Homemade Vanilla Extract
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Making your own Homemade Vanilla Extract is surprisingly easy and so worth the wait. With just two ingredients, vodka and vanilla beans, you can create a rich, flavorful extract that tastes better than store-bought. It does take some patience, we’re talking months, not minutes, but once you have a batch going, you’ll never want to run out again. Plus, it makes the perfect gift for holidays, neighbors, or anyone who loves to bake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only 2 ingredients
- Better flavor than store-bought
- Makes a great homemade gift
Ingredients
Vodka (80 – 100 proof) – Acts as the base and extracts the flavor from the vanilla beans. You can use use rum or bourbon as well. The vodka doesn’t need to be anything fancy or expensive either. Just plain non-flavored vodka.
Vanilla beans – The most commmon kind of vanilla bean used for vanilla extract is the Madagascar Bourbon variety. They provide that classic, rich vanilla flavor. You can use grade A or grade B beans for vanilla extract.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use bourbon or rum instead of voka for a slightly different flavor.
- Try different vanilla beans like Tahitian which are known to be more floral or Mexican that can be bold.
- Mix different types of vanilla beans for a more complex extract.
- Add double the amount of vanilla beans (2 ounces) to 1 cup of vodka for a “double-fold vanilla extract”. This makes a stronger, richer vanilla extract.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
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How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
Step 1: Prep the jars – Clean six 8-ounce jars with warm, soapy water and let them dry completely.
Step 2: Cut the vanilla beans – Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in each vanilla bean lengthwise. It doesn’t need to be completely in half.
Step 3: Add beans to jars – Place about 1 ounce roughly 4 to 6 beans into each jar. You can cut them in half to make them fit.
Step 4: Add the vodka – Pour 1 cup of vodka into each jar, making sure the beans are fully submerged to prevent them from becoming moldy.
Step 5: Shake and store – Shaking isn’t necessary, but I like to do it. Store in a cool, dark place while it’s infusing.
How to Know When It’s Ready
- The liquid turns a deep amber brown
- It smells like vanilla and not alcohol
- The flavor is smooth and rich.
If it still smells strongly of alcohol, give it more time.
Tips for Best Results
- Keep the beans fully submerged at all times.
- Shake the jars if and when you think about it. I usually remember about once a month.
- Be patient. This is not a rush job.
- Label your jars with the start date so you don’t forget.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can top off the jar with more vodka once it gets low. Eventually, the beans will lose potency, but you can get multiple uses out of them. You can also dry the beans after they’ve soaked for vanilla extract to create a vanilla sugar.
It hasn’t infused long enough or you didn’t use enough vanilla beans.
Not really, Heat methods exist, but they don’t produce the same depth of flavor. Time is your best friend here. A few tips to help the extract along is use more vanilla beans, slice the beans in half, and shaking the jars periodically.
This post was originally posted March 26, 2014, but has been updated with new photos, tips and tricks, and tweaks to the recipe.
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Homemade Vanilla Extract
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Ingredients
- 6 cups vodka, 80 to 100 proof
- 6 ounces vanilla beans, Madagascar Bourbon Cure
Instructions
- Clean 6 8-ounce jars with warm, soapy water.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla beans in half. They don’t need to be fully split in half.
- Pop 1 ounce or between 4 – 6 vanilla beans in each jar.
- Fill each jar with 1 cup of vodka.
- Give the vodka a shake and store in a cool, dark place. Let the vanilla beans infuse into the vodka for at least six months. Occasionally shake the bottle. When the extract is ready it will be a light brown and smell of vanilla and not alcohol when it’s ready. The vanilla extract can even take up to 18 months or 2 years. Be patient!
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
Miranda,
Thanks for the recipe! When you start using the vanilla extract, do you need to strain it? The reason ask is because of the seeds!
Thanks alot!
Hi Jill! You don’t. The seeds are edible and you won’t even know they’re in it other than an occasional speck. You can also leave the beans whole so the seeds stay inside it. It just may take a little longer for the vanilla to be ready.
This is very interesting, I didn’t know vodka was in vanilla extract
sibabe64 at ptd dot net
lol well thank you!
Love this! I’ve been thinking about making my own vanilla extract since getting fresh vanilla beans in Hawaii a while back :). Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!