Easy homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe

Are you on the hunt for a cool gift that won’t break the bank and is sure to impress your loved ones? How about trying this Easy Homemade Vanilla Extract? Not only is it super easy to make, but by making it in bulk, you’ll get more for your money compared to buying a small bottle. 

I might receive a small commission for items purchased through affiliate links in this post at no additional cost to you.

Figuring out how many vanilla bean pods to use for 1 liter of alcohol depends on how much flavor you want and the quality of your beans. Usually, starting with 3 to 5 pods is a good idea. But feel free to tweak it to suit your taste and recipe.

Vodka, popular choices for making extracts include brands like Smirnoff, Absolut, or Tito’s. These brands are widely available and offer neutral flavors, which are ideal for extracting other flavors like vanilla. Select a high-proof, neutral alcohol to extract the flavors.

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Helpful equipment for this Easy Homemade Vanilla Extract

• 8 Pack [1 Liter / 33 fl. oz.] Swing Top Glass Bottles w/ Airtight Stopper Lids
•  6 Pack 8 Ounce Empty Glass Bottles with Lids
• Small Fine Mesh Strainer

Ingredients:

• 3-5 Vanilla bean pods (Bulk Vanilla bean pods)
• 95% (190 proof) Everclear

Steps to make this Easy Homemade Vanilla Extract

• Cut your vanilla bean pods down the middle scrape the seeds out save both the pods and seeds.
• Place prepared vanilla bean pods and seeds into a clean, airtight glass jar.
• Pour enough base alcohol over the ingredients to completely submerge them.
• Seal the jar tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for optimal infusion.

Steeping:

• Allow the ingredients to steep in the alcohol for several weeks to several months, depending on the desired intensity of flavor.

• Shake the jar occasionally to redistribute the flavors.

Straining:

• Once steeping is complete, strain the extract through a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or coffee filter to remove solid particles.

• Press gently to extract as much liquid as possible.

• keep these old vanilla bean pods and add them to your next batch along with your new pods or other Ingredients.

Storage:

• Transfer the strained extract into clean, airtight bottles or jars.

• Seal tightly and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

Notes for this Easy Homemade Vanilla Extract:

• Patience is key: Allow sufficient time for the flavors to fully infuse into the alcohol.
• Quality matters: Use fresh, high-quality ingredients for the best results.
• Experiment and customize: Feel free to mix and match flavoring ingredients to create unique blends.
• Labeling: Be sure to label your homemade extracts with the date and ingredients for future reference.
• Shelf life: Homemade extracts can last for an extended period if stored properly, but flavors may diminish over time.

Try Vanilla Bean and Bourbon:

Classic and rich, perfect for adding warmth to baked goods and desserts.

• 3 to 4 vanilla beans
• 1 cup bourbon whiskey

Dilution

If you’re using a high-proof alcohol like Everclear, which typically has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of around 95%, you may want to dilute it with water to lower the alcohol content to around 35% to 40% ABV (70 to 80 proof). This dilution helps extract the flavors more gently and produces a more balanced final product.

However, if you’re using a lower-proof vodka or rum (around 40% ABV or 80 proof), you may not need to add water, as the alcohol content is already within the desired range for extraction.

Ultimately, it’s up to your preference and the specific recipe you’re following. Adding water can help mellow the flavor of the extract and make it more versatile for various culinary uses.

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Eligh Miller-Polivka

Hello everyone, welcome to my neck of the woods! My name is Eligh, I was born in Portland, Oregon, and I love to forage! From when I was very young, my father took me out picking mushrooms, fishing, and camping. He loved to forage for mushrooms, and so naturally, I developed a keen eye for mushroom identification. After meeting my lovely wife on the Oregon coast, I started spending all of my free time out in the woods with plant, mushroom, and tree identification books. After some time I was able to identify every tree, plant, and mushroom that I came across. I learned their uses, both by native Americans and settlers alike. At this time, I also began fishing for salmon, trout, and different species of coastal rockfish. I always felt a strong sense of pride to be able to harvest a wide variety of wild edibles to suit my palate, and then harvest some natural bait and catch a fish, even how to make hooks and line using plants and trees that grow on the river bank.
I started cooking at a very young age. In middle school, my friends and their parents would ask me to cook food for them because I could make something out of nothing. I love to cook up new concoctions and see what everyone likes. When I became of working age, I started as a buss boy at a barbecue restaurant, and then moved on to work all positions of the restaurant industry. From head chef of a Jamaican restaurant in Tulsa, OK, to sous chef at a highly accredited bistro on the Oregon coast, all before I turned 21.
I Inherited land in southeast Oklahoma and now spend my days working a Fedex delivery route and working with my wife and 3 young boys on our rural homestead. We raise many different kinds of animals and some vegetable gardens. I hunt all manor of large and small game, and butcher all of my own meat. We harvest wild edibles of all kinds and enjoy to cook with them and eat them.
I am grateful that you stopped by to see how we are doing and hope to see you again very soon. We would love to be friends and hope you enjoy all of the recipes and information that I can manage to put out.
Thank you, and much love!
-Eligh

I may receive a small commission for items purchased through affiliate links in this post at no additional cost to you.

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