You only need 2 ingredients for homemade vanilla extract: vanilla beans and vodka. Let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for 6-12 months before using. Homemade vanilla is more cost efficient than store-bought options. You can try homemade vanilla sugar, too.
Vanilla extract is an ingredient in many of our baked goods. This common addition actually carries big weight—1 teaspoon completely transforms a good dessert into a great dessert. You can’t make a few staples like vanilla cake, vanilla cupcakes, or vanilla buttercream without it.
A dear reader named Jill emailed me last year and said that once she began making her own vanilla extract, her baked goods tasted even better than before. She told me the secrets are to use extra vanilla beans and let the extract sit for at least 12 months before using.
I never thought to publish a post about homemade vanilla extract because it’s actually pretty simple. But Jill’s words were enough to convince me that all bakers should know that a cheaper AND better tasting vanilla extract is only 2 ingredients away.
Why Make Homemade Vanilla Extract?
Why make vanilla extract when you can just buy it from the store? Good question. With the price of vanilla constantly fluctuating, it’s very cost efficient to make your own. Plus, you can control the strength of its flavor. This is KEY because many pricey store-bought options lack the essential depth of flavor that makes good vanilla… good vanilla. This is either because the vanilla extract is imitation and made with artificial or synthetic ingredients or brands cut back on the amount of real vanilla in each bottle. You’re not paying for good vanilla, you’re paying for the convenience of weak bottled vanilla.
(By the way, last year I was part of a blind taste test of different store-bought pure vanillas and McCormick won by a landslide. It was the group’s top choice in both flavor and aroma.)
If you open a bottle of some store-bought vanilla extracts and a bottle of homemade vanilla, you will immediately smell the difference. And this difference directly transfers into your homemade baked goods.
What You Need for Homemade Vanilla Extract
All you’re doing is pouring alcohol over split vanilla beans and letting the concoction age over time. Give it a shake every now and then. It’s that easy.
- Vanilla Beans: You can find vanilla beans at most major grocery stores in the spice aisle. If you can’t locate them, try purchasing them online. I use and highly recommend these options—they’re also what I use when I make vanilla sugar—Madagascar vanilla beans, these Tahitian vanilla beans, or these Tahitian vanilla beans. (Note that each are different quantities.) I’ve made vanilla with them all. The beans are a generous size, nice and plump, high quality, and perfect for homemade vanilla. Vanilla beans labeled “Grade B” are specifically sold for extracting purposes, but I’ve made vanilla with Grade A beans and it tastes great. Use either.
- 80 proof Alcohol: Vanilla extract is most commonly made from vodka, but you can use bourbon, brandy, or rum instead. I usually use vodka, but the one bottle of bourbon vanilla I made 7 months ago is DIVINE. No need to splurge on expensive alcohol. This is probably the only time someone will tell you to buy the cheap stuff!! All the vanilla’s flavor is from the vanilla beans, so spend your money on those. Avoid flavored vodkas as they often contain artificial flavors, which negates the purpose of making your own pure vanilla.
- Glass Bottles or Jars with Tight Seal: We recommend 8 ounce bottles. These bottles have a convenient swing top with a very tight seal. Great for gifting. Sterilizing the bottles is ideal, though we’ve skipped that step with no problem in the outcome of the vanilla. If your bottles or jars don’t have any plastic pieces attached, we recommend sterilizing them before using.
- Funnel: A funnel is optional, but it makes pouring 100x quicker and easier. (These funnels collapse, so they’re great for storage.)
Vanilla beans are expensive, but around .75 to 1 ounce total make an entire CUP (8 ounces) of vanilla extract and you can reuse the beans.
It’s best to slit the beans open to help bring out even more flavor.
Non-alcoholic version? Pure extracts are made from alcohol because it’s the easiest way to extract the flavor out of the food. I’ve never made vanilla extract with a nonalcoholic alternative, but there are a few tutorials online if you give it a quick search.
Single-Fold Vs Double-Fold Vanilla Extract
Most store-bought vanilla extracts are what’s known as single-fold. Single-fold vanillas are weaker and to make your own, you need about 6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol. I prefer a stronger vanilla so the homemade flavor is more prominent in desserts. Strong vanilla is known as double-fold and it’s pretty pricey because it requires a lot of vanilla beans. Since double-fold can get expensive, I opt for about 8 vanilla beans (about .75 to 1 ounce) per 8 fluid ounces of alcohol. This is the best balance of taste and price.
Confused about which type of vanilla bean to buy?
- Madagascar Vanilla – very common and has a creamy and rich flavor
- Mexican Vanilla – has a darker, almost smoky flavor
- Tahitian Vanilla – also very common and has a rich floral flavor
Any are great choices for vanilla extract.
Wait 6-12 Months
The only things you need to remember about homemade vanilla extract are ratio and time. The ratio of vanilla beans per ounces of alcohol is imperative, but so is the amount of time the vanilla infuses the alcohol. We discussed ratio above, so let’s chat about how long to infuse the vanilla. Homemade vanilla extract tastes better and becomes darker in color the longer it sits. This means we need to practice our patience. The wait is worth it, though. Make some today and use it 6 months from now. You’ll be even happier when a full year has past. 12+ month homemade vanilla is incredible.
Store the infusing vanilla out of direct sunlight and give it a shake once per week.
Want to know the best part of all? You can continuously add more alcohol to the bottle as you use it. See the recipe instructions below. This is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
Free Printable Vanilla Extract Labels
Because everyone loves an accessory, I asked my dear friend Jess to design adorable labels for the vanilla extract bottles. They match our vanilla sugar and pumpkin pie spice labels!
Click this link for the PDF: Sally’s Baking Recipes Vanilla Extract Stickers
Print out the labels on sticker adhesive paper, then cut out the circles. Peel off the labels and stick on your vanilla extract bottles. The labels are obviously optional, but they’re a nice addition especially if you plan to gift the vanilla to others. (See more gift ideas on our Gifts for Bakers page!)
And one last thing… as you wait for your vanilla to infuse, here are hundreds of recipes using vanilla extract that you can browse. It’s my favorite in sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and coffee cake, just to name a few 🙂 And it’s absolutely lovely in my easy rice krispie treats recipe. Lots to look forward to!
Print
Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Category: Spice
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
For best results, let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for at least 12 months.
Ingredients
- .75 to 1 ounce vanilla beans (about 8 beans or 20g total)
- 1 cup (8 ounces; 240ml) 80 proof vodka (or bourbon, brandy, or even rum)
- 8 ounce bottle or jar with a tight seal
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, slit the vanilla beans so the beans are exposed. No need to completely split the bean in half, just slit down the middle. If the length of the vanilla beans don’t fit into your bottle or jar, cut the vanilla beans into smaller pieces. Place beans into bottle or jar.
- Pour vodka on top. A funnel helps. Use a little extra vodka, if needed, so the beans are fully submerged. Shake a few times.
- Store vanilla at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Shake about once per week or once every couple weeks. You can use it in 6 months, but 12+ months is even better.
- As you begin to use your vanilla, you can refill with a little vodka each time. Give it a shake after you refill and give it a shake before each use, too. If you’re gifting the vanilla or if you don’t have any more alcohol to refill, remove the beans completely after first use. The beans will become a little slimy if they aren’t almost fully submerged.
- Unused aged vanilla extract (with the beans fully submerged) will last several years. If it still smells good, it’s still good to use! Aged extract without the beans will last indefinitely. Once you begin using the vanilla and adding more alcohol after each use, the beans will eventually need to be replaced. It’s hard to give a specific amount of time as some may use (and refill) the vanilla more quickly than others. After about 1 year of frequent use and refilling, you will you find the vanilla flavor less intense. Simply remove old beans, add fresh beans, shake, and continue to use/refill.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate link): Madagascar Vanilla Beans, these Tahitian Vanilla Beans, or these Tahitian Vanilla Beans | 8-ounce Glass Bottles | Funnel
- Using More Vanilla Beans: Most store-bought vanilla extracts are what’s known as single-fold. Single-fold vanillas are weaker and to make your own, you need about 6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol. I prefer a stronger vanilla. Strong vanilla is known as double-fold and it’s pretty pricey because it requires a lot of vanilla beans. Since double-fold can get expensive, I opt for .75 to 1 ounce of vanilla beans per 8 fluid ounces of alcohol. This is the best balance of taste and price. Feel free to use more beans per 8 fluid ounces if desired.
