Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is an ingredient that is utilized within most baking recipes. That being said, it can be an incredibly expensive ingredient to purchase regularly, especially if baking is a regular part of your life. Instead of purchasing a 4-ounce bottle costing upwards of $25, I decided to look into making my own! With only two simple ingredients, I’ve been able to make a large batch of custom and quality homemade vanilla extract with minimal effort.

Two Ingredients Needed

The two basic ingredients that are necessary in order to make Vanilla Extract is both alcohol and vanilla beans. These two ingredients sit in an airtight container for a specified amount of time. Throughout this time, the mixture is agitated consistently and kept in a cool space, out of direct sunlight.

Vanilla Beans

By using high-grade vanilla beans you will end up with a vanilla extract that reflects that same quality. Each variety of vanilla bean has its own distinct notes, flavors and aromas that will be evident as the extraction process continues. The characteristics of the three most common vanilla beans are listed below – don’t be scared to mix and match, creating your own custom extract based on your personal preference!

Common Vanilla Bean Origins and Flavors

Tahitian Vanilla: rich floral and fruity flavor

Madagascar Vanilla: creamy, rich

Mexican Vanilla: deep, smoky nutty flavor

Alcohol

Alcohol is known to be the most effective way to extract flavor from vanilla beans. As vodka is a neutral-tasting alcohol, this is what I most commonly use when making extract. It allows for the pure flavor of your vanilla beans to shine.

If you wanted to play with flavors and scents, you could use bourbon, rum or brandy instead! This produces more of a rich, caramelized flavor and a much darker color once the extraction is complete.

Extraction Process

The process of creating homemade vanilla extract requires a slow, cold infusion. Other types of infusions incorporate heat to help coax out the flavors and ingredients. When making an infusion with heat, flavor extractions can take as little as 30 minutes. I’ve added two examples that depict what a heat infusion recipe entails below:

• Infused Simple Syrups
• Rose Milk

Alcohol is known to be the most effective way to extract flavor from vanilla beans – when you see liquid vanilla products made without alcohol that’s known as vanilla flavoring. This process of extracting flavor from vanilla beans takes quite some time – eight weeks is the minimum amount of time to wait before using your homemade extract. The longer you allow the extract to sit, the flavor will become richer and the color will slowly get darker. For the most optimal flavor, I would recommend waiting at least 6 months!

Making Vanilla Extract

Let’s get into exactly how vanilla extract is made!

• First, slice each vanilla bean in half lengthwise to reveal the inside of the beans. If the beans are too long to fit in your glass jar you can cut them shorter.
• Place your split beans in a glass jar and pour alcohol over them. Cap the jar tightly and shake gently.
• You’ll want to place this mixture in a cool, dark place for at least eight weeks, making sure to shake it once a week. Ideally, your extract will sit extracting for 6-12 months in order to attain the optimal flavor.

It’s truly that simple! Vanilla extract tends to be an expensive purchase, leading most people to use imitation vanilla instead for their baking endeavors. Although the vanilla beans and quality vodka is an upfront cost – your homemade extract will save you a good amount of cash in the long run and your baked goods will taste infinitely better.

Go ahead – buy those flowers for your kitchen table! Treat yourself to a brand spanking new bundt pan! You’re making your own homemade vanilla extract and you deserve it.