How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract
Vanilla extract, an essential ingredient of countless great recipes. By making your own at home, you open up a world of superior flavor, unmatched quality, and personalized customization. This recipe dives into the why, what, and how of homemade vanilla extract, encouraging you to elevate your baking and cooking to new heights.
Why Make Your Own?
- Unparalleled Flavor: Store-bought vanilla extracts often rely on artificial flavors and natural flavors, compromising the true essence of vanilla. Homemade extract utilizes whole vanilla beans, capturing their complex aromatic profile, earthy undertones, and subtle floral notes. So, let’s skip the grocery store!
- Quality Control: You source the beans, ensuring their freshness, origin, and ethical trade practices. This translates to a distinctly superior final product compared to commercially available options. The quality of the product is always something that goes at the top of my list, that doesn’t stop with making the highest quality, pure vanilla extract. Always look for organic vanilla beans (at least).
- Customization: Experiment with different vanilla bean varieties and alcohol types, tailoring the extract’s flavor profile to your unique preferences.
- Price of vanilla: If you are one who uses vanilla on a regular basis, you know it can be expensive. Making your own is much more cost effect, and honestly it’s way more worth your money to make your own.
What kind of vanilla beans should you choose?
The key to the best vanilla extract lies in the beans. Opt for high-quality, whole vanilla beans, preferably organic for enhanced flavor and ethical sourcing. Here are your options:
- Madagascar Vanilla Beans: The classic choice, renowned for their rich, creamy vanilla aroma and subtle floral notes.
- Tahitian Vanilla Beans: Offer a fruity, floral sweetness with hints of licorice and anise.
- Mexican Vanilla Beans: Known for their smoky, earthy tones and hints of cherry and raisin.
What type of alcohol do you need?
You will need 8 ounces of alcohol. The alcohol serves as the medium for extracting the vanilla’s flavor compounds. Choose food-grade options with at least 40% alcohol by volume (ABV), or 80 proof alcohol for optimal extraction. Popular choices include:
- Vodka: Neutral flavor, allowing the vanilla to shine.
- Rum: Adds a subtle caramel and molasses depth.
- Brandy: A fruity and nutty complexity.
- Whiskey: (Oak-aged) Offers a deeper, richer profile with hints of vanilla oak.
I personally love experimenting with a different combination of vanilla beans and alcohol. Have fun with this! You can even make different types of vanilla extracts whether you’re looking for a stronger flavor, a sweeter flavor, or anywhere in between. You might be surprised and discover something entirely new and delicious. Once you get good at mastering the different flavor profiles of the different combinations, you can start adding different vanilla extracts to your recipes to see what the difference is. You may find that you like a particular combination for certain recipes, or not as much. Feel free to change it up and get creative in your kitchen. For me, adapting and adjusting flavors to my preferences, is what keeps me exploring in my kitchen. SO, enjoy the artisanal process of making your very own specialty vanilla!
Instructions:
- Split the Beans: Using a sharp knife, carefully split the beans lengthwise, exposing the seeds.
- Put your beans in your jar: Choose a clean, airtight glass container or jar. Fill it with the split vanilla bean pods.
- Submerge in Alcohol (organic alcohol, if you can): Cover the beans completely with your chosen alcohol. I usually just fill my jar completely full.
- Store: Seal the container tightly and store it in a cool, dark place (or in a dark container) for at least 6 months, ideally a full year. Shake the jar gently every few weeks, or whenever you think of it to help with extraction.
Tips for a Successful Vanilla Extract:
- Patience is Key: The extraction process takes time. The longer your extract matures, the richer and more complex its flavor becomes. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
- Document: To remember the date that you prepared the vanilla extract, you can write in on a sticky note and place the vanilla extract over the sticky note. Or simply write it on the jar/bottle. I like to keep my jars unmarked (personal preference), so the sticky note works great for me. I also like to write down in my calendar when the vanilla extract will be done, so I know when to start using it. If you have a lot of fermenting or extracting projects going on, it’s always smart to at least write it down somewhere!
- Smaller pieces: Cut the beans into shorter lengths for faster extraction. Remember, over the course of time it develops a more complex vanilla flavor, so don’t focus too much on the time it takes!
- Vanilla sugar: Reuse the spent beans by making vanilla sugar for baking!
- Refill: You can reuse your beans a time or two after extraction process is finished. I always empty my vanilla extract in a new bottle, and refill the bottle with the previously extracted vanilla beans. Extraction time may take a little longer the next time you use them, but you should still be able to get another 8 fl oz of extract. If you feel like it, you can even add a couple more vanilla beans to speed the process a little more for the second round!
How long will the vanilla extract keep?
This vanilla extract has an indefinite shelf life, meaning it doesn’t go bad. In fact, it can get better, only if stored properly. Keep in a dark cool place until you use it all. You should never put it in the fridge. And if you notice it has a bad smell or change in texture (thick or syrupy) that could mean it has gone bad. Use your discernment, just like you would with store-bought vanilla.
My favorite recipes for real vanilla extract are chocolate chip cookies, french toast, and vanilla simple syrup! Let me know in the comments what you try your vanilla extract with. Also, be sure to let me know what flavor combinations are your favorite! I’m so excited to hear what you guys come up with!
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Funnel
- 8 fl oz bottle
Ingredients
- 6 Organic vanilla beans Madagascar, Tahitian, or Mexican
- 8 fl oz Organic alcohol Vodka, Rum, Brandy or Whiskey
Instructions
- Split the Beans: Using a sharp knife, carefully split the beans lengthwise, exposing the seeds.
- Put your beans in your jar: Choose a clean, airtight glass container or jar. Fill it with the split vanilla bean pods.
- Submerge in Alcohol (organic alcohol, if you can): Cover the beans completely with your chosen alcohol. I usually just fill my jar completely full.
- Store: Seal the container tightly and store it in a cool, dark place (or in a dark container) for at least 6 months, ideally a full year. Shake the jar gently every few weeks, or whenever you think of it to help with extraction.
Notes
- Patience is Key: The extraction process takes time. The longer your extract matures, the richer and more complex its flavor becomes. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
- Document: To remember the date that you prepared the vanilla extract, you can write in on a sticky note and place the vanilla extract over the sticky note. Or simply write it on the jar/bottle. I like to keep my jars unmarked (personal preference), so the sticky note works great for me. I also like to write down in my calendar when the vanilla extract will be done, so I know when to start using it. If you have a lot of fermenting or extracting projects going on, it’s always smart to at least write it down somewhere!
- Smaller pieces: Cut the beans into shorter lengths for faster extraction. Remember, over the course of time it develops a more complex vanilla flavor, so don’t focus too much on the time it takes!
- Vanilla sugar: Reuse the spent beans by making vanilla sugar for baking!
- Refill: You can reuse your beans a time or two after extraction process is finished. I always empty my vanilla extract in a new bottle, and refill the bottle with the previously extracted vanilla beans. Extraction time may take a little longer the next time you use them, but you should still be able to get another 8 fl oz of extract. If you feel like it, you can even add a couple more vanilla beans to speed the process a little more for the second round!
Pin for later & share with friends!
