Vinegar made from fermented rice, typically around 4 to 4.5 percent acidity, noticeably milder and slightly sweeter than Western vinegars. Sold plain or seasoned, the latter already containing sugar and salt.
What it does in a recipe: Gentle acidity that brightens without dominating, with a faint sweetness that suits Asian dressings and sushi rice. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Similar mild sourness at a comparable strength once sweetened, and it will hold a dressing together just as well.
Trade-offCitrus-forward, which changes the character of a cucumber salad or a dipping sauce quite noticeably.
Raw / no-cookSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free
Worth knowing
Seasoned rice vinegar is not interchangeable with plain. If a recipe calls for plain rice vinegar and you use seasoned, cut the sugar and salt elsewhere or the dish will end up sweet.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.