- Seeds: Since the vanilla beans are exposed (slit open), there will be vanilla bean seeds in the bottle and therefore in your baked good. They add even more wonderful flavor!
- Use the same amount of homemade vanilla extract as you would store-bought in recipes.
- Gifting: I usually remove the beans if I’m gifting the bottle, that way the gift recipient isn’t responsible for refilling with more alcohol and the beans don’t go to waste. (You can reuse the beans for a new bottle.) However, if it’s been less than 6 months, I recommend gifting with the beans in the bottle because there’s still lots of flavor in there! Tell the gift recipient to remove the beans once he/she begins using the vanilla.
- Alcohol: If baking gluten free, use certified gluten free alcohol. Avoid flavored vodkas as they often contain artificial flavors, which negates the purpose of making your own pure vanilla.
- Sterilizing: Sterilizing the bottles is ideal, though we’ve skipped that step with no problem in the outcome of the vanilla. If your bottles or jars don’t have any plastic pieces attached, we recommend sterilizing them before using. The pictured bottles have a removable plastic topper piece. You can soak any plastic pieces in very hot soapy water, and dry completely before using.
It’s been many years since I made homemade vanilla and vanilla sugar. As I’m disabled, I’m limited on handmade gifts to give. You have inspired me to do this! TBH, the cost is minimal but the end product will be a wonderful, “expensive” homemade gift that I know most of my friends and family will appreciate!
I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t add more vodka. Can you reuse your beans? My bottle is empty save the beans.
Hi Paula, it is typically best to keep the beans submerged if planning to reuse. You may certainly give it a try, but your beans may have started to dry out and your extract may not be as strong.
I made this for friends and family this year
Along with some vanilla sugar and light and dark brown sugar and it made a libely gofr
Basket. Very impressive!
I am new to your sight and excited to make my own vanilla. Never considered doing that and I’m excited to get started
I made this recipe! Was so easy to follow and so well written. I have a good amount of seeds and pieces of the beans in my extract. I plan to give them as gifts for christmas. I want to leave the beans in for sure cause they’ve only been sitting a month. Would you recommend straining the little bits out before gifting? Or just writing on a card explaining that they add more flavour and supposed to be there.
Hi PJM! You definitely want to leave the bits of vanilla in there – a note would be great!
Hi Sally! I made your recipe 3 weeks ago and have been letting my bottles rest. I originally made sure they were covered in bourbon but it wasn’t by all that much. Perhaps the beans absorbed a bit of the alcohol but I noticed a few weeks after that the very tips of the beans in few of my bottles poked out of the alcohol. Only about a half cm or so has been exposed to air inside the bottle. They do have some light brown dots at the top of the liquid and on the inside of the top of the bottle. I read elsewhere this may just be fat solids from the beans. Anyway, would you be worried about the tips of the beans being uncovered for a few weeks? I just add extra bourbon so they are covered now. I want to give as gifts so I don’t want to poison anyone but I would hate to throw away the liquid gold if it’s ok!
Hi Maggie! No, we wouldn’t be too worried about that, but always use your best judgement!
I love this recipe!
Thank you for sharing your stickers, but when slick on the sticker page it is saying 1 sticker per page is this correct?
Hi Nancy, this will take you to the printable labels for Sally’s Baking Recipes Vanilla Sugar Stickers.
I did not put enough beans in the vodka as I misread the recipe. Can I still add some after the fact?
Definitely!
I’m going to try this with bourbon. I have several empty 375ml corked bourbon bottles that I could use for this. I assume there is no issue with using corked bottles as opposed to the swing top bottles that you recommend? I may end up putting a little more that 8 oz of bourbon in these bottles, so I will add an extra bean or two to keep the ratio consistent.
Shouldn’t be a problem! Let us know how it goes.