Is Fire Cider?

Fire cider is a spicy, tangy herbal tonic used to naturally support the immune system. It’s also known to improve circulation and digestion. Loaded with probiotics, vitamins, and minerals, it can be used to both prevent illness or notably shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms.

Fire cider is made by infusing numerous superfood ingredients in raw apple cider vinegar for several weeks, including but not limited to ginger, garlic, onion, chili peppers, horseradish, herbs and more. If you don’t love spicy foods, don’t worry! You can adjust the heat level by using more or less chilis. The addition of honey at the end also helps to balance out the spunky flavor.

Fire cider is highly concentrated and only consumed in small amounts, such as a 1-ounce “shot” or mixed with juice.

Fire Cider Benefits

Each ingredient in this homemade fire cider recipe offers its own unique health benefits. When combined, they create a powerful natural remedy that’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-viral, and a decongestant all in one!

For instance, the allicin found in both garlic and onion can help stop the growth of bacteria and fungi, while chili peppers and ginger are both excellent for respiratory health and circulation. Apple cider vinegar is full of probiotics and antioxidants that support gut health and whole-body wellness.

That said, homemade fire cider can help to open airways, soothe sore throats, ease congestion, loosen mucus, calm coughs, flush and detox your system, and generally encourage your body to resist and fight off flu and cold bugs more quickly.

Traditional Fire Cider Ingredients + Extras

Renown herbalist Rosemary Gladstar uses seven key ingredients in her traditional Fire Cider recipe – garlic, onion, horseradish*, ginger, cayenne powder, honey, and raw apple cider vinegar – which is featured in her book Medicinal Herb’s: A Beginner’s Guide.

However, you can get creative and include other optional beneficial tasty additions too. For instance, we love to add citrus, turmeric, and a variety of fresh herbs to ours. Rose hips, dried elderberries*, cinnamon sticks, , and pomegranate (crushed kernels or juice) are also beautiful nutrient-rich additions to fire cider. Some folks add sprigs of cedar or pine for an earthy, woodsy vibe. Have fun and use what is available to you locally and seasonally!

*SAFETY NOTES: It’s recommended to avoid horseradish if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Omit as needed. Also, fresh elderberries can be toxic when consumed raw, so they must be dried or cooked first. Finally, fire cider may exacerbate symptoms of acid reflux.

Fire Cider Recipe

The recipe below is for one quart jar of fire cider. We usually scale up and make a half-gallon jar (or two), so that’s what is shown in the photos. If possible, it’s best to use organic ingredients.

• 1 medium onion, diced (we prefer sweet yellow or white)
• 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 to 4 Tbsp fresh horseradish root, grated or chopped. If you can’t find fresh horseradish root, use 2 Tbsp of dried horseradish like this organic option.
• 3 to 4 tbsp fresh ginger root, grated or chopped
• Raw unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar – Enough to fill the jar and submerge the other ingredients. We usually need almost a full 32 oz bottle of AVC per half-gallon jar of fire cider (or 16 ounces per quart jar).
• Raw honey, local if possible – added later, see the instructions below. To make it vegan you can either brave it and go sans-sweetener, or use a natural plant-based replacement like maple or agave syrup.
• Cayenne powder or chili powder, also added later

Optional ingredients

• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh grated turmeric rhizome (substitute equivalent in teaspoons if using dried turmeric powder)
• Fresh citrus – about one fruit per quart jar. Oranges and lemons are especially delicious in fire cider, though we’ve often used grapefruit and limes too. You can juice and zest them, or add slices to the jar.
• Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, or lemongrass – a few sprigs per jar is good!
• Fresh chili peppers – at least one per jar, scaling up for larger batches or for a heat-loving taste preference.
• 1/4 cup dried elderberries or rosehips
• Black pepper. A pinch of peppercorns or few dashes of ground pepper to each jar helps make the turmeric more bioavailable.
• A handful of dried calendula flowers

Instructions

Step 1: Chop All Ingredients

Chop, grate, or otherwise prep the ingredients as described above. The smaller the pieces, the better it will all infuse. Using a food processor makes it extra fast and easy to make fire cider! We usually cut the citrus into large slices, leave sprigs of fresh herbs whole, and use a food processor for the garlic, onion, turmeric, ginger, and horseradish.

