How to make a delicious apple cider vinegar drink (called a switchel) with all the potential health benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar water daily!
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll already know I’m a huge fan of apple cider vinegar water. When I first started the blog, way back in 2011, I was drinking apple cider water every morning and did not get sick for five years. Five years! Not a sniffle.
I stopped drinking it regularly about a year ago- then started to get colds again. So I’ve started up again, only this time, I’m sharing my my recipe, along with all the potential health benefits. It turns out, there is a name for this – it’s called a Switchel!
What is a Switchel?
A friend informed me, that my Apple Cider Vinegar Water goes way way back, originating in New England where it became a popular drink in the late 17th century – where it was used to revive tired and thirsty farmers at harvest time, also called “Haymaker’s Punch”. It was basically sweetened apple cider vinegar water.
Potential health Benefits of Apple cider vinegar
There is a lot of confusion about apple cider vinegar. As always, talk to your doctor about it, especially if you are on medications. To help clear things up, it turns out there is a lot of research out there on all the good things apple cider does for the body.
- Apple cider vinegar for weight loss: According to this recent research, the acetic acid in drinking just 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (30 ml) in water daily will help lower body weight.
- Lowers Cholesterol levels: In the same study and also this meta-analysis, drinking apple cider also significantly lowered triglycerides and total cholesterol.
- Lowers Blood Pressure: in this Japanese study, acetic acid in apple cider vinegar lowers blood sugar.
- Anti-Cancer Properties: This research shows that apple cider vinegar may have anti-tumor compounds.
- Supports gut health: because raw apple cider contains the mother in it, it is full of gut-supporting probiotics to help diversify the microbiome.
- Lowers Glucose Levels: Apple cider vinegar lowers fasting glucose and HVA1C. After wearing a glucose monitor ( just for fun), I’ve noticed that when I consume this apple cider vinegar drink before meals, my blood sugar levels stay more level.
- Improves insulin sensitivity. In this Nature study, taking apple cider vinegar helps with insulin resistance. In this Science Direct article, it’s shown to moderate blood glucose levels and lower inulin, supporting those with diabetes.
- Powerful antimicrobial properties. In this Nature article, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a natural, anti-bacterial that has been shown to ameliorate resistant bacteria.
- Contains Antifungal properties: In this Medical News Today article, consuming apple cider vinegar may help reduce yeast and fungus.
But here’s why I’m such a huge fan of Switchel!
- Curbs my hunger: One thing that I’ve been trying to do lately is not snack between meals. This switchel has been a godsend. I reach for this drink lately instead of the snacky stuff. It makes me feel less hungry, moderates my appetite, and have less cravings.
- Maintain my Weight: it helps maintain my weight, and, friends, I eat a TON of food. I am consistently 2-3 pounds lighter while drinking this regularly.
- Keeps my gut healthy and regular: Drinking this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, gets my digestion going and sets me up for a fantastic day. Enough said.
- Supports my immunity: Like I mentioned earlier, when I drink this regularly, I don’t get colds or the flu. I believe it helps support diversity in the gut which is key to a good immune system. Perhaps it is the placebo effect. Who knows, but it works.
Ingredients in Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
- Unfiltered Apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it) Use vinegar that is not filtered or heated (pasteurized), so the healthy living bacteria are preserved and kept alive to do their healing!
- Filtered Water or Mineral water
- Pinch of Himalayan salt (for added minerals!)
- Optional additions: a squeeze of lemon juice, ginger ( fresh ginger or ground), cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, sweetener: molasses (contains potassium!), maple syrup, stevia, coconut sugar, or honey.
How to make an Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
- Place the water, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and sweetener in a large 16-ounce glass or jar.
- Add any optional additions: ginger, lemon juice, turmeric powder or cinnamon.
- Give a good stir ( or place the lid on the jar, and shake) and enjoy!
Storage Suggestions
Make a big batch of Apple Cider Vinegar Drink and store it in a pitcher or mason jar, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Are there any risks of drinking apple cider vinegar?
