Balsamic Vinegar

Dark, sweet aged vinegar made from grape must, used in dressings and reductions.

About Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is a dark grape-based vinegar traditionally made by concentrating grape must and aging it. It is used in salad dressings, marinades, sauces, glazes, and finishing drizzles. Modern products range from everyday blended vinegars to thick, carefully aged styles, so the name covers more than one formulation.

It has a sweet-sour flavour with grape, caramel-like, and aged notes, balanced by vinegar acidity. The texture may be as fluid as ordinary vinegar or noticeably syrupy, depending on concentration, sweeteners, and aging. Heating or reducing it intensifies the flavour and produces a thicker, more concentrated sauce.

Balsamic vinegar is sold as a bottled dark liquid. It can be whisked with oil for dressing, splashed over vegetables or salads, used with fruit and cheese, or reduced for a glaze. Aged versions are often drizzled sparingly, while thinner styles are better suited to cooking and mixing.

Ingredient type: seasoning

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Where balsamic vinegar appears

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Local names for balsamic vinegar

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Language

English

Balsamic vinegar

English

Balsamic vinegars

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Balsamic Vinegar nutrition & diet

Balsamic Vinegar nutritional value

Vinegar, balsamic

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the stated food form.

Calories: 78.9kcal
Protein: 0.5g
Carbs: 15.0g
Fat: 0.0g

Reference values apply to the named food form, not every preparation, variety or brand. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand. AFCD Release 3, food F009499. Available carbohydrate excludes sugar alcohols; energy converted from kJ to kcal (÷4.184). Australian data may not be appropriate for use in other countries. There are limitations associated with food composition databases. Food composition data used in the database or databases may represent an average of the nutrient content of a particular sample of foods and ingredients, determined at a particular time. The nutrient composition of foods and ingredients can vary substantially between batches and brands because of a number of factors, including changes in season, processing practices and ingredient source, and methods of calculation. Data licensed under the FSANZ Data User Licence Agreement, based on CC BY-SA 3.0 AU: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/monitoringnutrients/afcd/datauserlicenceagreement.

Portions & preparation

Identify whether the product is traditional aged balsamic, commercial balsamic vinegar, or a sweetened reduction, then assess the amount used in dressing, marinade, sauce, or finishing. Straining, concentration, and added sweeteners change the applicable form. The food served with the vinegar should be recorded separately.

Compare the right form: Match the reference to balsamic vinegar in the exact aged, commercial, sweetened, or reduced form, including additions and concentration.

Diet considerations

Balsamic vinegar originates from grapes and is plant-derived in its base form, but formulations vary. Check for added sweeteners, thickeners, coloring, flavorings, or animal-derived processing ingredients where relevant. A reduction or glaze may have a different carbohydrate pattern from undiluted vinegar, especially by portion and recipe.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

Vegan
Not established
Vegetarian
Not established
Pescatarian
Not established
Keto
Not established
Paleo
Not established
Low-carb
Not established
Halal
Not established
Kosher
Not established

What these diet assessments mean

Vegan · Not established: The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established: The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established: The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established: A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established: The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established: A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established: Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established: Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3, 2025 — Vinegar, balsamic ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: 26 September 2026.