Homemade Vanilla Extract

I have a lot of words for you today because I want to show you in detail how to make vanilla extract at home. If you like to understand the details and the whys of a recipe, read through the post, but if you’re just in a hurry to get to the recipe just click that big “jump to recipe” button above instead. OK, who’s left? Who didn’t click the button? My kind of people, it’s so good to have you 💜. Let’s dive in.

What You Need

Pure vanilla extract is made simply of alcohol and vanilla beans. Simply, you’ll want vodka (hint: don’t splurge on the most expensive one!) and plump (not dried-up!) vanilla beans. Here’s the nitty gritty:

Where to buy vanilla beans

These days I buy my vanilla beans from a website called Beanilla and these are the beans I bought, I’m not affiliated with this shop in any way, but have bought my beans from them for years.

Vanilla bean varieties

Vanilla beans come in a number of varieties, but for baking, you want Madagascar vanilla beans. There are other varieties of beans that will impart different flavors: Mexican beans are rich, slightly spicy and warm, Indonesian are smokey and earthy with a woody and sometimes spicy flavor, and Tahitian are lighter, floral and fruity with anise and chocolate undertones. While they can be fun to play with, be aware that they will each lend a different taste to your baked goods, so choose accordingly. For classic vanilla flavor, stick strictly with Madagascar vanilla or Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans. If you have the choice between “Grade A” or “Grade B”, stick to the Grade B because they’re cheaper (if not as pretty) and they work just as well for making extract.

Choosing an Alcohol

Vodka is the classic choice and my personal recommendation, it works well because the true flavor of the vanilla bean can shine. If grain alcohol, like 90-proof Everclear, is available in your state, that’s another popular choice (and some purists will only use this!).

Vodka will give you the smoothest, purest, most unadulterated and well-balanced vanilla flavor and is my preference. Grain alcohol has more of a bite to it and typically pulls the flavor from the beans faster than vodka. The resulting extract will be more potent. I don’t like to use vanilla made with this alcohol in recipes where the vanilla isn’t baked (for example, ice cream, where the alcohol doesn’t have a chance to bake out). Bourbon will yield a smooth, warm extract with caramel undertones. Bourbon has an inherent vanilla note to it already, which can enhance the flavor of the beans and make the extract richer. Rum will be sweeter and smoother (and slightly spicy, if using a spiced rum). The flavor will be warmer and richer than one made with vodka. Whiskey will range widely depending on the whiskey you use, it’s usually deeper and smokier.

Truly you can use just about any alcohol you’d like, so long as it’s at least 70-proof (35% alcohol). When choosing a liquor, keep in mind what you intend to actually use your vanilla extract for. There’s a reason vodka is the classic choice, it give you classic, pure vanilla flavor and works best in classic vanilla cake! You do not need to buy the most expensive alcohol! Stick with a mid-shelf brand (like Smirnoff). You won’t notice the difference in the end result between this extract and one made with top-shelf.

Other Materials:

A funnel helps neatly pour the vodka into the small 4 oz bottle. If you don’t have one, pour the alcohol into a measuring cup with a spout first and then pour from that into the bottle. It’s much less messy than pouring directly into the bottle! Last but not least, slap a label on your vanilla so you know when it’s ready! While you can just write this on piece of tape and stick it to the bottle, I have a set of free printables so you can use the same labels that I do in these photos. The link is in the recipe card, simply print them on sticker paper, cut, and stick them to your bottles. For a finishing touch, baker’s twine or ribbon adds a nice pop of color, especially if you’re giving the extract as a gift!

How to Make Vanilla Extract

Now the hardest part is to wait. For vanilla extract to fully develop its flavor, it needs to sit for at least 3 months in a cool, dark place. The longer it sits, the more developed the flavor will be — some baker will not use their vanilla extract until it has been sitting for at least a year! Personally, I will use mine after 3 months and I always have great results (and lots of blind taste-testing has assured me this length of time is satisfactory). Make sure to shake the bottles occasionally (about once a week) to help infuse the flavor!

Single-Fold vs Double-Fold

I usually use about 4-6 vanilla beans per cup of alcohol. Ideally, to be more precise, it is best use a kitchen scale (this is the scale I use, it’s inexpensive and reliable!) and measure .83 oz /24 grams (many people round up to 1 oz) of beans for every 8 oz/cup of alcohol. This yields a single-fold, or standard vanilla which is comparable in strength to the one you’d buy in the grocery store and is what I use in my recipes. For a more intense vanilla flavor, you can double the amount of beans you use, meaning 8-12 beans or 1.7 oz/50 grams (often rounded up to 2 oz) per 8 oz/cup of alcohol. Double-fold is nice because it allows you to give your baked good a deeper vanilla flavor without increasing the amount of liquid you’re adding to the recipe. When following a recipe, you could reduce the amount of vanilla called for in half when baking with double-fold vanilla extract. I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions, and enjoy! -Sam