Yes, of course, only if you drink it straight! Apple cider vinegar is very acidic, so it’s important to dilute it before drinking it. Dilute it with water, mineral water, or juice, or just toss it into a salad! Undiluted it can cause:
- erosion of tooth enamel
- damage to the lining of the esophagus
- upset stomach
FAQs
What is the “mother” in Apple Cider Vinegar?
A: The “mother” in Apple Cider Vinegar refers to the colony of healthy bacteria that are responsible for the fermentation process. It is similar to the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) used in making Kombucha. Apple Cider Vinegar “with the mother” is vinegar that is not filtered or pasteurized, thus preserving the beneficial bacteria that provide its healing properties.
Will ACV hurt my teeth, or tooth enamel?
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid- so always dilute it with water, and rinse your mouth with water, after consuming it in large amounts.
Can I drink Apple Cider Vinegar every day?
Yes, this drink is safe to drink on a daily basis, so limit your consumption to 2 tablespoons daily.
What time of day is apple cider vinegar most effective?
- Enjoy the Apple Cider Vinegar Drink in the morning to aid the liver in cleansing or as a natural, gentle laxative.
- Drink in the afternoon for an energizing pick-me-up between meals, or to curb hunger.
- Drink before or after dinner to help regulate glucose levels and boost digestion.
- You can drink the 16-ounce glass in one shot or divide it throughout the day.
I’m curious to hear what you think about this Apple Cider Vinegar Drink…. please let me know in the comments below! It’s actually the most helpful if you actually try it first and experience the effects personally before judging. 🙂
And as a final thought, not everything needs to be “evidence-based” to be true. Take for example, love. There are old remedies that have been passed down for generations (think Ayurveda or Chinese medicine), and perhaps science doesn’t understand the whys yet, or perhaps there’s no money in it. It doesn’t make it “not true”.
Please don’t take anyone’s word for it…not even mine. Try it for yourself… drink it for a week, and see how it feels. You know your body better than anyone.
Have a fun and happy weekend!!!
xoxo
More apple cider vinegar recipes
Here are som other uses for apple cider vinegar- add to salad dressings, marinades, sauces and use for pickling!
Apple Cider Vinegar Drink Recipe
- Prep Time: 3
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1
- Category: drink
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make an Apple Cider Vinegar Drink (called a Switchel) plus the potential health Benefits of drinking Apple Cider Vinegar on a daily basis.
Ingredients
- 12–16 ounces filtered water
- 1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ( “with the mother in it”) start light, add more to taste
- pinch of Himalayan salt ( for added minerals)
Optional additions:
- 1–2 teaspoons sweetener: honey, maple syrup, stevia, coconut sugar, etc.
- squeeze of lemon or other citrus
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, sliced ginger or 1/2–1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of cinnamon, turmeric, or cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place the water, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and sweetener in a large 16-ounce glass and stir. Add any optional additions. If just starting out, start with one tablespoon vinegar, and perhaps more sweetener, adjusting to taste. As you get used to it, feel free to increase the vinegar and lower the sweetener to taste.
- Enjoy this first thing in the morning to aid the liver in cleansing, or in the afternoon for an energizing pick-me-up, or before dinner to regulate insulin, lower blood sugar, and boost digestion.
Notes
This can be kept in the fridge for 1 week.
Feel free to make a big batch and store in a pitcher or mason jar, either in the fridge or at room temp (if drinking throughout the day).
Sweetener is optional: Over time as you become accustomed to the vinegar taste, you may naturally want to lower the sweetener or omit completely. ***Most mornings I drink filtered water with just a splash of the apple cider vinegar. No sweetener, no lemon, no ginger. Simple and easy. But I know this may not be pleasant for most. This recipe was intended to get you accustomed to the taste. Feel free to adjust from here.
Ideally, you want to consume 2 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks to see results with weight loss and body fat. Remember you can always add to salad dressings, too. 🙂 Try our Raw Apple Cider Dressing
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16 ounces w/ 1 teaspoon honey
- Calories: 28
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 98.5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
So tasty and refreshing! I have it in the morning before a workout for a burst of clean energy
A much more palatable way to drink acv. My husband even gave it the thumbs up and I have been trying to get him to drink it for months.
