How to Make Vanilla Extract

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Here’s how to make the best homemade vanilla extract to flavor your cookies, cakes, frosting, and more. Cheaper and better-tasting vanilla extract takes only 2 ingredients!

vanilla extract bottles on burlap

If your kids are anything like mine, they love to bake and eat cookies. This is a fairly inexpensive hobby, since I buy most of my baking ingredients in bulk.

I quickly learned that quality vanilla extract is one of the most expensive parts of cookie baking, though! For the sake of my wallet, I decided to see if I could make my own.

young girl holding tray of baked sugar cookies

Why is vanilla extract so expensive?

Vanilla beans are seed pods of orchids that only grow in tropical areas. Because they are an agricultural crop, the price can vary a lot from year to year based on weather, harvests, etc.

Once the vanilla beans are picked, they go through a multi-step curing process that can take several months. Then the beans are made into extract, which takes additional time.

The good news is you can make your own vanilla extract with two simple ingredients: vanilla beans and alcohol. 

knife splitting open a vanilla bean

What’s the difference between vanilla extract and imitation vanilla?

Imitation vanilla is made from artificial flavorings, which isn’t surprising. What is alarming is that most of these artificial flavorings come from the wood pulp waste from paper-making. Besides being gross, these wastes could contain different types of chemicals. Yuck. 

Are there different types of vanilla beans?

Yes, and this is important information for your homemade vanilla extract. Grade A vanilla beans have a higher water content. They’re typically more expensive and are used for direct application in recipes (like vanilla bean ice cream or vanilla pudding).

Grade B vanilla beans are drier, and therefore the vanilla flavor is more concentrated. They’re also less expensive! These are the beans you want to use for extract. 

hands holding several vanilla beans

Vanilla beans grown in different parts of the world exhibit slightly different flavors. There are three different major vanilla bean growing regions: 

• Madagascar vanilla is the most common, and has a full, creamy, rich flavor. 
• Mexican vanilla has a darker, somewhat spicy flavor, similar to clove or nutmeg.
• Tahitian vanilla is also common and has a floral, fruity flavor.

What kind of alcohol is best for making vanilla extract?

You can use any alcohol as long as it is 80 proof (40% alcohol) or more. That said, tequila might not be a delicious choice…but that’s up to you.

The most common alcohols used are vodka, bourbon, brandy, or rum. Vodka is my choice, because it’s cheaper and flavorless. If you use bourbon or rum, your vanilla extract may have a different, more exotic flavor–especially when made with Mexican vanilla beans. But why not give it a try? You might just like it. 

homemade vanilla extract and vanilla beans on burlap

How long does homemade vanilla extract last?

Well, you’ll probably find that you’re using it all the time…so it may not last long. But because vanilla extract is an alcohol-based mixture, it will keep indefinitely (as long as the beans stay submerged). The best flavor will be in the first 3-4 years. 

two apothecary bottles of vanilla extract with vanilla beans on table

Is homemade vanilla extract cheaper?

Homemade vanilla is almost always cheaper than store-bought. You’re doing the work of the manufacturer, distributor, and store–all of whom get paid when you buy at the store.

Here’s the breakdown: 

Wow! That’s a savings of 40% and you still have 2 cups of vodka left over.

Need a use for that leftover vodka? I recommend you add some to your Watermelon Limeade. 😉

two bottles of homemade vanilla extract and vanilla beans on burlap

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Yield: 8 ounces
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Here’s how to make the best homemade vanilla extract to flavor your cookies, cakes, frosting, and more. Cheaper and better-tasting vanilla extract takes only 2 ingredients!

Ingredients

  • 1 oz vanilla beans
  • 1 cup vodka
  • Glass jar or bottle with lid

Instructions

  1. Pour the vodka into the glass jar or bottle.
  2. Split the vanilla beans open and cut them (if needed) so they'll be completely submerged in the vodka.
  3. Place the beans in the jar, cap the lid and shake gently.
  4. Allow your extract to steep for at least two weeks before using--the longer, the better.

Notes

Store your homemade vanilla extract in a dark, cool place (not the fridge or freezer). It will keep indefinitely, as long as the beans are submerged.

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52 thoughts on -How to Make Vanilla Extract-

  1. Made some in October. It’s still steeping in my dark cool closet. Smells divine. Lovely dark, rich, amber color. Guess I need to get some baking going

  2. According to vanillaproductsusa.com, you use 1/4 pound of beans minimum per quart of extract. They explain it all. Having done it, I can attest to the accuracy. I’m glad I did it before the price of beans sailed over the rainbow, because I doubled the amount to make double-fold extract!

  3. I have been making for years! The grocery store vanilla has alcohol also! I give as gifts and people love it! Definitely reuse the vanilla beans! I put mine directly in the bottle!

  4. Commercial extract is required to use about 8 beans per cup of alcohol. 5 beans is not enough for a whole bottle of vodka. Unless it’s an airplane bottle, that would work. But for a 750ml bottle you would need at 25-30 beans to get the same strength as commercial vanilla.

  5. About the alcahol —- I’ve been making and using this vanilla for years now and don’t think I have ever gotten “tipsy” from it. “HICK” ! ! ! But if you are allergick to alcahol , PLEASE. Don’t use this! !! It does make wonderful gifts in pretty little bottles. Thanks ! !

  6. I made your recipe in November for Christmas gifts – I knew I was pushing the time window but as usual I was starting it late. Okay, when Christmas rolled around, I looked at it and it was brown like your picture but I was afraid that it was not strong enough. I continued to let it sit and it is now April and I don’t think it has gotten any darker. I even added additional vanilla beans last month hoping to make it richer flavored. What am I doing wrong? I used 8 oz bottles and each one now has 6 vamilla beans split and seeds scraped into the bottle.

    1. Sounds like you’re doing everything right! The color isn’t a true indicator of the strength–different vanilla beans will impart a different color. I’d give it a shake every couple of weeks and start baking with it!

    2. I don’t know if this makes a difference in the “color” but I read about vanilla beans labeled “Extract Grade B” then noticed the ones I purchased were not marked as such. My current batch is light; next time I’ll try extract grade to see if it produces a darker color extract.

  7. Did it a long time ago, not to save money. Just because where I live you couldn’t find it easily. Now it’s sold everywhere, but it’s so expensive I’m happy I have my homemade bottle of vanilla extract.

    1. You can also use rum. But both of those change the flavor. Vodka is the best to use for a straight vanilla flavor, IMO.

      1. No, it isn’t totally gone, but given the amount typically used in recipes vs the volume of what it’s added to, it may as well be considered gone.

  8. For those who don’t want to use alcohol, I have heard of vinegar being used for making extracts. I’ve never tried it with vinegar and don’t know how it would affect the taste or flavor. If you bake or cook with it, the alcohol evaporates anyway since it’s such a small amount.

    1. The alcohol does not evaporate, only the flavor of the alcohol you are using disappears. The alcohol never completely evaporates, only a small percentage.

      1. Avatar photo
        Summer Perkins

        1. There is just as much alcohol in commercial vanilla extract (or any other extract) a there is in this recipe, unless you buy extracts that are specially made without it.
        2. The alcohol doesn’t cook out entirely, but let’s think about how much alcohol one would consume in a cookie. 40-50% of the alcohol in the extract will cook out (this is according to a professional chef with a master’s degree in food science). Just for easy calculating, we’ll say we’re using a vodka with 50% alcohol and 50% of it will cook out. One shot of liquor is 1.5 fl oz, or 6 tbsp. If your cookie recipe calls for one tablespoon of vanilla extract and makes three dozen cookies, you would have to eat 36 dozen cookies to get the amount of alcohol contained in one drink.

  9. Do you take the vanilla pods out when it is done? I assume that you use it in the same quantities as storebought vanilla.

  10. and if you are allergic to corn, use Potato Vodka- extracts are made with “grain alcohol” primarily corn. So the corn allergic cannot use or eat any of the extracts on the market. You can also make almond, anise.. etc.

  11. Awesome that this “experiment” is done. I wonder if there would be any problems to putting the beans directly in the bottle, and then not decanting it out but just using it from the bottle with the beans still in it.

    I’m guessing that you’ll actually go through vanilla extract faster now, though, since it’s not quite so “precious”.

    1. I’ve been doing this for about 5 years, and I always just use the vodka bottle the whole way through the process, from infusing to empty. You can also just add new beans and vodka to your original bottle and leave the old ones in it too. It’ll continue to infuse, and you get the added fun of having some of the vanilla bean specks in your baking. 🙂

      1. if you top off each time you use it the mix will last without adding beans for a very long time

    1. It is still alcoholic. You can boil it after you make it to get rid of the alcohol content but it isn’t necessary. I think that is what makes it shelf stable. When you use it for cooking, it cooks the alcohol out anyway.

      1. There will still be alcohol present, even if you boil it. The only thing that is removed when baking/boiling anything with alcohol is the flavor.

  12. I did this a few months ago and it’s easily in my Top 5 “Why the heck didn’t I start doing this years ago?” file. It’s so easy and it really saves you money.

    1. Don’t know where you live, but I’ve found the bottle with vanilla beans already to go at TJMaxx. You just need to add the liquid whichever you want to use, run,vodka,bourbon.

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