You only need 2 ingredients for homemade vanilla extract: vanilla beans and vodka. Let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for as little as 8 weeks, but for optimal flavor, wait at least 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 6 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.
Homemade Vanilla Extract: Video Tutorial
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 6 of them (a little over 1/2 ounce or 15g total) make an entire CUP (8 ounces) of vanilla extract and you can reuse the beans. Compare that to $4 for 1 ounce of store-bought extract.
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 4 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 6 vanilla beans (a little over 1/2 ounce total) 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 🙂 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 optimal flavor, let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for at least 6-12 months.
Ingredients
- 6 vanilla beans (about 1/2 ounce or 15g 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. Vanilla can be ready to use in as little as 8 weeks, but I recommend at least 6 months for optimal flavor. 12+ months is great!
- 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
- 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.
Keywords: vanilla
Question: I don’t drink alcohol, and I don’t want to presume so let me just ask: If I make this and use in baked goods will the alcohol be removed? Thanks for answering!
Hi eRobe, The alcohol evaporates during the baking process, all vanilla extracts contain alcohol. But, as always, do what you’re comfortable with!
Thank you for putting this on! I am constantly asking friends and family to get me vanilla extract when they travel outside of the US. I don’t know why it’s less expensive out of country, but with this recipe I can make my own! I’ll probably keep asking as they usually gift it to me! Lol
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Love all your recipes but agree with others 1 oz beans per 8 oz vodka leave for 12 months and if u add more vodka time starts over . Love making vanilla, vanilla sugar and vanilla paste
This seems to be skimpy on beans. To meet the FDA guidelines on vanilla you need 0.8 ounces of beans to 1 cup of alcohol, most people go with 1 ounce, to make it slightly stronger than store bought vanilla.
Hi! Is that for single or double fold? And for split vanilla beans? I find varying information online, but feel free to use more beans if you’d like. I’ve never had an issue using around .5 ounces of split beans per 240ml alcohol, especially after a year.
From what I’ve read, the FDA guidelines recommend 1 oz of beans to 8 fl oz. of alcohol. That’s single fold. Also, it may be a bit easier to slice the beans if you slice off the ends (and then throw them in the extract too!) Make sure all of the bean is submerged in the alcohol so cut the beans, width-wise, if using a shorter and wider jar than you’ve pictured above. If yo don’t have the patience to wait for the extract to mature, make some vanilla paste which is ready much faster. Oh, and one more insider tip, if you join the FB group of one of those brands you linked to, each month they select one bean to sell at a co-op price to members of the group, usually a 20% to 40% discount. Other such FB groups also exist.
This winter I had fun making the vanilla for 2023 Xmas gifts. Now I want to make the sugar too. I can’t get to the free printable labels. Can you help me? I love your recipes and look forward to you emails.
Hi Virginia, this will take you to the printable labels for Sally’s Baking Recipes Vanilla Sugar Stickers.
I use jim beam vanilla bourbon…Sally you should try it…it is amazing!
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This is a fun project! I’ve been making my own vanilla since the recipe was first published. I make enough to give to friends and family in smaller bottles, and they love getting it! As soon as I finish a bottle, I refill it with more ingredients so that I always have a good supply on hand. My friends give me their smaller empty bottles to refill as needed. I’m going to try making my own vanilla sugar next.
Hi! Proper quantities for extracting are 28g of organic vanilla beans to 240 mL of 35%-40% alcohol (or in the US 1 oz beans to 8 oz alcohol 70-80 proof). Split, scrape and cut beans and shake every day for the first two weeks, or longer, then shake every other day for better extraction. It will be ready in four to six months. It will always smell like alcohol. To see if it’s ready, pour a teaspoon onto whipped cream, blend, then taste. If you can still taste alcohol, it’s not ready. I put mine in 1 L Mason jars, then decant it into food grade bottles. The longer you let it sit, the more flavourful it will be, but the extraction process is done after four to six months. And no, you can’t top-up the beans with more alcohol and start using it. Those beans are done! You could dry them out and add them to sugar, but they’re pretty much spent.
I have been making vanilla extract for years. I use a whole ounce of beans for single fold. For double fold, I use two ounces of beans per eight oz of alcohol. People new to extract making usually start with Madagascar beans. Make sure your bottles are food grade. The cute ones at the dollar stores might not be. I let my vanilla age at least one year. I keep it in a dark room in the basement and shake it every once in a while. It’s a fun hobby. I have a lot maturing with different beans. Homemade extract adds that something special to your baked goods.
I learned the hard way that you’re actually making a distillation, not an extract. It’s essentially vanilla flavored vodka, and will never have the strength of an actual extract. It smells nice and all, but extracts require a different process…and equipment.
I originally purchased the small bottles but found it was easier to begin by pouring a little of the alcohol from the bottle the vodka or bourbon came in and adding the beans into the bottle.
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I’ve been doing this for years, ever since prices went crazy. I make it for my daughter as well. It adds just that little something to your baked goods that leaves people wondering what your secret ingredient is.
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I made my vanilla extract with MOONSHINE and it is delicious.
I was wondering how everclear would taste? too strong?
Hi Maria, Everclear is not recommended unless you dilute it with water. 80 proof vodka is ideal.
I made my vanilla extract with 50% volume alcohol instead of the 40% volume…it’s 3 months old now, it smells like straight up alcohol n not a nice vanilla smell that you buy in the store, I used 10 grade B vanilla beans with 2 cups of vodka in a mason jar, it’s very dark in color but smells like alcohol n not vanilla-ey…was my vodka I used too strong..it was 100 proof instead of 89 proof, I also made a rum and brandy one at 50% volume alcohol and they too smell more like alcohol than a sweet vanilla smell, how will this make my sweets taste normal using more of an alcohol flavor than vanilla flavor
Hi Traci, I would simply give it more time. I’m sure in about 3 months, you’ll begin to smell the vanilla.
Do you buy the beans split & do you recommend using organic beans? Thanks!
Hi Wendy, we typically buy the whole beans and split them ourselves. Organic beans should work just fine.
To make the non alcoholic vanilla extract is food grade glycerin best to use and how long does it sit? do you recommend 6 months to a year as well?
We have never made a non-alcoholic version- but if you look up in the text above we link to a few tutorials on how to do it!