My husband still won’t come anywhere near it…. haha! Glad you got yours to try! 😉
Hey Sylvia,
I’ve been meaning to let you know how much we’ve used and enjoyed your Switchel recipe – take it daily! I have been adding a handful of dried hibiscus which I get at Butterfly Herbs in Missoula – makes a pretty red color and adds a great taste – Thank you!
Great to hear Melanie!
Hey Sylvia,
I’ve been meaning to let you know how much we’ve used and enjoyed your Switchel recipe – take it daily! I have been adding a handful of dried hibiscus which I get at Butterfly Herbs in Missoula – makes a pretty red color and adds a great taste – Thank you!
Melanie Delaney
Hi Sylvia,
This is quite refreshing. I have been making a batch twice a week since you put in on your website. I believe that the raw ACV does provide a boost to your immune system. I really like the ginger aftertaste. I stopped adding any sugar after the second batch. I did not think it was needed. I make this even more than your tahini sauce which I make almost once a week.
I’m so glad you are enjoying it. Yes, once you get used to the vinegar, you need less and less honey. 😉
Quick and easy to make. This just feels so good to drink! I left the ginger slices in the mason jar when I refrigerated it. Next day, stronger ginger flavor and even better tasting when well chilled. I am putting this in my daily routine to help with my snacking.
I leave the ginger in too- and love how strong it gets! Gal you like it!
We had never heard of this, but I read the blog all the time and you have such outstanding recipes that we enjoy making weekly!! So we gave it a try as we’ve been suffering with a really bad flu bug & we absolutely love it!! It is so refreshing like a zingy tangy lemonade but soo much better tasting!! It will be a daily drink In our house from now on for sure and there is a pot of ginger stewing on the stove right now!! It helped ease our stomach pain for sure and whether or not it’s proven or placebo – either way I’m all for it and will definately continue and enjoy it thoroughly!!! My husband asks for it now. He thinks, and I agree that from the day after in the fridge plus the nèxt 2 days it actually tastes like it’s carbonated without all the byproducts, fillers and sugars!! I highly recommend this as well as every other recipe we have tried from your amazing collection of scrumptious recipes!!! Who knew healthy, wholesome natural foods could taste so incredible!! Thank you so much for changing our lives and the exciting new ways we eat!! ?
Hi Jodi and thanks for your kind note! Im so glad you liked the switchel!
Love this recipe-I left the maple syrup out the second time I made it-I love it even more!
Thanks- and YES that is usually what I do too, but to get people “used” to to the taste initially, a little sweetener helps in the beginning!
I surprised myself with how much I liked this. I have a hard time drinking straight water (it sits poorly in my system), and this is a great solution. I’m not sure if I completely buy into the benefits of Apple cider vinegar, but it has definitely helped me drink more water regularly, which is great.
I was rather sceptical about this drink, but went ahead and made it. Oh my! DELICIOUS!! Sort of tastes like lemonade. I mix about 1/2 cup with my green powder for a delicious beverage. I’m going to try adding sparkling water as some of your commenters have suggested. I love kombucha and this sounds similar and right up my alley. Thank you SO much!!
So looking forward to this…making it this morning.
Love this! Switchel is such a fun drink to make, can’t wait to try making this at home next time I head to the grocery store! Thanks for sharing!
Made this today – tastes great. The quantity is for 4 cups. Does that mean you should drink it over 4 days or can you drink more? Also does it effect your teeth?!
You can drink it over four days, or all in one day. I usually have about 2 cups in the mornings. Too much vinegar can make your teeth sensitive, but this is pretty diluted with water. Feel free to cut back i you like!
Even though it’s diluted with water, between the vinegar and the lemon, that’s still a LOT of acid on your teeth. I wouldn’t cut back. Don’t want to dilute the taste or the effects. What I would suggest, though, is that after drinking, either brush your teeth or even just rinse your mouth well with tap water. That will wash the acid off and the fluoride in the tap water will help remineralize the enamel.
Rinse, don’t brush. Brushing can damage enamel that’s been weakened by acid.
