12 Best Tarragon Vinegar Substitutes for Salad Dressing

If you have a taste for tarragon vinegar-infused meals or salad and run out of it in the kitchen or can’t locate it on its normal shelf in the market, you don’t have to make drastic alterations to your intended recipe. You may substitute tarragon vinegar and no one will realize that you made little alterations to your dish.

Tarragon vinegar is a beloved French ingredient that cooks prefer to use into marinades, salad dressings or vinaigrettes, meat or steak glazes, or sauces like Tarragon sauce or bearnaise sauce. We enjoy the sharpness of tarragon vinegar, which has a flavor of licorice or anise that shines through white wine vinegar.

The flavor of Tarragon leaves on this alcohol-turned acid is sharp, acidic, minty, and has a little hay aroma. When soaked in a bottle of white wine vinegar, its eucalyptus and peppery tones show through and complement your favorite marinated meal and salad dressings.

This is not meant to make you need tarragon vinegar if you can’t locate it right now and really need it. We offer a broad selection of substitutes for tarragon vinegar that you may use in your recipes.

Finding the Best Tarragon Vinegar Substitute

If you’re searching for a tarragon vinegar alternative, choose one that complements the flavor of the original. There are hundreds of them: seafood, egg dishes, salmon, chicken, and you’re searching for one with a mild tarragon punch.

So, essentially, you want that mild kick from aged alcohol or just acidic fluids, and you want to blend that with herbs that are similar to tarragon leaves. If you have dried tarragon, it is a far superior substitute in this scenario. If you don’t have any, the next best thing is thyme.

As a result, we can only offer the following tarragon vinegar alternatives: white wine vinegar, dried tarragon leaves, malt vinegar, and champagne vinegar. So, if you want to see how close they can come, keep reading to learn how to replace them with tarragon vinegar.

White Wine Vinegar

White wine vinegar might be a better substitute for tarragon vinegar in its normal recipes. It is tarragon vinegar’s vinegar basis.

Tarragon vinegar is made by combining fresh tarragon leaves with white vinegar and storing it for a few weeks. It may be used to make a variety of barnaise sauces, vinaigrettes, salad dressings, and marinades.

If you want to amp up the flavor, try a 1:1 ratio of apple cider vinegar or thyme in lieu of tarragon leaves. Although thyme has a more minty tone, sweetness, and scent, white wine vinegar is sufficient to substitute it.

Dried Tarragon Leaves

If you don’t want to lose the tarragon kick in your recipes but have enough of dried tarragon on hand, take a pinch from the jar. Because dried tarragon leaves have a longer shelf life than tarragon vinegar, they are more widely accessible on the market. [Source]

Take note: dried tarragon leaves have a greater concentration and a stronger taste than fresh tarragon leaves. You must be careful since your recipe may only need a little amount.

To substitute dried tarragon leaves, combine them with as much distilled white vinegar as required in the recipe. Then sprinkle with a few dried tarragon leaves.

Malt Vinegar

Use malt vinegar in place of tarragon vinegar in your favorite salad dressing. While this is not a popular substitute, its sweet, roast tart flavor with citrusy overtones makes it an excellent topping, salad dressing, and pickling.

And since it originates from the barley that is used to manufacture the beer, it is sweeter than tarragon vinegar. However, it smells stronger, similar to how a beer smells.

However, the deeper tint may be a problem if your tarragon vinegar recipe requires a certain color. But if you can handle it, go ahead. For one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar, you’ll probably need two teaspoons of malt vinegar. Because malt vinegar is milder, this percentage is enough.

Champagne Vinegar

Champagne vinegar is a milder acid than white wine that may be used to replace tarragon vinegar. It offers the delicious flavors we look for in grape-made wine vinegar.

It may sometimes be used in place of the white wine vinegar base in tarragon vinegar. Chefs appreciate it for its lighter overtones and tangy, floral, and fruity sweetness, which adds zing to any salad dressing.

Use it in recipes that don’t need heating, such as vinaigrettes, or as a finishing element in spicy sauces. If you want to substitute it with tarragon vinegar, use one tablespoon champagne vinegar for one tablespoon tarragon vinegar.

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is the most gentle replacement on our list. It is so gentle that individuals who favor rice vinegar prefer it since it does not dominate seafood meals as tarragon vinegar does.

Rice vinegar is very sweet, as opposed to white wine vinegar, which is harsh. It has this sweetness because it is made from rice sake; use it instead of sweet and sour tarragon dressing.

Use two tablespoons of rice vinegar for every spoon of tarragon vinegar when making salad dressings, sauces, pickles, or soups. Add dried tarragon leaves, thyme, or parsley with cinnamon for a closer tarragon vinegar flavor.

