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 🙂 And it’s absolutely lovely in my easy rice krispie treats recipe. Lots to look forward to!
PrintHomemade 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.
Hi! I’m super excited to try this! I was wondering if it would work to use canning jars? Thank you for sharing this recipe.
After about 2 weeks it looks like a clump of dirt in the bottom of the bottle. Should I have washed the beans first.
Hi Pat, It’s likely the vanilla seeds settling on the bottom. We recommend that you give the bottle a shake about once a week!
Hot Tip! Do not use cold vodka (refrigerator temp), then seal the bottles (I used the bottles linked in the recipe). One cracked completely in half and one exploded! I left the top off the other two until they came to room temp and so far so good.
Thank you so much for sharing this, I’m so excited to make my own! I honestly had no idea it was this easy. I’m ALWAYS buying vanilla extract and it costs a fortune where I am in Australia, so if I can start making my own, it’ll save me so much money in the long run. I just need to be patient. 🙂
I have a couple questions for you, I hope you don’t mind:
You mention how the flavour may become less intense if constantly using and topping up. If I use quite a bit in one baking session, say half a bottle or more because I’m cooking up a storm, and so I top it up with vodka, will I need to let it sit to infuse the vanilla flavour again?
And tying into the last question, if / when we replace the beans, will it need to infuse then too?
Sorry if these have been asked already. I’m about to go to bed and was too tired to read all the comments. Haha
Hi Lisa, We are so glad this post is helpful for you! If you use half the bottle in one go then yes, you would want to let it infuse for a while before using again – same as if you add new beans. You will know when it’s ready to use again by the smell. Since you use so much, you may wish to make a few bottles and rotate them so that one is always ready for you!
What a great idea
This is my new gift for all my baker friends and me
I have not made it yet, but. My Great, Great Grandma Dale did. I love vanilla, I will make it tomorrow. I will let you know how wonderful it is.
Thank you, Thank you,
and take care
Donna
This vanilla extract recipe is so simple & so rewarding if you take the time (and the waiting at least 6 weeks for the flavors to develop). I made two bottles of Madagascar Vanilla Extract & two bottles of Tahitian Vanilla Extract. Every item Sally has linked (the bottles and the vanilla beans) worked wonderfully for me. I’ve shared this with so many friends who actually tried it too! Thank you, Sally!
Hi! Do you have to use the same type of alcohol when topping off the bottle when the extract starts to get low – does it matter? Thank you!
Hi! I started a batch a couple of weeks ago by putting the vanilla beans directly into the vodka bottle. Today I transferred it into the smaller bottles to finish the aging process and I noticed the beans were a little slimy. They had been totally submerged. Is that supposed to be that way?
Hi there. I just ordered my vanilla beans I’m so excited to make my own vanilla. Can I triple the recipe, put 20 beans in one jar with 3 cups of vodka, let sit for a year and then pour it into smaller bottles to gift next year?
Hi Celeste, I can’t see why not!
Hi Sally!
I started my homemade vanilla about six months in June using bourbon. It’s been hard to tell if it’s ready because the color was already brown, and it still smells just like bourbon. I’m nervous to try it in a baked good and take the risk. How did you know when yours was ready? Thanks!
Hi Jen, Vanilla can take anywhere from 6-12 months so yours may not be ready yet. When you smell more vanilla than bourbon it will be good to use 🙂
I so appreciate your recipes and all the tips and techniques you so freely share. If I wanted to use rum to make homemade vanilla, should it be white rum, amber or dark? Or does it matter?
I’ve only tested with spiced rum, but the type shouldn’t matter. I would just steer clear from strongly flavored alcohols (like fruity flavored vodka, for example).
Hi,
Thanks for this article and recipe!
Two years ago, my then 18 year old daughter spent a gap term doing volunteer work in Madagascar and South Africa. While she was in South Africa, she shipped home a large bag of her things, including all her souvenirs from Madagascar.
Sadly, the bag went missing for fourteen months, and we had long assumed that we’d never see it again.
Then, at about this time last year, the bag somehow arrived on our porch! Most of her things had been ruined, but the teeny tiny unlabeled bottle containing vanilla from Madagascar she’d bought emerged completely unscathed.
