Homemade Vanilla Extract — Learning how to make vanilla extract at home couldn’t be easier! You need just two ingredients and lots of patience. Homemade vanilla is worth the wait, though!
Why Make Homemade Vanilla Extract?
I love the scent of vanilla in anything from candles to soap, and the flavor of vanilla in baked goods and desserts is second to none. If a recipe calls for one teaspoon vanilla extract, I use at least two; but likely more and use a slow, heavy hand when pouring.
All that pouring makes my food taste amazing, but my wallet doesn’t like it. Store-bought pure vanilla extract is pricey and I can make extremely fast work of a two- or four-ounce bottle that sells for $8.99 to $10.99, and up. Two ounces, that’s for one batch of cookies, right?
Homemade vanilla extract saves money, and even if it didn’t, when it comes to taste and flavor, there is just no comparison. It’s like making Homemade Peanut Butter. Price per ounce not withstanding, the taste and flavor of homemade simply can’t be beat.
When it comes right down to it, homemade everything is almost always better than store-bought, and DIY vanilla extract is no exception.
I once briefly mentioned that vanilla extract is nearly effortless to make and had quite a few people comment who were surprised by how easy it is or how it’s created. It’s the non-work DIY project, actually.
The only thing special that’s required when making this vanilla extract recipe is patience. It won’t be ready for at least six to eight weeks, and if you have the time, longer is fine (it’s preferred actually). If the vanilla beans are left in the jar, the flavor will continue to evolve and mature.
Since I have a steady and abundant supply of rich, intense, and delightful tasting vanilla extract, I don’t feel bad about adding two tablespoons to a batch of cookies. Or more.
Sticking my nose in this jar and just breathing in the incredibly smooth, fragrant aroma is intoxicating. You’ll never go back to store-bought after making vanilla extract yourself!
What’s in Vanilla Extract?
When making vanilla extract, you’ll need vanilla beans and some kind of alcohol. Vanilla beans hail from Mexico, Madagascar, Tahiti, India, Indonesia, Tonga and a handful of other countries.
The country of origin of the bean impacts the final flavor of the vanilla extract, but like coffee, unless you have a supersonic palate, discerning a Madagascar bean from an Indian bean is like discerning a cup of Kenyan coffee from a cup of Colombian coffee — easier said than done for the average person.
Just select a bean that sounds good to you. There are no wrong choices here.
When selecting beans, they should be soft, pliable, tender, and flexible. Oily is good and beans that are dried out, hard, have mold on them, or look like dried out sticks should be avoided.
Next, you need alcohol (at least 35% by volume) in order to extract the vanilla from the vanilla beans, thus the name, vanilla extract. I use the same vodka that I’d use in a cocktail rather than frat house bargain vodka that produces hangovers.
Skyy happened to be on sale at the grocery store the week I started this batch of homemade vanilla extract and was $13.99 for a 750ml bottle (about 25 ounces). There are times I have paid $13.99 for a four-ounce bottle of vanilla; do that bad math. And then make your own vanilla.
Bourbon, rum, or brandy may be used instead of vodka. Vodka produces a cleaner and lighter vanilla extract; bourbon produces a heavier, more complex and moodier, if you will, type of extract. Dark rum, light rum, spiced rum, or brandy will all effect the taste of the final extract compared to vodka, which imparts almost none.
In certain chocolate-based recipes, such as brownies or chocolate cake, bourbon-based vanilla is nice and complements the chocolate, but in general, and for most baking, vodka-based vanilla extract is my preference.
How to Make Vanilla Extract
To make vanilla extract from scratch, you’ll need a glass jar that seals in which to make it. The jar doesn’t have to be fancy — any clean glass jar with a lid will do.
This 8.5-ounce swingtop bottle is perfect for the job and I added five Tahitian Vanilla Beans to it and topped off with one cup (8 ounces) of vodka and sealed it off.
The rule of thumb is 5 vanilla beans per 1 cup vodka.
I figured as long as this was a two-month project, I may as well extract in bulk. Into a 12-ounce Ball glass jar, the same type you’d use for canning and available from most any grocery store, I added five Madagascar Vanilla Beans. The batch in my swingtop bottle has a slightly higher ratio of beans to liquid, and the resulting extract is just a bit more intensely-flavored.
