Homemade Vanilla Extract

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Homemade Vanilla Extract â€” Learning how to make vanilla extract at home couldn’t be easier! You need just two ingredients and lots of patience. Homemade vanilla is worth the wait, though! 

Homemade Vanilla Extract in glass bottle

Why Make Homemade Vanilla Extract?

I love the scent of vanilla in anything from candles to soap, and the flavor of vanilla in baked goods and desserts is second to none. If a recipe calls for one teaspoon vanilla extract, I use at least two; but likely more and use a slow, heavy hand when pouring.

All that pouring makes my food taste amazing, but my wallet doesn’t like it. Store-bought pure vanilla extract is pricey and I can make extremely fast work of a two- or four-ounce bottle that sells for $8.99 to $10.99, and up. Two ounces, that’s for one batch of cookies, right?

Homemade vanilla extract saves money, and even if it didn’t, when it comes to taste and flavor, there is just no comparison. It’s like making Homemade Peanut Butter. Price per ounce not withstanding, the taste and flavor of homemade simply can’t be beat.

When it comes right down to it, homemade everything is almost always better than store-bought, and DIY vanilla extract is no exception.

Homemade Vanilla Extract in glass mason jar

I once briefly mentioned that vanilla extract is nearly effortless to make and had quite a few people comment who were surprised by how easy it is or how it’s created. It’s the non-work DIY project, actually.

The only thing special that’s required when making this vanilla extract recipe is patience. It won’t be ready for at least six to eight weeks, and if you have the time, longer is fine (it’s preferred actually). If the vanilla beans are left in the jar, the flavor will continue to evolve and mature.

Since I have a steady and abundant supply of rich, intense, and delightful tasting vanilla extract, I don’t feel bad about adding two tablespoons to a batch of cookies. Or more. 

Sticking my nose in this jar and just breathing in the incredibly smooth, fragrant aroma is intoxicating. You’ll never go back to store-bought after making vanilla extract yourself! 

packages of vanilla beans from different origins

What’s in Vanilla Extract? 

When making vanilla extract, you’ll need vanilla beans and some kind of alcohol. Vanilla beans hail from Mexico, Madagascar, Tahiti, India, Indonesia, Tonga and a handful of other countries.

The country of origin of the bean impacts the final flavor of the vanilla extract, but like coffee, unless you have a supersonic palate, discerning a Madagascar bean from an Indian bean is like discerning a cup of Kenyan coffee from a cup of Colombian coffee — easier said than done for the average person.

Just select a bean that sounds good to you. There are no wrong choices here.

When selecting beans, they should be soft, pliable, tender, and flexible. Oily is good and beans that are dried out, hard, have mold on them, or look like dried out sticks should be avoided.

three vanilla beans on white cutting board with knife

Next, you need alcohol (at least 35% by volume) in order to extract the vanilla from the vanilla beans, thus the name, vanilla extract. I use the same vodka that I’d use in a cocktail rather than frat house bargain vodka that produces hangovers.

Skyy happened to be on sale at the grocery store the week I started this batch of homemade vanilla extract and was $13.99 for a 750ml bottle (about 25 ounces). There are times I have paid $13.99 for a four-ounce bottle of vanilla; do that bad math. And then make your own vanilla.

Bourbon, rum, or brandy may be used instead of vodka. Vodka produces a cleaner and lighter vanilla extract; bourbon produces a heavier, more complex and moodier, if you will, type of extract. Dark rum, light rum, spiced rum, or brandy will all effect the taste of the final extract compared to vodka, which imparts almost none.

In certain chocolate-based recipes, such as brownies or chocolate cake, bourbon-based vanilla is nice and complements the chocolate, but in general, and for most baking, vodka-based vanilla extract is my preference.

Vanilla beans in mason jar and bottle

How to Make Vanilla Extract

To make vanilla extract from scratch, you’ll need a glass jar that seals in which to make it. The jar doesn’t have to be fancy — any clean glass jar with a lid will do.

This 8.5-ounce swingtop bottle is perfect for the job and I added five Tahitian Vanilla Beans to it and topped off with one cup (8 ounces) of vodka and sealed it off.

The rule of thumb is 5 vanilla beans per 1 cup vodka.

I figured as long as this was a two-month project, I may as well extract in bulk. Into a 12-ounce Ball glass jar, the same type you’d use for canning and available from most any grocery store, I added five Madagascar Vanilla Beans. The batch in my swingtop bottle has a slightly higher ratio of beans to liquid, and the resulting extract is just a bit more intensely-flavored.

I recommend not skimping when adding beans, and although they can seem expensive, you’ll thank yourself later for not skimping when the taste of your finished extract is robust and flavorful. Plus, think of all the money you’re saving already by making it at home.

vanilla extract in glass bottle

Before placing the vanilla beans in the jar, slice each bean in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife, stopping one inch before one of the ends so the bean doesn’t split in half, not that it really matters if it would. 

Some people scrape the seeds from the inside of the beans, then add the scrapings and beans separately into the jar, but I don’t bother. I simply slice the beans in half and place them into the jar.

Fill up the jars 95% of the way full with vodka, seal, shake for about 30 seconds, and place them in a quiet corner on your countertop, on a shelf, or somewhere that they can just be. For a few months.

Once a week or so, twice if I remember, I give the jars a good 10-second, vigorous shake. Other than a few shakes here and there, you don’t have to do anything other than just wait and let the booze do its extraction work to the beans.

Over time, the taste of the alcohol fades and the taste of vanilla replaces the alcohol. After the months have passed, start using the DIY vanilla extract in any recipe you’d normally use it in. Simple as that.

Homemade Vanilla Extract with vanilla beans in it

How Many Vanilla Beans Are Needed to Make Extract? 

The rule of thumb is five vanilla beans per 1 cup of alcohol. It may seem pricey, but those beans will last a long time! 

Does Vanilla Extract Expire? 

If properly stored in a cool, dark place, homemade vanilla extract will last pretty much forever! Like I already explained, you’ll need to take the vanilla beans out at some point, but the remaining extract will last for a long time. 

Do I Have to Use Alcohol? 

Yes, I’ve found that unflavored vodka, rum, or bourbon works best when making vanilla extract. There are recipes for alcohol-free vanilla online, but they typically use glycerin and result in a much weaker flavor that I don’t like. 

Does it Matter What Type of Vanilla Bean I Use? 

No, as long as your beans aren’t dried out or moldy, you can use any type of vanilla bean you’d like. Just remember to buy enough to flavor your vanilla extract properly. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract bottles and jars

Can I Make Bourbon Vanilla Extract? 

Yes! You may use rum, bourbon, or vodka to make homemade vanilla extract. Bourbon vanilla extract makes a “moodier” tasting vanilla, if that makes any sense. It’s just a different — but still delicious! — flavor. 

Where Can I Buy Vanilla Beans? 

Your local grocery store will sell vanilla beans in the baking aisle, but grocery store vanilla beans can sometimes be dry and not at all plump. 

You’ll likely have more luck buying vanilla beans off of Amazon or a quality retailer like Beanilla (I’m not affiliated with them, I just love their vanilla beans). 

What Should I Do With Used Vanilla Beans? 

Do NOT throw them out yet! Used vanilla beans, past their prime for making extract, can be dried out, and added to a bag of sugar to produce vanilla-scented sugar.

Depending on how much ‘life’ the beans had in them will dictate how fragrant the sugar becomes. Vanilla sugar is nice to bake with and adds extra vanilla oomph to recipes.

Homemade Vanilla Extract bottles and jars

Tips for Making Vanilla Extract

Some people strain their vanilla extract before using it because they don’t want the teeny tiny little seeds in their food, but seeing those real vanilla bean flecks and seeds is what I want and desire. To strain those away would be like taking silver polish to a 100-year-old silver spoon with a beautiful patina or painting over antique wood; not something I would ever do.

I want the rustic character, the homemade and charming aspect of seeing flecks of vanilla beans in the cookies I bake with this vanilla. Not to mention, those seeds and flecks are little flavor bombs that I’d never strain away.

As I use the vanilla extract, I top it off with more vodka to allow the extraction cycle to continue, and after 6 months or so I replace the beans with new ones so that fragrant, flavorful, and robust vanilla extract is produced. The beans will last quite a long time, but nothing lasts forever so you’ll need to replace the beans as necessary, which will depend on how much of a vanilla extract fiend you are.

Homemade Vanilla Extract â€” Learning how to make vanilla extract at home couldn't be easier! You need just two ingredients and lots of patience. Homemade vanilla is worth the wait, though! 

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4.37 from 11 votes

Homemade Vanilla Extract

By Averie Sunshine
Making your own vanilla extract is extremely easy and between the cost savings and the wonderful flavor of homemade, you'll never want or need to purchase store-bought vanilla extract again. This is not a fast project; it takes about 8 weeks for the extract to be ready for use, but in those 8 weeks, there's no work. Patience is a virtue and homemade vanilla extract is worth the wait. Makes fabulous gifts and people are always grateful for this easy yet impressive gift.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Wait Time: 182 days 12 hours
Total Time: 182 days 12 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 ounces vanilla
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Ingredients  

  • 5 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
  • 8 ounces 1 cup vodka*

Instructions 

  • Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a knife, stopping about 1-inch from one end. (Use vanilla beans that are flexible, pliable, soft, oily, and not hard or dried out). Place beans in an 8 to 12-ounce jar with a lid (rule of thumb is 5 beans per 8 ounces alcohol). Some people scrape the seeds add the scrapings and beans to the jar separately, but I don't bother scraping.
  • Pour vodka over the beans to nearly the top of the jar, about 95% full. Seal jar, shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, and set in a corner on the countertop, shelf, or safe place out of direct sunlight, where jar will stay for two months. Once or twice per week, shake the jar for about 10 seconds, otherwise just forget about it.
  • In 6 weeks, the extract may be ready to use, but it will likely take 8 weeks, and longer is better as the extract will continue to mature. As time elapses, the alcohol will fade and the flavor of vanilla will develop and strengthen. Use your nose and if it smells prominently like alcohol, it's not ready. The extract will always have some scent of alcohol, as storebought vanilla extract does, but it should smell like vanilla extract not like a cocktail. You will be able to discern ready from not ready with a sniff test.
  • When extract is ready, use it directly out of brewing jar for all your cooking and baking needs. Some people strain extract prior to using to remove the vanilla bean seeds and flecks but I do not. If strained extract is desired, strain it through a fine-mesh filter or sieve). Store extract in the jar in which it's being made or pour into smaller jars (save storebought jars, ask friends and family, they'll be happy to give you old storebought jars if you refill them with homemade). Vanilla extract will keep for many months and year(s) stored at room-temperature out of direct sunlight.

Notes

*Rum, bourbon, or brandy may also be used; vodka produces the cleanest-tasting extract.
Note: As vanilla extract is used, top off brewing jar with more vodka to allow the vanilla-making cycle to continue. Every six months or so (depends on how fast you're going through it), replace the vanilla beans so they continue to produce flavorful extract. Retired vanilla beans may be dried and added to sugar to make vanilla-sugar. Vanilla-sugar adds extract vanilla oomph to anything it's used in.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 17kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

My Favorite Vanilla Extract Recipes: 

Vanilla Bean Caramel Blondies — Bars are my favorite dessert to make because they’re so fast and easy. For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery blondies that are topped with the most amazing vanilla-spiked caramel glaze, I called upon my trusty blondie base.

Vanilla Cake From Scratch — Move over chocolate, because vanilla has arrived. This no mixer, easy vanilla cake is topped with a browned butter glaze that’s impossible to resist!

Banana Bars with Vanilla Glaze— Fudgy is the only word that describes these bars! They’re the banana equivalent of moist, fudgy brownies with zero trace of cakiness.

Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream — This Funfetti Cake recipe is as close to store-bought Funfetti Cake Mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and make a scratch cake in literally 5 minutes!

Sweet Cream Vanilla Coffee Cake — The trifecta of creamer, vanilla Greek yogurt, and splash of oil moisturize and tenderize the cake, and also lend a creamy, rich flavor profile. 

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil.

Easy Pound Cake with Powdered Sugar Glaze — Finally a homemade pound cake that isn’t dry!! This EASY, buttery, velvety pound cake will be the star of your next party or celebration!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Is it too late to start this for Xmas? We’ve got seven weeks to go, do you think it would be ready to use by then or would I have to advise people to hold off for a while? I love this idea but want to give a finished product.

    1. It would be close – it’s hard to say. 6 to 8 weeks is suggested; longer never hurts. The worst that can happen is folks get their gift 1 week later than Xmas. Who cares, really! They’ll still love it and just tell them it’s worth the wait. I say go for it!

  2. Averie – I pinned this! I can’t wait to try this. Patience isn’t one of my best virtues, but in this case it will be worth the wait!!

  3. Hi Averie, I’m trying to visit a new blog every day for the next few weeks, and today you’re my new visit! I came over from Pioneer Woman. I’ve never heard of making your own vanilla before. Bet it’s amazing. I like your idea of using extra :) Blessings to you!

    1. Cheryl what a nice sentiment and idea! I read PW all the time and used to click through and comment but the past year or so, I just read in stealth. But today I felt the urge to just leave a quick comment, and had not commented on her site for like a year! And voila, you saw it and came over. It was meant to be :)

      Have a great weekend, too! And don’t be a stranger!

  4. I love this! I totally was planning on making DIY vanilla extract for holiday gifts. It’s such a money saver and I’m sure my foodie friend will be over the moon for these!