And….wow! This vanilla is incredibly delicious!!!! I haven’t used it in baking, because we have so little, but occasionally, I’ll place one drop in a small dish of plain Greek yogurt, and I love the flavor.
Now, the bottle is two thirds empty, and since I live only one mile away from King Arthur Flour’s headquarters, I moseyed over there earlier this week and bought a tiny bottle KAF’s own vanilla extract as well as a tiny bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s “Madagascar Bourbon” vanilla. I also have various supermarket vanillas in my pantry.
This morning, I taste-tested all the different vanillas. It was not a blind test, but the difference between my daughter’s bottle and ALL the others was huge!
All the other vanillas taste fairly similar to one another. They each have a much weaker vanilla flavor and a stronger alcohol flavor than the mystery bottle from Madagascar.
But I’m also thinking the alcohol flavor in my daughter’s bottle is qualitatively different from the others. She lived on a remote island off a very small island off of Madagascar. If I remember correctly, she said that rum drinks were the most common there. Do you think that maybe this vanilla not only had a higher bean to alcohol ratio but also used rum or a type of alcohol other than vodka?
Might that even matter at all?
Or might something else be going on?
I intend to run an experiment over this next year, while we still have a little of that original vanilla for comparison. I want to try several different recipes at once. I think I’ll try various bean to alcohol ratios with different alcohol types (vodka, rum, bourbon…)
Do you or any other readers have other suggestions?
I am so determined to make my own vanilla and try and replicate the flavor! I am willing to try several recipe variations at once.
Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Anne
Hi Anne, What an amazing story! You can definitely use rum to make vanilla extract for a slightly different flavor. I’m guessing that the vanilla she shipped used super fresh and amazing vanilla beans, which is obviously a bit harder to replicate here. The longer you soak the beans the stronger the flavor will be as well.
I started a jar of this last January as I intended to give it to my mom, sister, etc. for Christmas this year. I just tried it and all I can taste is vodka!! No vanilla flavor at all. Really disappointed after months of anticipation and shaking. I’m going to buy more vanilla beans and see if I can amp up the vanilla flavor.
Several years ago I got into making my own vanilla. During my research I found that true vanilla is made with vodka, not bourbon, but many, mistaking bourbon (alcohol) for Bourbon vanilla (named for where the best vanilla beans were grown) caused many to begin making vanilla with the other alcohols and I believe it just caught on. I did order Bourbon vanilla beans to make my first batch and I fell in love. In fact I just ordered new beans to try a new batch (Tahitian). One tip I have found that has been so convenient for gift giving is to buy a big bottle of cheap vodka, then buy several little (hotel or airplane sized) vodkas, but make sure the bottle is blue or brown (I buy Skyy). The vanilla keeps best in dark places and in dark bottles. If you don’t have a dark bottle, keep the bottle inside of a brown paper bag while in storage. I usually poke one bean into each small bottle, put a neat little tag and bow on it with instructions and give those away for Christmas to my family. Then the remainder I put into a canning jar (in a brown paper bag) and tuck it into the back of my cabinet, only getting it out every so often to shake it. I then use the big jar to refill my small bottle that I keep to use when baking.
Please could you share a non alcoholic version..will appreciate it
Hi Abeda, 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!
Hi, I notice you said the extract with beans in it should last a year if beans are fully submerged. How long if the bottle is sealed tightly and some of the beans are not completely submerged? It has been about a year for my batch and a couple of the beans are visible by an inch or two. I will say it smells amazing. Would it be safe to top the bottle off with more vodka and continue to use?
The vanilla beans should always be covered! They can go mouldy and can ruin your whole bottle of vanilla.
You can always tie the vanilla beans in knots so they sit lower down in the bottle!
Thanks so much for the info. I took a bottle of vodka – took out 3 ounces and put in 14 vanilla beans (slit). Hope the portions are ok. Have it in the back of my closet and am trying to have patience.
Hi I started my vanilla extract in august 2019 with grade a beans. I still smell the alcohol. Do grade a take longer than grade b? Thanks!!
Wondering if I can use the vodka bottle ?
Definitely. Add 5-6 beans per 8 fluid ounces.