Apple Cider Vinegar

If you want an easier-to-find tarragon vinegar substitute and know you’ll need it regularly, opt for apple cider. Although it has a really pungent, harsh, tangy odor, it pales in comparison to the acidity and sweetness of apple in acidic sauce.

While this item may be used in baking, it is an excellent substitute for tarragon vinegar in marinades for steaks and salad dressings. You’ll also appreciate how nicely it combines with chicken and fish, just like tarragon vinegar.

Because apple cider vinegar is stronger than tarragon vinegar, use one teaspoon for one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar tastes extremely different from other vinegars. Long years of twice fermenting grape must have resulted in a rich, concentrated, and thick consistency. [Source]

It has a complex taste of smoke, tartness, and sweetness. This blend combines the flavors of molasses, cherries, prunes, fig, and chocolate.

Because of its richness, it pairs well with marinades of beef, chicken, or toppings for seafood platters or salad dressings. Use one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar instead of one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar to replace it.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is not often used for flavoring since it tastes different from tarragon vinegar. You’ll utilize it for the acidity’s kick.

If you like tarragon vinaigrette with your Mediterranean seafood or green salad, lemon juice is a perfect option. If you have tarragon leaves, add some chopped leaves to your lemon-infused mixture.

What we like about using lemon juice instead of tarragon vinegar is that it doesn’t leave any strong tastes from the other vinegars on this list. It usually adds refreshing citrus notes to marinades and salad dressings.

Rice Wine

You don’t have to wait for rice wine to ferment into vinegar before using it to replace tarragon vinegar. It already has a distinct sour vinegar flavor, albeit it is softer than tarragon vinegar.

Even though it is a wine, it does not smell like alcohol. It may be sweet or acidic, with spicy undertones.

For salad dressings, marinades, and sauces, use two teaspoons rice wine for one tablespoon tarragon vinegar. You may also add some fresh herbs to liven up your standard tarragon vinegar preparation.

You don’t have to wait for rice wine to ferment into vinegar before using it to replace tarragon vinegar. It already has a distinct sour vinegar flavor, albeit it is softer than tarragon vinegar.

Even though it is a wine, it does not smell like alcohol. It may be sweet or acidic, with spicy undertones.

For salad dressings, marinades, and sauces, use two teaspoons rice wine for one tablespoon tarragon vinegar. You may also add some fresh herbs to liven up your standard tarragon vinegar preparation.

Fruit Vinegar

Fruit vinegar is a delicious alternative to vinegar. Apple peels, overripe grapes, strawberry hulls, cherry pits, or lemon may all be used to produce vinegar.

Add additional herbs like basil, thyme, or mint for a flavorful substitute for tarragon vinegar. If there aren’t any and you have lots of tarragon leaves, cut them and toss them with your marinades, sauces, or dressing.

If you want to use it in marinades, Mediterranean recipes, or pickles, use one tablespoon of fruit vinegar for one tablespoon of tarragon vinegar.

Sherry Wine Vinegar

Sherry vinegar is made from Spanish Sherry wine. It has a deep, nutty flavor and is considerably softer than white wine. This medium-bodied wine vinegar has a slight sweetness and is not overbearing, making it ideal for replacing tarragon vinegar in dishes with vegetables, shellfish, and lean meats.

Because of the darker liquid color produced by the extended age period, it may not be suitable for color-specific recipes. It’s similar to how balsamic vinegar matures in oak barrels; the texture becomes richer and the taste is more concentrated.

When substituting tarragon vinegar with ordinary old sherry wine vinegar, use a 1:1 ratio.

Cranberry Vinegar

Cranberries are infused with distilled white vinegar, champagne vinegar, or balsamic vinegar in this vinegar. It may have the balanced-rich fruity sweetness and citrus overtones of cranberries in the correct quantity.

We like how it may be used in lieu of tarragon in salad dressings or meat-based salads, but it should not be used in hot meals.

Replace the tarragon with cranberry vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. If you want to add herbs to your tarragon vinegar alternative, use thyme or mint.

Can Any Vinegar Replace Tarragon Vinegar?

Technically, any vinegar may be substituted for the tarragon. However, you want this vinegar to be gentler and more delicate in flavor. To do this, lower the quantity of vinegar in your dish.

If it’s something like red wine vinegar, it’s have to be more delicate and subtle, therefore cutting down on the quantity could help. However, white wine vinegar is much more suited than red wine vinegar.

You might also use cane vinegar, which is light and comparable to malt or champagne vinegar.

Can I Use White Vinegar to Substitute Tarragon Vinegar?

Yes. To use distilled white vinegar in your tarragon recipe, combine two teaspoons of wine and one cup of white vinegar, then stir in freshly chopped tarragon leaves. If you don’t have tarragon leaves, you may substitute thyme or mint leaves.