I recommend not skimping when adding beans, and although they can seem expensive, you’ll thank yourself later for not skimping when the taste of your finished extract is robust and flavorful. Plus, think of all the money you’re saving already by making it at home.
Before placing the vanilla beans in the jar, slice each bean in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife, stopping one inch before one of the ends so the bean doesn’t split in half, not that it really matters if it would.
Some people scrape the seeds from the inside of the beans, then add the scrapings and beans separately into the jar, but I don’t bother. I simply slice the beans in half and place them into the jar.
Fill up the jars 95% of the way full with vodka, seal, shake for about 30 seconds, and place them in a quiet corner on your countertop, on a shelf, or somewhere that they can just be. For a few months.
Once a week or so, twice if I remember, I give the jars a good 10-second, vigorous shake. Other than a few shakes here and there, you don’t have to do anything other than just wait and let the booze do its extraction work to the beans.
Over time, the taste of the alcohol fades and the taste of vanilla replaces the alcohol. After the months have passed, start using the DIY vanilla extract in any recipe you’d normally use it in. Simple as that.
How Many Vanilla Beans Are Needed to Make Extract?
The rule of thumb is five vanilla beans per 1 cup of alcohol. It may seem pricey, but those beans will last a long time!
Does Vanilla Extract Expire?
If properly stored in a cool, dark place, homemade vanilla extract will last pretty much forever! Like I already explained, you’ll need to take the vanilla beans out at some point, but the remaining extract will last for a long time.
Do I Have to Use Alcohol?
Yes, I’ve found that unflavored vodka, rum, or bourbon works best when making vanilla extract. There are recipes for alcohol-free vanilla online, but they typically use glycerin and result in a much weaker flavor that I don’t like.
Does it Matter What Type of Vanilla Bean I Use?
No, as long as your beans aren’t dried out or moldy, you can use any type of vanilla bean you’d like. Just remember to buy enough to flavor your vanilla extract properly.
Can I Make Bourbon Vanilla Extract?
Yes! You may use rum, bourbon, or vodka to make homemade vanilla extract. Bourbon vanilla extract makes a “moodier” tasting vanilla, if that makes any sense. It’s just a different — but still delicious! — flavor.
Where Can I Buy Vanilla Beans?
Your local grocery store will sell vanilla beans in the baking aisle, but grocery store vanilla beans can sometimes be dry and not at all plump.
You’ll likely have more luck buying vanilla beans off of Amazon or a quality retailer like Beanilla (I’m not affiliated with them, I just love their vanilla beans).
What Should I Do With Used Vanilla Beans?
Do NOT throw them out yet! Used vanilla beans, past their prime for making extract, can be dried out, and added to a bag of sugar to produce vanilla-scented sugar.
Depending on how much ‘life’ the beans had in them will dictate how fragrant the sugar becomes. Vanilla sugar is nice to bake with and adds extra vanilla oomph to recipes.
Tips for Making Vanilla Extract
Some people strain their vanilla extract before using it because they don’t want the teeny tiny little seeds in their food, but seeing those real vanilla bean flecks and seeds is what I want and desire. To strain those away would be like taking silver polish to a 100-year-old silver spoon with a beautiful patina or painting over antique wood; not something I would ever do.
I want the rustic character, the homemade and charming aspect of seeing flecks of vanilla beans in the cookies I bake with this vanilla. Not to mention, those seeds and flecks are little flavor bombs that I’d never strain away.
As I use the vanilla extract, I top it off with more vodka to allow the extraction cycle to continue, and after 6 months or so I replace the beans with new ones so that fragrant, flavorful, and robust vanilla extract is produced. The beans will last quite a long time, but nothing lasts forever so you’ll need to replace the beans as necessary, which will depend on how much of a vanilla extract fiend you are.