  5. I love it! I am a vanilla freak! I use a ton of it in all my recipes. I don’t even measure it out, I pour it in. I love vanilla, I love the taste and smell! I’m going to go get my beans tomorrow and pick up some vodka. I can’t wait for 2 months so I can use it!! Thanks Averie! Great recipe!

    1. I didn’t make the bread yet! Our systems were back up at work, so I had to go in. I am making your bread tomorrow! Matter in fact I’m going to get steak and make my own Outback Dinner tomorrow. Or maybe shrimp on the barbie instead. :) I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow evening!!

  6. I LOVE making my own vanilla extract. It’s so much cheaper and tastes just as nice =) And it’s just way too easy not to do homemade.

  7. I like the sound of the moody bourbon version! (Right up my alley.) :) This is an excellent tutorial! Making my own extract was something I let simmer on my to-do’s back burner, but it looks so easy!

    1. I need to make more moody bourbon to have for things like molasses cakes and even pumpkin – for next year’s pumpkin season I need to be fully prepared!

  8. this is a very helpful post averie. i have never made my own vanilla extract, but now plan to do so after reading your post.

  9. I am sold on just about anything vanilla. This is so easy and less expensive than investing in store bought varieties :)

  10. I made the vanilla but did not split beans. Recipe I used suggested leaving them whole and using them when recipe called for vanilla beans then place the bean back in the vanilla jar. Making your own is so much cheaper and the taste is great.

  11. I’m doing vanilla extract this year. I’ve got little bottles filling my cupboards to give as gifts.

    For my own use, I’ve got a couple of tester bottles. I decided to make some with really high quality dark rum (Smith & Cross). It smells so amazing right now. I thought the extract made with rum would really punch up my homemade vanilla caramels this year. :)

    I just started another bottle with high quality bourbon too. I’m going to play around with them and see how they stack up.

    1. I bet rum with caramels would be amazing! Rum and bourbon with ‘fall’ and winter flavors – like pumpkin, molasses, ginger, cloves…always works so well together!

      1. I hope they turn out as well as I think they will. They are the most requested Christmas candy I make.

        And I should probably say that I get my beans from Beanilla too. Great prices! I bought the larger amounts and shared them with some of my coworkers and still have enough to make whatever I want. I’m making kahlua for my baskets as well, so the beans are in there too.

  12. Haha, that’s so funny. I did blog about a chocolate-vanilla bean cake I made and I think I went on ad nauseum about how underrated vanilla is. Perhaps they stole my material;)
    Jk, I actually think there are probably a lot of undercover vanilla junkies out there….

  13. That’s why my homemade vanilla didn’t work! The recipe I used said it would be done in a week. Now I know to just be more patient!

  14. Averie I love this – more often than not I too am pouring the vanilla into my recipes. When I make those frozen banana smoothies, I can assure you that a hefty dose of vanilla goes into the mix. I swear by it and yes, it is VERY underated! Did you know that we can’t buy alcohol in grocery stores in MD? And my home state – PA – can’t buy liquor in food stores there either. Geez! Anyway, I’ve never made my own vanilla but it slooks like a piece.of.cake. And the photos! More 3D shots. big fan. :)

    I want to make your caramel chocolate gooey bars STAT!

    1. Those bars were such a PITA! lol It was unwrapping like 30 caramels that was the hardest part of them. Ha!

      Certain states have such weird rules. I grew up in MN, then IL. Then we lived in both NC and SC before CA. And spent 9 mos in AZ, too. Every state has their own rules with NC & SC being the weirdest of all Ive lived in. Cannot buy alcohol on Sundays at all (church day) and then some days you can only buy beer and wine, not liquor, and then the cutoff time was so early…like 6 or 8pm? I dont even remember but it was crazy. In CA you can buy it all anywhere, night or day, within reason. Maybe cutoff time is midnite? I don’t buy alcohol anymore except to cook with and a wild Sat nite is watching DVRed episodes of Ina Garten :)

      1. I live in NC. Liquor stores are closed on Sunday, and you can only buy beer or wine in the supermarket after 12pm on Sunday. No hard liquor sold outside of the liquor store and only liquor is sold in the liquor store. Cut off time for buying beer or wine in a supermarket is 2 am for stores that are open that late. It seems pretty reasonable to me. Lots of places are closed on Sundays, and I think I can live without buying alcohol before 12 on Sunday morning, though the law does seem archaic.

        I guess you guys have never been to Oklahoma! They can only sell beer in the grocery store that is no more than 3.2% alcohol. It’s the weirdest thing, seeing all these regular brands that specially produce beer at 3.2% just for OK. You have to go to the liquor store for the real stuff.