Learn how to make this Homemade Fire Cider Recipe and survive cold and flu season! This homemade fire cider is an immune-boosting tonic that contains gut-healing, antibacterial ingredients to support your system. Use it daily or double up when you feel a cold coming on.
"Used this recipe during a recent bout of colds. It was warming and seemed to help. I'll be prepping this again for the colder months. Also got some positive feedback from the family!" -Lucy
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 28 d 20 mins
- 👪Serves: 20
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 5 kcals and 1 gram of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Apple cider vinegar, ginger and turmeric root, garlic, horseradish, lemon juice and zest, jalapeño, and onions.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and immune-supporting.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This natural cough and cold remedy is powerful, immune-boosting, and easy to make for daily wellness support.
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Homemade fire cider is a bold, tangy apple cider vinegar tonic infused with ingredients like ginger, garlic, citrus, and honey. Traditionally used as a seasonal wellness staple, it’s an easy, seasonal recipe. If you love having nourishing basics prepped and ready to keep your immune system high, this is one of those small habits that pays off during busy seasons.
The best part is how customizable fire cider is to your family’s taste. You can adjust the heat, sweetness, or citrus to make it milder, kid-friendlier, or extra punchy depending on what you prefer. Sip it straight, mix it with honey to make dressings, once you have a jar on hand, it’s a versatile, meal-prep-friendly staple to keep you healthy during winter months.
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Note: I’m no doctor or even an herbalist. This is just a tonic I make for myself and my family. Consult doctors' friends.
Why You'll Love Fire Cider
Fire cider is a winter tonic that helps boost the immune system and prevent colds.
Immune boosting: Since it uses so many ingredients that are anti-bacterial in nature, it is a great way to stay healthy over cold season, along with this homemade honey cough syrup!
Alleviate symptoms: Though it can't fully prevent colds in the first place but it can also help alleviate cough and cold symptoms faster if you get one.
Digestion: The ingredients help fight bacteria and can even help improve digestion, which in turn can help reduce inflammation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Onions: I use pearl onions in my fire coder recipe but any onions will work so feel free to interchange them. A traditional fire cider recipe uses white onions.
- Jalapeno: Use gloves to slice these and I'd suggest not keeping many of the seeds or the fire cider will be insanely spicy.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon is key as it adds a citrus taste. Hoever, any citrus will work here to ull the recipe together. Orange, grapefruit, or lime.
- Apple cider vinegar: You need the bottle that has the "mother" in the bottom. So raw, unpasturized apple cider vinegar. You'll see little strands along the bottom. This is what makes this tonic so potent and hhelps it ferment as it's "living".
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Homemade Fire Cider
Step 1: Divide all ingredients evenly (except apple cider vinegar) into two large mason jars.
Step 2: Pour apple cider vinegar over the ingredients so that the vinegar is roughly two to three inches above.
Step 3: Weigh the ingredients down with a plastic baggie with water and let ferment for at least four weeks.
Expert Tips
Fresh ingredients are more immune-boosting than dried ingredients. So if at all possible, try to use fresh roots.
If you don't love spice, skip the horseradish and take care not to use any seeds from the jalapenos.
Fire cider for colds is potent. It has a spicy kind of taste and a light burn as it goes down. For this reason, many kids don't love it. What you can do once you've strained it, is mix rae honey into the mix which comes with it's own anti-bacterial benefits. Kids enjoy it more this way too.
Know that they key to staying healthy in cold season is by keeping on top of water, healthy eating habits, slugging down some bone broth (Perfect Supplements Bone Broth Powder is my favorite for days I don't have homemade on hand!), and enjoying fermented vegetables.
Once strained, store your fire cider in the fridge for 6-8 months.
How To Use It
There are a few ways to go about using homemade fire cider. For immune support and digestion, the brave of heart simply take one shot (1-2 tablespoons) daily to help prevent colds.
If you feel a scratchy throat coming on, you can take 2-3 shots throughout the day to really give your system a hit
Of course, once mixed with honey you can also use it as:
- A salad dressing (whisk in more honey and some Dijon mustard)
- A marinade
- Sauteed onto greens
Homemade Fire Cider FAQs
It almost has a spicy tangy combination of flavors. It is vinegar-based but the fire from the horseradish and jalapeno take over.
Almost like taking a shot of spiced pickle juice.
However, it also depends on how much (if any) honey has been added.
Because the base of the fire cider is vinegar, it does not need to be refrigerated. However, it does need to be stored in a cool dark place.
That said, if not stored in the fridge, it will continue to ferment slightly and get more and more potent. Storing it in the fridge stops the fermentation. The tonic will last roughly one year.
Fire cider is used to prevent getting sick through the winter monthy by using natural, fermented roots and ingredients to boost the immune system.
More Healthy Smoothie Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Homemade Fire Cider Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Natural Cough & Cold Remedy
Equipment
- Large mason jars
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- ½ cup pearl onions peeled and sliced
- ½ cup turmeric root peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup ginger root peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup horseradish peeled and chopped
- ½ jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 bottle apple cider vinegar large
Instructions
- Divide all ingredients evenly (except apple cider vinegar) into two large mason jars.
- Pour apple cider vinegar over the ingredients so that the vinegar is roughly two to three inches above.
- Fill a small Ziplock bag ⅓ of the way with water. Place the baggy into the jar and use a spatula to press all the roots/ingredients down as much as possible to make sure everything is submerged.
- Tie off the bag or wrap around mouth of the jar. Place parchment paper over the jar and then cap the jar.
- Let ferment in a dark area for four weeks. When ready, strain out the roots and whisk in raw, local honey to taste.
Notes
- Any kind of onion will work for the recipe
- Chop the vegetables finely so that they can infuse better
- Make sure to use raw honey (unpasteurized) for the biggest benefits once everything is strained.
- Flavor with honey to taste, depending on what you’re using it for (salad dressing, shots etc).
- Store it in the fridge in a pop top bottole, once it's been fermented and strained.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
If you want to prevent colds during this winter season, rock this fire cider recipe! The ingredients are all anti-bacterial, help fight inflammation, and most importantly, help you boost your immune system, so you don’t get sick.
Lucy says
Used this recipe during a recent bout of colds. It was warming and seemed to help. I'll be prepping this again for the colder months. Also got some positive feedback from the family!
fitasamamabear says
Amazing!
Lex says
I made this for myself but shockingly my kids actually like it! it's been a life saver since the littlest one started daycare and has been bringing home all kinds of germs.
fitasamamabear says
Haha my kids use it too thankfully!
Ellen says
This recipe is a lifesaver during the sniffle season! Packed with immune-boosting nutrients, it's my new go-to remedy for cold and flu vibes. Thanks for sharing!
fitasamamabear says
Glad you liked it!
Pepper says
I keep reading about this drink and finally made it. Tasted great and none of the kiddos are sick! Will be making it again.
fitasamamabear says
Glad you gave it a go!
Joy says
This was so helpful to have when my kids got sick. I'm about to make another batch soon since the sicknesses are only getting worse!
fitasamamabear says
Such a great one to have on hand!