The Best Balsamic Vinegar, According to Our Test Kitchen

The Bottom Line: The Best Balsamic Vinegar

If you want a classic, robust balsamic vinegar that you can use for drizzling or for marinades, the Fini Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (view at Amazon) is our top pick. However, if you’re looking for an affordable option that you can use in marinades and sauces, we think the Alessi Organic Balsamic Vinegar (view at Amazon) makes an excellent budget-friendly alternative.

Choosing a Balsamic Vinegar

When choosing a balsamic vinegar, one factor is what you'll be using it for. If it is going to be the star of the show—say, simply drizzled over vegetables or even fruit—you might want to spring for something a bit fancier, while if you are using it in a marinade, you can get away with something cheaper. When you are shopping for balsamic, pay attention to these three Cs.

Certification

"Balsamic from Italy has a certification to protect authenticity and quality—look for a DOC label," explains Romanoff. In addition to the DOC certification, Romanoff looks for vinegars with one of these two regional labels: Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena and Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia. Both use traditional barrel methods to make their vinegar.

Color

At the store, take a look at the color of the vinegar. "Often I look at color first, if possible. I want one that is rich and dark, not translucent like red-wine vinegar," says O'Brien.

Consistency

Romanoff notes that while a thick consistency can be a sign of a quality balsamic, it can also be a bit of a trick. "I used to look at the body to see that it was more syrupy than watery, like I'd enjoyed with better balsamic, but then I learned that lower-quality ones were artificially thickened all the time."

Our Search for the Best Balsamic Vinegar

To find the best balsamic vinegar, we interviewed food editors and writers to find out which brands they stock their pantries with. We looked at factors such as taste, availability and cost to compile a list of balsamic vinegars which represented a range of prices. Our list includes everything from balsamic vinegars that are nuanced enough for drizzling on a dessert to those that are bold enough to hold their own in a marinade.

Common Questions

How long does balsamic vinegar last?

Bottles of balsamic vinegar typically last between 3 and 5 years if stored properly. They’re still safe to consume after that time, but the flavor may degrade a bit. To extend the shelf life of your balsamic vinegar, keep it tightly capped in a cool, dark place. While it doesn’t require refrigeration, if you regularly use balsamic vinegar for cold items like salads, you may prefer to store it in your refrigerator. This is purely a matter of personal preference, however.

What does IGP and DOP mean?

These terms are shorthand for Italian certifications, and stand for Indicazione Geografica Protetta (Protected Geographical Indication) and Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin), respectively. IGP is the most common designation, and means a product was made in a certain area, but not all the ingredients are necessarily sourced from that region (so your balsamic vinegar will be made in Modena according to specific production processes, but the grapes may not necessarily be from that region). A DOP designation guarantees that everything from the grapes to the packaging of your balsamic vinegar comes from one specific region and is produced according to very specific methods

What's the difference between white balsamic and regular balsamic vinegar?

"White balsamic is basically the same as regular, but made with white-wine vinegar instead of red-wine vinegar," explains O'Brien. "It's great for dishes where you want that balsamic flavor but don't want to muddy the color of your food—think salads with peaches, etc."

Romanoff finds white balsamic to usually be sweeter and less complex than regular balsamic. "I often use it as a sweetener along with other vinegar in a dressing or in a dish that I want to be sweet and tart but don't need the complexity of dark balsamic." Try white balsamic in recipes like this one for chicken cutlets with rhubarb sauce—the white balsamic gives the dish the sweet-tart complexity of balsamic without affecting the color of the dish. Colavita and Alessi are good picks for white balsamic too.

When should I use my fancy balsamic vs. my everyday balsamic?

"My philosophy is to use the best ingredient you can for anything you're making," says Romanoff. "A really amazing balsamic makes an amazing vinaigrette. If I'm cooking with balsamic and it's not going to be the primary flavor, I use my everyday balsamic. For dressings I usually use the fancier stuff, sparingly—after all, I can't live at T.J. Maxx."

And if you are going to splurge on a really fancy bottle of balsamic, save it for special occasions to drizzle on fresh fruit and even ice cream. "I keep an embarrassingly expensive, teeny-weeny bottle of balsamic in an antique jelly cupboard with the 'fancy' plates and glasses," says Romanoff. "In the spring and early summer when strawberries are at their best, I take the tastiest specimen I can find and anoint it with a few drops of the precious elixir from Modena. Then I try to forget the bottle is there for another year. I've had it for at least 15 years at this point."

Our Trusted Expertise

This article was updated by Katie Tuttle, a commerce editor and contributor to publications such as Food & Wine and The Spruce Eats. Her favorite use of balsamic vinegar is as an ingredient in Beet & Goat Cheese Salad. The original version of this article was written by Devon O’Brien, former EatingWell senior food editor and current associate editorial director for Allrecipes. To write this article, Devon consulted Jim Romanoff, a food writer and former food editor for EatingWell.

This article was edited by Kayleigh Drake, an EatingWell commerce editor who has never met a balsamic vinegar she didn't like.