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Homemade Vanilla Extract
Ingredients
- 5 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
- 8 ounces 1 cup vodka*
Instructions
- Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a knife, stopping about 1-inch from one end. (Use vanilla beans that are flexible, pliable, soft, oily, and not hard or dried out). Place beans in an 8 to 12-ounce jar with a lid (rule of thumb is 5 beans per 8 ounces alcohol). Some people scrape the seeds add the scrapings and beans to the jar separately, but I don't bother scraping.
- Pour vodka over the beans to nearly the top of the jar, about 95% full. Seal jar, shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, and set in a corner on the countertop, shelf, or safe place out of direct sunlight, where jar will stay for two months. Once or twice per week, shake the jar for about 10 seconds, otherwise just forget about it.
- In 6 weeks, the extract may be ready to use, but it will likely take 8 weeks, and longer is better as the extract will continue to mature. As time elapses, the alcohol will fade and the flavor of vanilla will develop and strengthen. Use your nose and if it smells prominently like alcohol, it's not ready. The extract will always have some scent of alcohol, as storebought vanilla extract does, but it should smell like vanilla extract not like a cocktail. You will be able to discern ready from not ready with a sniff test.
- When extract is ready, use it directly out of brewing jar for all your cooking and baking needs. Some people strain extract prior to using to remove the vanilla bean seeds and flecks but I do not. If strained extract is desired, strain it through a fine-mesh filter or sieve). Store extract in the jar in which it's being made or pour into smaller jars (save storebought jars, ask friends and family, they'll be happy to give you old storebought jars if you refill them with homemade). Vanilla extract will keep for many months and year(s) stored at room-temperature out of direct sunlight.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My Favorite Vanilla Extract Recipes:
Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies — Bars are my favorite dessert to make because they’re so fast and easy. For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery blondies that are topped with the most amazing vanilla-spiked caramel glaze, I called upon my trusty blondie base.
Vanilla Cake From Scratch — Move over chocolate, because vanilla has arrived. This no mixer, easy vanilla cake is topped with a browned butter glaze that’s impossible to resist!
Banana Bars with Vanilla Glaze— Fudgy is the only word that describes these bars! They’re the banana equivalent of moist, fudgy brownies with zero trace of cakiness.
Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream — This Funfetti Cake recipe is as close to store-bought Funfetti Cake Mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and make a scratch cake in literally 5 minutes!
Sweet Cream Vanilla Coffee Cake — The trifecta of creamer, vanilla Greek yogurt, and splash of oil moisturize and tenderize the cake, and also lend a creamy, rich flavor profile.
Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil.
Easy Pound Cake with Powdered Sugar Glaze — Finally a homemade pound cake that isn’t dry!! This EASY, buttery, velvety pound cake will be the star of your next party or celebration!
This is the first time I see someone mentioned tonga vanilla beans – I come from the kingdom of tonga and I don’t know too many of my kind using tonga vanilla beans here in the states in their cooking. I will try making my first homemade vanilla extract with your recipe – thanks for sharing!
Question ? You said when used to top
Off and complete the cycle , so after every teaspoon or two add more vodka and wait 2 months , or transfer the completed batch to another jar, and add more vodka to the fist jar and wait 2 months ?? Thanks
After my bottle is about halfway used, I top off with more vodka and then wait another month or two. It’s not really an exact science. I definitely don’t use 2 tbps of vanilla and then add 2 tbsp more vodka. It’s more of just, okay this is looking low-ish, I need to top it off. Then I wait until it develops, a month or two. I have many bottles in rotation so it works out for me.
Where do you buy your vanilla beans from? is there a good online store? TIA :-)
Usually on amazon.com
What a wonderful article! I cannot wait to try this recipe.
The “Pop-UP” issue is with the browser the person is using. Google, Yahoo, or Mozilla Block Pop-ups for your browser and follow the instructions. It is difficult to understand someone would not come back to this site due to their lack of research experience.
Thank you for your wonderful ideas and guidance!
Warmest regards,
Jan Simpson
I have been wanting to try this for weeks after a friend of mine gifted me some! Thanks for sharing!
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Vanilla flavored vodka is lower in proof content. I’ve been making my own since 2007 . Beanilla is the best place for madagascar beans, the more you buy the cheaper the price!! I no longer buy store vanilla!