Is Apple Cider Vinegar Halal?
Scholars differ on this one.
Apple cider vinegar is made by turning an alcoholic liquid into acetic acid on purpose.
Photo: Silar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Scholarly differences
Wine that turns to vinegar by itself is Halal by consensus (IslamQA 2283; Dar al-Ifta 6245). Deliberately made vinegar is disputed: the Hanafi school permits it; Indonesia's MUI (Fatwa 10/2018) rules vinegar from khamr Halal and pure whether it turned by itself or was engineered; IslamQA 191176 and 276185, following Ibn 'Uthaymin, permit vinegar made by non-Muslims.
The classical Shafi'i rule (Reliance of the Traveller e14.6) and Malaysia's National Fatwa Committee (2006) do not accept vinegar made by intervention, though Shafi'i answers at Qibla and SeekersGuidance allow following the Hanafi view.
What decides the answer
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Wine or another alcoholic drink that turned to vinegar by itself — by consensus
Halal -
Commercial apple cider vinegar, Hanafi, MUI and IslamQA rulings
Halal -
Commercial apple cider vinegar, classical Shafi'i rule: not accepted (Malaysia's 2006 fatwa is on wine vinegar)
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Listed as an ingredient in a bought product (ketchup, mayonnaise, sauces): accepted, as certifiers including JAKIM do; wine vinegar is the exception
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Wine, beer, cider or cooking wine listed as an ingredient: not vinegar; a separate ruling
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Flavoured products, glazes, dressings, gummies: read the other ingredients
How to verify
- Confirm the label says vinegar, not wine, beer, cider or cooking wine.
- Follow your school on deliberately made vinegar: Hanafi, MUI and IslamQA rulings permit commercial vinegar; the Shafi'i rule and Malaysia's fatwa do not.
- If you avoid it, look for vinegar certified by the body you follow, or use lemon juice.
- Flavoured vinegars, glazes, dressings, gummies and drinks: read the other ingredients.
Quick checks
- Is it vinegar, not wine, beer, cider or cooking wine?
- Deliberately made vinegar: follow your school (Hanafi, MUI, IslamQA permit; Shafi'i rule and Malaysia's fatwa do not).
- Read the other ingredients in flavoured products.
Why this ruling
Apple cider vinegar is made from cider or apple must, and is sometimes sold unfiltered with the 'mother' of vinegar still in it.[7] Cider, the alcoholic drink, is a different product and is not Halal.[1]
The ruling
Apple cider vinegar is made on purpose from cider, an intoxicating drink, so it is deliberately made vinegar, the case the schools differ on. The Hanafi school permits it,[4] Indonesia's MUI rules such vinegar Halal and pure,[8] and IslamQA, following Ibn 'Uthaymin, permits vinegar made by non-Muslims.[11] The classical Shafi'i and Hanbali position does not accept vinegar made by intervention,[10][2] and Malaysia's National Fatwa Committee ruled processed wine vinegar haram in 2006.[9] Shafi'i answers from Qibla and SeekersGuidance allow following the Hanafi view for commercial vinegar.[5] See vinegar for the full picture.
Choosing cider vinegar instead of wine vinegar does not avoid the question; both start as alcoholic drinks.
Gummies, capsules and drinks
The vinegar ruling covers the vinegar. Apple cider vinegar gummies are often set with pectin, which is plant-based, but some use gelatin, which needs a Halal source. Capsules can be gelatin too. Vinegar drinks and tonics can add other ingredients, so read the label.
Frequently asked questions
Is apple cider vinegar Halal?
Does apple cider vinegar contain alcohol?
What is the 'mother' in apple cider vinegar?
Are apple cider vinegar gummies Halal?
Sources
Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.
Islamic / scriptural
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IslamQA Retrieved
Wine that turns to vinegar by itself is permissible by consensus; vinegar made by deliberate treatment is disputed, with the Shafi'is, Hanbalis and some Malikis prohibiting it.
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Ruling on vinegar made from wine (276185)
IslamQA Retrieved
Records the Hanafi and some Maliki permission for deliberate conversion, and concludes that vinegar produced by non-Muslims by treating wine, such as commercial wine and balsamic vinegar, is permissible to consume.
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White wine vinegar: permissible or not?
SeekersGuidance (Shaykh Faraz Rabbani) Retrieved
Hanafi, 8 May 2010: wine vinegar is permitted whether it transformed by itself or through intervention.
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Is vinegar permissible in the Shafi'i school?
SeekersGuidance (Shaykh Jamir Meah) Retrieved
Shafi'i, 17 March 2018: permissible on condition nothing external was added during fermentation; for commercial vinegar, where the process is hard to know, there is no harm in adopting the Hanafi position.
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Food mixed with alcohol: is it permissible?
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah Retrieved
"Scholars have unanimously agreed that alcohol is deemed pure if it transforms into vinegar"; minute quantities of an intoxicant that cannot intoxicate are lawful.
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Fatwa MUI No. 10 Tahun 2018: food and drink containing alcohol/ethanol
Majelis Ulama Indonesia Retrieved
Operative ruling: "Vinegar/cuka yang berasal dari khamr baik terjadi dengan sendirinya maupun melalui rekayasa, hukumnya halal dan suci" (vinegar from khamr, whether it turned by itself or was engineered, is Halal and pure). The fatwa records that scholars differ on engineered vinegar.
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Can one consume vinegar in the Shafi'i school?
Qibla, Ustadha Shazia Ahmad (via IslamQA.org) Retrieved
Shafi'i. Quotes Reliance of the Traveller e14.6: wine that becomes vinegar without anything introduced into it is pure, but if anything was introduced, turning to vinegar does not purify it. Adds that it is permissible to follow the Hanafi school, which holds vinegar made by intervention pure and permissible.
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IslamQA Retrieved
Deliberately turning wine into vinegar is not permissible (citing Ibn Taymiyyah), but following Ibn 'Uthaymin, vinegar made by non-Muslims who believe it lawful, including vinegar imported from non-Muslim countries, is permissible for Muslims.
Context / background
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Wikipedia: Apple cider vinegar
Wikipedia Retrieved
Culinary identity: Apple juice is fermented by yeast to ethanol, which bacteria then turn into acetic acid. Identity context, not a Halal certificate.
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Wikipedia Retrieved
How vinegar is made: acetic acid bacteria turn alcohol into acetic acid; wine, cider, malt, spirit and rice vinegar varieties.
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Cuka wain dari perspektif Islam: analisis fatwa Malaysia dan Indonesia
Jurnal Fiqh, University of Malaya (2016) Retrieved
Quotes the 2006 decision of Malaysia's National Fatwa Committee (paper JKF 3/73/2006): "Haram menggunakan cuka wain yang diproses dan dicampur dengan bahan-bahan luar" (using wine vinegar that has been processed and mixed with outside substances is haram), and notes that commercial vinegar is made by deliberately adding acetic acid bacteria.