NOTE: You may want to open a window while you make fire cider. Fresh horseradish root is super pungent and can sting your eyes and throat. I also recommend to use caution and wear gloves when working with fresh hot chili peppers.

Step 2: Fill the Jar

Add all of the prepped fire cider ingredients into your choice size of mason jar or flip-top glass container, which should be about two-thirds to three-quarters full of the prepared ingredients when done. Resist the urge to overfill the container though. The more full it is, the less room there is for liquid, and thus less volume of homemade fire cider at the end.

Do not add the honey or chili powder at this time! Those will be added once the fire cider is finished steeping and is strained, in a few weeks.

Step 3: Add Apple Cider Vinegar

Slowly pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar, lightly knocking out any air bubbles as needed, until the container is full. It is okay if some of the ingredients float on top, but there should be enough vinegar in the jar to completely submerge everything.

Step 4: Cover

Cover the jars of fire cider with either BPA-free plastic mason jar lids or high-quality food grade stainless steel lids that will not rust. If using a standard mason jar lid, add a piece of waxed parchment paper on top before putting the lid on. Otherwise, the acidic nature of the vinegar will corrode a regular metal jar lid.

Step 5: Infuse and Shake

Now it’s time to let the fire cider sit and steep for 3 to 4 weeks, at minimum. While infusing, store fire cider at room temperature.

Choose a location where you’ll see it and remember to gently shake it daily (for the first several days especially). This will help everything mix and infuse better, but even more importantly, help prevent mold growth by keeping the contents submerged and moving. Allowing the same ingredients to float on top (exposed to air) for many days without mixing increases the chance of mold.

Step 6: Strain

After a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, it’s time to separate and strain the liquid. There is no harm in letting it go longer though. Some herbalists steep their fire cider for many months!

To strain fire cider, we set a fine mesh stainless steel strainer over a large empty container or bowl below. You could also use a regular strainer lined with cheesecloth.

If you’re making a quart of fire cider, you can likely dump all the contents into the strainer at once. Since we make larger batches, we need to add the contents to the strainer a little at a time so it doesn’t overflow.

To help drain and extract as much of the healing liquid as possible, I use a large wooden spoon to firmly press and “wring out” the solids in the strainer. If you’re using cheesecloth, you could squeeze the whole bag.

Step 7: Add Honey

After straining, raw honey is added to fire cider “to taste” rather than using exact measurements. For our taste buds, we add about 1/4 cup of honey per half-gallon jar of fire cider – or just a couple tablespoons per quart jar batch. (Yet I’m also Type 1 Diabetic, so I go light on sweet stuff in general.)

Honey helps to balance out the spicy flavor and make fire cider much more palatable. High in antioxidants and nutrients, it offers additional medicinal benefits as well. Studies show it has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, prebiotic, and anticancer properties. Honey also helps to coat and soothe sore throats. We love taking fermented garlic honey when we’re feeling crummy too!

*Tip: If your honey is cold and difficult to pour, warm it up first by placing the jar of honey in a bowl of hot water and then use a whisk to thoroughly mix it in. Avoid heating the honey directly however, as that can destroy some of the medicinal compounds and health benefits of the honey. 

Step 8: Add Cayenne

Finally, add and thoroughly mix cayenne powder or chili powder, again “to taste”. If your original concoction included hot chili peppers, your fire cider may already be spicy enough for your liking! Ms. Gladstar doesn’t add peppers to her initial fire cider infusion, and instead only adds cayenne powder at the end. Even when we use fresh peppers, we usually add a pinch of homemade chili powder to the mix too. I don’t usually love spicy things, but I know a little heat is welcome and beneficial in this case!

Storage and Shelf Life

Now it’s time to bottle your finished homemade fire cider! Use a funnel to transfer it into final storage containers of choice, and store in a cool dark location. You could save and reuse the bottles from the original apple cider vinegar, use other miscellaneous bottles or jars, or store it in swing-top bottles like ours. Glass is best given the strong smell, acidity, and color, especially if you used turmeric.

How to Take Fire Cider

It is recommended to take 1 to 2 tablespoons of fire cider per day throughout the fall and winter for immune support. When you feel like you’re coming down with something, take a little shot a few times per day as needed. (Like other types of “shots”, it’s usually nice to have a chaser nearby when you take fire cider.)

Given the spunky flavor, kids probably won’t enjoy fire cider straight like we do. Instead, you could dilute and mix it in water or juice for them. Or, do that for yourself if needed! You can also use fire cider as a zesty salad dressing or in other savory recipes that call for vinegar.

Remember to shake the bottle before pouring to ensure you’re getting all the good stuff that may have settled to the bottom. Since it’s so acidic, it’s also a good idea to rinse your mouth with water afterwards to protect tooth enamel.

What to do with leftover fire cider pulp

The leftover now-pickled garlic, ginger, onion, and other herb bits need not go to waste! After straining, some folks save and enjoy fire cider pulp on top of salads or in stir fry. You can also dehydrate the solids and grind them into a homemade seasoning powder. A friend of mine puts the powder into capsules, and takes them as immunity supplements. Her family didn’t like drinking the fire cider as much as she did, so this was her solution to have them reap some of the benefits also.

Cheers to good health!

And that concludes this lesson. I hope you feel excited and empowered to make your own fire cider now. Please feel free to ask questions, leave a review, or to share this post! Thank you so much for tuning in today.

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• DIY Bath Salts Recipe: Beautiful Natural Herbal Bath Salts
• How to Make Homemade Calendula Salve for Healthy Skin
• How to Make Medicinal Herb Infused Oil: Two Ways

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Homemade Fire Cider Recipe for Immune Health

Learn how to make traditional fire cider with our easy step-by-step recipe, plus extra optional ingredients to kick it up a notch! Full of healthy plants and herbs, homemade fire cider naturally supports your immune system and keep you healthy during the cold and flu season.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Infusion Time21 days d

Course: Dressing, Natural Medicine Beverage, Side Dish

Keyword: Fire Cider

Servings: 1 quart

Equipment

• Large glass, ceramic, or other non-reactive container for infusing

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow or white onion
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3-4 tbsp fresh horseradish, grated
• 3-4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• raw apple cider vinegar (enough to pour over other ingredients and fill the jar)
• raw honey, added later – after weeks of infusion
• cayenne pepper powder, also added later (if other hot peppers aren't added during infusion)
• Optional: fresh citrus, 3-4 tbsp fresh grated turmeric, black pepper, hot chili peppers (instead of cayenne later), 1/4 cup dried elderberries or rosehips, and fresh herbs such as oregano, lemon grass, thyme, rosemary, sage, or calendula blooms

Instructions

• Chop or use a food processor to prepare the above-listed onion, garlic, horseradish and ginger – per quart jar. Scale up as needed for larger batches.
• Slice the optional citrus into slices or quarters, e.g. one lemon and/or orange per quart jar.
• Pack your container of choice with the prepared ingredients until it is about ¾ of the way full.
• Pour the ACV over the prepared ingredients until the container is full.
• Place a lid on the container, and store at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks minimum.
• Shake the jar on a daily basis to help the ingredients steep and infuse.
• After a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, strain the contents of the jar using cheese cloth and/or fine mesh strainer, separating the solids from the liquid. Retain the liquid! Squeeze solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Add honey* into the reserved liquid to taste – we usually do just a couple tablespoons per infused and drained quart jar, Also add chili or cayenne powder to taste, and thoroughly stir to combine. *As a vegan variation, either skip the sweeter or use agave syrup – though it doesn't have the same healing properties as local raw honey.
• Bottle the liquid and store in your refrigerator or a cool dark place. Fire cider should last up to a year or longer. As long as it is doesn't develop mold or a sudden change in flavor or odor, it's still good.
• It is now ready to drink! Enjoy often to stay healthy during the winter months. It is recommended to take 1-2 tablespoons of fire cider per day throughout the fall and winter as a preventative measure. If you are feeling some crud coming on, up your dose to a full 1 oz “shot”! You can repeat a few times a day. You can also use fire cider as a zesty salad dressing! Remember to shake the bottle before pouring to ensure you’re getting all the good stuff that may have settled.