Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe
How to make homemade vanilla extract to add a magical (and SUPER easy) secret ingredient to all of your baked goods.
Little things end up making a big difference.
I’m a big fan of shortcuts, especially when it comes to cooking.
Pre-chopped frozen veggies? Bring ’em on.
Ready-to-use spaghetti sauce? Saves me hours in the kitchen!
Pre-shredded cheese? Heck yes.
Imitation vanilla extract? NOPE!
I used to use it, but as soon as I tasted the real stuff, I just haven’t been able to go back.
When you add too many shortcuts together, sometimes you end up losing the beauty of the dish and that’s what was happening in my baked goods.
I have been making more of an effort to make more foods from scratch anyways (because homemade is almost always better!). And, even if you are a terrible cook, this is the easiest recipe ever.
Ingredients for Homemade Vanilla:
- Vodka (you can use rum, but I prefer the neutral taste of vodka)
- Vanilla beans – Grade B Madagascar, bourbon, or Tahitian beans are the best for this! I get mine from Amazon because they are cheaper than the grocery store. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch them for a good price at Costco, but that’s pretty hit-or-miss.
- 5 minutes
- Knife
- Cutting board
That’s it!
How to Make Homemade Vanilla
Slice the vanilla beans down the center, but not all the way through.
See all that good pulp in there? That’s the stuff that’s going to make it taste amazing!
Then just drop them into the vodka.
Once they are all in there, close it up, give it a little shake and find a cool, dry place for it to live for the next 2-3 months while it works its magic.
I keep mine in a store room, but wherever you keep it, remember to shake it up every couple of weeks or so to get all of that vanilla flavor into the vodka!
That’s all there is to it! In a few months, you will have the most amazing tasting vanilla to use in all of your baking and in cute little bottles, they also make adorable gifts!
Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe
How to make homemade vanilla extract to add a magical (and SUPER easy) secret ingredient to all of your baked goods.
Ingredients
- 1.75 liters vodka
- 10-15 vanilla beans
Instructions
- Slice open the vanilla beans halfway, not cutting them all the way through.
- Add to vodka bottle and gently shake.
- Leave in a cool, dark place and gently shake it every couple of weeks for at least 8 weeks.
Notes
I've heard some people recommend removing your vanilla beans once you start using it because as they used their extract and uncovered their beans, they started to mold. I've been using my current bottle for two years and haven't had that issue!
Fabulous! I had no idea where vanilla extract comes from. Please include me in a vanilla making workshop!
Isn’t it great when you discover new things that are so easy? We should definitely have a vanilla making workshop (though that would take all of about 5 minutes – ha!).
this is next on my list of things to make from scratch (now even my scratch has to be from scratch) since store bought vanilla usually uses corn alcohol (*mean names about corn here*)… I’ve got some other great scratch recipes if you want (Baking powder uses corn starch too). 🙂
Oh gosh…I had no idea store-bought vanilla used corn alcohol! And baking soda, too?! Sheesh! You sure have had your work cut out for you learning to avoid allergens and make so much from scratch. I’ll definitely remember you as my go-to allergen expert in the future!
Wow this is a great idea! I can’t wait to try it out. Can you make other extracts this way?
You should absolutely try it! It’s so easy! And, yes, you can absolutely make other extracts this way – mint, lemon, orange…the possibilities are endless!
I’ve been making my own vanilla extract for years. I used to use vodka, but I now use bourbon to make mine because of the richness of flavor. Nothing beats homemade.
I’ve tried it with rum and still preferred the vodka, but I should try it with bourbon! Great idea. I so agree – nothing beats homemade!