How to Make Your Own Vanilla Extract (Because It’s Cheap and Easy)
It’s easy to make your own vanilla extract, with vanilla beans and vodka, or any other similar alcohol of your choice. Here’s how!
1. I go through a lot of vanilla extract.
2. Storebought vanilla extract is expensive.
1+2 is not a combination I like.
Vanilla extract is not only unbelievably easy to make, but a lot cheaper than storebought vanilla.
I always buy these vanilla beans from Amazon, because they are very reasonable at less than $1/piece, ship for free, and are unbelievably fragrant. Here’s how to make some:
Take a few vanilla beans, and split them with a paring knife, stopping about an inch from each edge (so they still stay together):
Place them in a clean jar or bottle, and pour to cover with vodka.
Let the vanilla extract sit for 6-8 weeks, giving it a shake every week or so, and watch as it darkens over time. Then it will be ready for use!
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Ingredients
- 3 vanilla beans
- 1 cup vodka or any alcohol that's at least 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume
Instructions
- Take the vanilla beans, and split them with a paring knife, stopping about an inch from each edge (so they still stay together).
- Place them in a clean jar or bottle, and pour the vodka in.
- Let the vanilla extract sit for 6-8 weeks, giving it a shake every week or so, and watch as it darkens over time. That’s the tough part, waiting, but you will be rewarded!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
32 Comments on “How to Make Your Own Vanilla Extract (Because It’s Cheap and Easy)”
May, 2019
I used to love making my own vanilla in bulk. Alas, it is a long time now since Madagascar Vanilla Beans were available from Amazon–or anyone else– and under a dollar a bean. The price now is closer to $10 a bean. This makes the whole enterprise much less questionable at this time. Alas!
Thanks for your reply. The price of vanilla is certainly limiting my baking! Maybe I’ll lose weight? There’s always an upside. I have already put in the request to my family for birthday gifs ……. vanilla beans! ….. Nothing else and as many as they can afford! I have the perfect bottles and the really good vodka! Another question….. after the vanilla is made…… if I get the pieces of vanilla beans good and & dry, do you think there’d be enough flavor left to whizz them in the blender with some sugar for vanilla sugar or would that be a waste of sugar? I won’t forget to rate your recipe after I have my jars full of vanilla – something tells me it will be a 5 star!
Love this tip, but where are you buying your vanilla beans now that Amazon has them priced at nearly $9.00 apiece? Would really like to try this, but at $27.00 for 8 oz, I may as well buy a bottle so that I can use it now. Doggone it …. I have the perfect bottle, too!
Hi Judy, it is crazy how much the prices of vanilla have gone up since I first published this post. I just buy the bottled stuff now, and stomaching the price is tough!
Looking at beans elsewhere (on line) it seems it may still be cost effective. Thanks for the Recipe!
Hi, I was wondering if I could re-use the beans for another bottle of vanilla extract?
I don’t recommend it, as most of the flavor will have already been imparted into the first bottle.
Thank you, but if I’d do another bottle, do you this it’d be better to use new one+ old ones or half/half?
Hi there. What size jar do you use? Thanks!
I’ve been doing this for years and it’s very good. I’ve only recently learned that if you chop the beans into smaller bits you will have a much richer vanilla extract more quickly. The more surface area of the vanilla is exposed the better.
I just bought a bottle of Mexican Vanilla because there is a different smell and flavor to it. Do you have any idea how I might make Mexican vanilla?
You would use Mexican vanilla beans. The beans have different characteristics from different countries.
What is the non-alcohol substitute for vodka? Thank u so much :’)
Use food grade vegetable glycerin, substitute it exactly as you would use the vodka.
Is there a way to make it without alcohol???
I was also wondering if there is a way to make it without alcohol?
Hi Michelle, unfortunately I don’t know of a way. You might be able to google and find something though. Good luck!
Thank you so much for actually putting how much vodka/vanilla beans to use.
I’ve known about this, however, it seems like most of the recipes that I’ve seen just say to add vanilla beans and vodka but never the amounts or how long it lasts.
What kind of Vodka? Does it matter? The better the Vodka the better the Vanilla Extract?
Hi Jefferson, doesn’t matter what kind of vodka you use. You use such small amounts of it in your baking, it shouldn’t affect the flavor much if at all. You can use a cheaper side vodka here.
How long will this last for?
Hi Diane, probably at least a year. Alcohol keeps for so long and is very stable.
I’m so going to try this!
Thanks for the recipe! I just ordered some Vanilla Beans to make my own extract.
I use way too much vanilla not to do this. Thanks for sharing.
Ohhhh! I am going out and getting myself some vodka and making this! Knowing how to do this now makes me a very happy kid. :o)
Thanks for the tip…going to to do this when I get home. I made vanilla sugar and now I can use the my left over beans….Have a nice weekend.