Hi Sylvia,
I look forward to receiving your email every week! I made a batch of the Switchel right away and have been happily drinking it up. It’s delicious and refreshing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, as I’ve tried other ACV and lemon concoctions in the past, knowing the ACV has so many health benefits, but couldn’t get past the taste.
With a splash or two of sparkling water, it’s very similar to Kombucha (which I love!), so this is a great tasting (and much less expensive) alternative.
I’m going to continue drinking the Switchel daily for the next couple of weeks and see what changes happen. 🙂
Sara, glad you are enjoying it! Yes, with a little doctoring it’s not bad! thanks for sharing!
What do you think about adding moringa powder and chia seeds? Enjoying your blog and recipes ?
Give it a try! T like the idea of chia seeds!
perfect. ill surely give it a try!
Moringa is so healthy. DO IT !
That’s good to know it helped you. When I was in Bali every second day I’d feel sick in the stomach and if I had a glass of Coke without fail it fixed it. Not as healthy as you recipe but it’s a handy tip to know.
Delicious!!
Two months later and I am still making it every other day.
I have not been sick once since I started making and drinking this drink.
I work outdoors a lot and this help quench my thirst-delicious!
Delicious! Better than just the plain lemon water I usually drink. Already feeling great after one day but will try it out for a full week. I need the regularity and the energy boost 🙂
Awesome Cynthia! Let me know how you feel at the end!
Thanks Sylvie I’m going to try it! Just a small point, did you mean to write bowl or boil in step 1?
Boil. 😉 thanks, fixed it.
I am a physician… And your GI bug almost assuredly got better because most of those food poisoning related infections are self-limited … Aka they will clear up spontaneously without any strong medications. Assuming you are not immunocompromised (AIDS, pregnant, etc.), you would have cleared the infection regardless. The extra hydration certainly did help, though!! Thats where people get in trouble most often with GI infections — dehydration!
Regardless, it sounds pretty tasty lol. I don’t know if it does any of the health benefits described, don’t know what, if anything, scientific studies (and not anecdote/blogs) say, but hydration alone will keep most of us, who are low-key chronically dehydrated, having regular bowel movements.
Probably not a panacea.
Well I’m sure you know more than I.;) But I will say, that for me, for the first few days I drank this (during my food poisoning time – which lasted 10-12 days off and on) my belly got better, and digestion actually was normal. On the days I skipped it, my stomach issues actually returned again ( just as bad!). Friends suggested that I go to a doctor, but I just wanted to see if this would work if I was consistent. So I actually tested it out, because it was so astounding to me. I skipped it intentionally, once more, and stomach issues came back. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. After I figured out I needed to be consistent with it, I drank it every day for 1 more week and then I was fine. So basically, drank it for 3 days, felt better, skipped a day, bad stomach again, drank for 2 more days, better again, skipped a day intentionally, bad again, then drank for a week strait. All good. I drank lemon water on the days I didn’t have the vinegar water.
Can puréed ginger sold in plastic tubes in the produce section be used effectively in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Laura! Great question and I’m not sure! I know they sometimes add oil to preserve the paste, so this would be my only hesitation. But I think it is worth a try. Please let me know what you think if you do try it!
How much in total are you drinking per day to have the positive effacts?
Hi Gail, sometimes I only drink an 8 ounce glass first thing in the morning, which I feel is enough. But I love it so much I find myself drinking more at times too!
I grew up taking honey and vinegar. It was our “medicine” when we were kids. My mom swore by it. I I’ll tell you…we weren’t sickly kids either. And when I was away at college, I can remember my mother reminding me to take my honey and vinegar. I started doing it again on a fairly regular basis and I haven’t gotten sit. But the adding of the ginger and lemon is EVERYTHING. Its delicious and a real enhancement to this all natural remedy for so much. I am going to drink it everyday and report back in 30 days for an update on how its’ working out. Let the healing begin! This is a great recipe. thanks for sharing.
Awesome Michelle! Yes, please share how you feel after the 30 days!
I have too many limes at the moment. Can I use them instead of lemon?
Yes! Limes are great! I will add to recipe!
If I double or triple the recipe and keep it in the fridge (I don’t want to make it every few days), how long will it keep fresh in the fridge?
I think it would be fine in the fridge for a few weeks!