Hi! I made my own vanilla in June of 2020 in clear jars & several split vanilla beans. Its now November 1, 2020 so it should be ready to use but my vanilla liquid is not dark. It has a Carmel color, just not dark like vanilla should be. Can you tell me why its not dark after 6 months now? Its not stored in direct sunlight but the jars do get light during the day. Please let me know what I’m doing wrong.
Thank you!
Debi
Hi Debi, it could be from the sunlight hitting it each day. Could you store it in a cabinet instead? If it smells strongly of vanilla, it will be good to use in baking.
Hi.
You mentioned using bourbon. I plan on trying this, as well. I know you also mentioned buying cheap alcohol works but are you free to mention what type/brand of bourbon you used?
Hi, if I want to gift, and remove the beans, I should I filter them out? A coffee filter? Or will I simply be able to lift the pod out of the bottle intact?
Many thanks for writing & posting this!
Hi Amy, You can simply lift the pods out of the bottle. Since the vanilla beans are exposed (slit open), there will be vanilla bean seeds in the bottle. I don’t recommend filtering them out – just leave them in as they add even more wonderful flavor!
So excited to find this recipe, bottle recommendations, and cute pdf. I have always wanted to make my own vanilla, and gift it to friends and family. Thank you for sharing and making the beans go twice as far for the money. I plan to use a cheap name brand Vodka (Smirnoff’s) and Madagascar Bourbon beans. I think these will be the best for baking, making caramel, and smoothies. (If I could find “Mexican Vanilla Beans” I would use those, but I don’t believe that’s a thing.
Hi Sally,
I have both at home (bourbon and vodka) that I could use, which one would make a better vanilla.
I’m wondering this also.
Hi Sandra and Carole, Vanilla extract is most commonly made from vodka, but you can use bourbon, brandy, or rum instead. They are all wonderful and we really enjoy the bottle we have made from bourbon!
A couple of years ago I did a trial with 6 beans and one cup of alcohol in each of three jars. One jar had Svedka vodka, one had Captain Morgan rum and one had Benchmark bourbon whiskey, nine of which are top shelf, but also not rot gut lol. I felt the vodka version had too much of a biting personality. The rum version seemed too syrupy and the bourbon version too floral. None were awful, none stood out as superior so I mixed them all together. Holy mother of all that is good, this was the secret! All of the wonderfulness of each came through, and all of the faults mellowed into perfection. This is how I will make it from now forward, one cup each, rum, vodka and bourbon. Yum!
Hello Sally,
I started my vanilla batch with the intention of making birthday gifts for next year. I’m using vodka and letting the beans soak for 2-3 months. I bought several bottles and am hoping to take the beans out after the first batch has soaked for 2-3 months and make as many batches as possible using the same beans. How many batches do you think I can make from the same beans? Or how long will a bean be good for extracting flavor? Thank you for your help!
~Jen
Hi Jen, It’s hard to give a specific amount of time, but after about 1 year of frequent use and refilling, you will you find the vanilla flavor less intense. You will be able to tell by how the vanilla smells!
I have a batch of vanilla that I started in 2018. Is it ok to leave the beans soaking this long or should I remove them? If I remove them, should I scrap the beans to leave the caviar in my vanilla? Thanks
Absolutely! You can let the beans continue to soak for a few years. If you’re ever concerned, remove them. Feel free to scrape the used beans and drop the seeds back into the vanilla (or use in recipes). Just give them a sniff before using. Honestly– if they smell fine, they’ll taste fine in your vanilla or in recipes.
I made some excellent vanilla using this method. Kim trying something new – same recipe but adding 1 Tbl coffee beans. Planning to use this vanilla for chocolate recipes.
I made a batch, let it age about 8 months and then poured it into a new jar and started a new batch with the beans I had just used. Is doing it twice the limit or can the beans stand a third round?
Thanks for shar8ng your recipe & method! I bake with vanilla bean (seeds) a lot, and have a ton of scraped pods. Do you think these would work for making vanilla extract or are the seeds really necessary? Would live to hear your feedback.
They would work, yes, but the flavor may not be as strong in 6 months had you kept the seeds in the pods. However, I’m certain that 9-12 months of extracting flavor from the empty pods would give you a nice flavor.
Also, if you use more of the pods than you would if they still contained the seeds it should offset any lack of flavor from the missing seeds. 🙂