Fire cider is an age-old folk remedy known to boost your immune system. It is a warming tonic that consists of healing herbs, vinegar, and honey. Fire cider boosts your health, stimulates digestion, reduces inflammation, and helps to warm the body on colder days.
My fire cider recipe is easy to make, uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, and serves as a great reminder of how food is thy medicine!
What Is Fire Cider?
Fire cider is an oxymel, which is an herbal preparation of raw honey and vinegar.
Fire cider’s base of apple cider vinegar helps to extract the healing properties of herbs, while also being antimicrobial and containing beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Raw honey is antifungal and antibacterial, and contains powerful antioxidants that help reduce inflammation in the body.
Garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish, hot peppers, and health-boosting herbs are added to this base of vinegar and honey– which creates the potent, healing, and spicy fire cider tonic that has become popularized throughout the herbalism community.
Although this healing tonic has been used for hundreds of years, it was Rosemary Gladstar– a well known herbalist and educator, who coined the name fire cider in the late 1970’s, due to the spicy and pungent nature of the tonic.
Fire Cider Ingredients
- large handful of fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary and oregano chopped
- 1-2 heads of garlic chopped
- 2 oranges sliced
- 2 lemons sliced
- 2 red or yellow onions chopped
- handful fresh turmeric chopped or grated
- handful fresh ginger chopped or grated
- 2 hot peppers like cayenne, habanero, or jalapeno chopped
- 2 cups fresh horseradish root grated
- 1 heaping tbsp cloves
- 2 large cinnamon sticks
- 1/2-1 cup raw honey
- apple cider vinegar
How to Make Fire Cider
Prepare your roots, fruits, and herbs by chopping, slicing, and grating.
Place them into a clean gallon glass jar, or distribute evenly into two half gallon jars.
Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar and fill until ingredients are completely covered.
Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Label and date the jar.
Let the vinegar mixture sit in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks, giving it a shake daily.
After 4-6 weeks, strain the mixture with a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass jar.
Add raw honey to taste, and mix well to combine.
Store the fire cider in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
5 Ways to Use Fire Cider
Consume Fire Cider as a Daily Elixir
I love to take a tablespoon of fire cider daily to support my immune system– especially during the fall and winter months! This powerful and potent elixir not only boosts your immune system, but it also aids in digestion, and helps to reduce inflammation in the body– making it the perfect daily tonic to improve your overall health.
Add It to Bone Broth
One of my favorite ways to consume fire cider is to add it to my homemade bone broth. During the winter months, I’ll make plenty of bone broth to sip on throughout my days or to use as a base for warming soups. Adding your fire cider to the broth not only deepens the flavor, but adds extra health benefits!
Use Fire Cider as a Marinade or Dressing
A great way to spice up your home-cooked meals or add flavor to salads is by adding some fire cider into the recipe. Mix fire cider with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to create a delicious and health-boosting dressing or marinade.
Make a Fire Cider Chutney
Repurpose the fruits, roots, and herbs that you used to make your fire cider by making a delicious chutney! After straining your fire cider mixture, simply add the leftover ingredients into a food processor or blender with a dash of honey and a small spoonful of the fire cider liquid, and blend until coarse and chunky. If making chutney, its best to strain your fire cider at 4 weeks, while the herbs are still flavorful.
This fire cider chutney is delicious on toast, added to homemade stir-fry, as a dipping sauce for meats, or by the spoonful.
Add It to Your Drinking Water
A simple way to get the benefits of fire cider without taking it neat, is by adding a tablespoon or more to your drinking water. This adds a delicious savory flavor to your water– encouraging you to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Fire Cider
Ingredients
- 1 large handful of fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary and oregano chopped
- 1-2 heads of garlic chopped
- 2 oranges sliced
- 2 lemons sliced
- 2 red or yellow onions chopped
- 1 handful fresh turmeric chopped or grated
- 1 handful fresh ginger chopped or grated
- 2 hot peppers like cayenne, habanero, or jalapeno chopped
- 2 cups fresh horseradish root grated
- 1 tbsp cloves heaping
- 2 large cinnamon sticks
- 1/2-1 cup raw honey to taste
- apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare your roots, fruits, and herbs by chopping, slicing, and grating.
- Place them into a clean gallon glass jar, or distribute evenly into two half gallon jars.
- Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar and fill until ingredients are completely covered.
- Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Label and date the jar.
- Let the vinegar mixture sit in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks, giving it a shake daily.
- After 4-6 weeks, strain the mixture with a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass jar.
- Add raw honey to taste, and mix well to combine.
Notes
Want to Learn How to Make More Healthy Recipes from Scratch?
I truly believe that food is thy medicine– which is why I created a beginner’s guide to making healthy, from-scratch recipes from nourishing ingredients. Grab your copy of my recipe guide, Staples Made Simple, and start filling your kitchen with delicious and healthy recipes that you and your family will love!
Did you make my fire cider recipe? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with the latest recipes on the blog, check out my recent posts: