How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
Anyone who has gone to the grocery store to pick up a bottle of Pure Vanilla Extract knows that vanilla extract prices are sky high! But vanilla extract is an essential ingredient for baked goods and desserts that simply are not the same without a teaspoon of its exotic and creamy flavor.
Graph of Vanilla Bean Prices 1999-Present
The good news is that there is an alternative to purchasing vanilla extract in the grocery store — you can make your own homemade vanilla extract!
Making vanilla extract is a simple process and has some definite benefits. The first is that by making your own homemade vanilla extract, you can control the price. Second, you can control the quality.
As we are in the business of making vanilla extract, we must say that a vanilla extract produced by a flavor house will always be more potent and have a darker amber color, reflecting the fact that we optimize our extraction methods to get the most possible flavor. However, it is possible to produce a flavorful homemade vanilla extract.
This shows the difference between Cook’s percolated vanilla extract (Choice) (left) and a homemade vanilla extract (right). The homemade vanilla extract was started in 2012 with 7 split gourmet vanilla beans. At this point, we would consider the beans to have reached maximum extraction in both cases. The color difference indicates the vanilla flavor concentration. Neither extract has had any colorings or additives added.
What you will need:
3 Vanilla beans
750 ml, 70-80 proof vodka (option to use other alcohols for more unique flavor, see hints at the end!)
A 750 ml bottle (approx. 25 oz.)
Vanilla beans:
You can find Madagascar, Tongan, Papua New Guinea, and Mexican vanilla beans on our website. We would recommend a blend, particularly in the case of Papua New Guinea vanilla beans as their flavor can be somewhat pungent on their own. See our blog, Vanilla Extract Varieties for more information.
When looking for vanilla beans for your homemade vanilla extract, the first indication of quality is the moisture content. Vanilla beans can often come looking like dry twigs. Although these beans are not completely useless, twigs are not a good sign. A high quality vanilla bean should be a moist pod, black or dark brown, with a slight sheen of oil on the surface and should not feel as if you could snap it in half.
Vanilla beans labeled junk because of their size, moisture content and color. These beans are too light and much too dry.
These vanilla beans are an excellent representation of gourmet vanilla beans. They are dark black-brown, shiny, and plump.
The second indication of quality is the length of the vanilla bean. Gourmet vanilla beans should be at least 5-6 inches. Vanilla bean length varies by region; Tongan beans are usually much longer and Madagascar vanilla beans tend to be short-average. Vanilla beans that are extremely short are taken from the smallest in the cluster (see photo) and often lack flavor.
A bunch of green vanilla beans on the vine- as you can see some of the vanilla beans are very short. These are considered “junk” beans.
Average length of Madagascar vanilla beans, about 5-6 inches.
A Tonga vanilla bean from Cook’s that broke the world record for the longest vanilla bean in 2012
Alcohol:
To mimic vanilla extract from a grocery store, use a good quality, almost tasteless vodka as this will allow the flavor of the vanilla beans to shine through.
For more adventurous flavor connoisseur, we also recommend using whiskey or rum for a more blended flavor. This would make a wonderful addition to your pantry and also provide you with a truly unique product.
Method:
- Split all of the vanilla beans lengthwise down the bean with a sharp knife.
- Place the vanilla bean halves into your bottle of alcohol, close and then mix the bottle, turning it upside down.
- Place the bottle in a cool, dark place, like a kitchen cabinet, for at least 2 months. Throughout the two months, occasionally mix the bottle.
- Enjoy your vanilla extract! Tip: Do not remove the vanilla beans from the bottle! The vanilla beans are still extracting into the liquid. Keep them in the bottle for a vanilla extract that keeps getting better.
More tips:
- Two months is the minimum recommended time for extraction for homemade vanilla extract, but as the months and years go by, the vanilla will become darker and more flavorful.
- More vanilla beans equals more vanilla flavor! Pack as many beans into your bottle as you can for maximum flavor payoff.
- If you do wish to remove your vanilla beans from the bottle, don’t throw them out! Put them in your sugar jar for a delicate and subtle vanilla sugar.
- If you wish to cut up your beans more, do so! More surface area of the bean in contact with the alcohol equals more flavor payoff!
- Barrel-aged vanilla extract is fantastic!
Find our Pure Vanilla Extract here!
Thanks for the information. It is doubtful I will ever make a vanella extract, but having the knowledge is nice. I also want to compliment youon your product. The best I have ever used. I have also noticed yours is so much more flavorful than any other brand that I don’t have to use as much as the recipe calls for. The store where I bought your product from no longer carries it. So I would like to ask what stores in the Beaverton Oregon area carry your product?
Thank you so much for your kind words, Alan! Here is a list of our retail outlets: Cooks In Stores
I purchased Cooks vanilla powder at Fred Meyer’s in Hillsboro (Oregon)- or it may have been the Cornelius (Oregon) store last week. So ironic because I looked up the address for Cooks and the factory is less than a mile from my home in Paso Robles, California!!!! Not sure if they had the vanilla extract.
I am just starting to make my own vanilla extract, but it seems to me from all of the articles and recipes I’ve read so far, that using only 3 split vanilla beans in a 750 ml bottle of vodka might produce a vanilla flavored vodka at best (regardless of how many months it processes in the bottle). If you can really produce good vanilla extract with as little as 3 beans, I’m spending “way too much money” on vanilla beans, considering what beans are going for today.
Hello John, thank you for your comment! Yes, vanilla bean prices right now are incredibly high which makes the homemade vanilla extract option less of a bang for your buck. We ultimately recommend using an extract from a manufacturer you trust in order to get the best flavor pay off. However, making your own vanilla extract remains a good option for some who want to control the quality of the vanilla beans themselves or for those who like do it yourself projects!
Hello John, thank you for your comment. Yes, three beans to a 750 ml bottle will not give you industrial grade results. It will however produce vanilla extract. You would not want to drink the resulting vanilla vodka mixture as it would come across as too bitter. For pure vanilla extract, the FDA has strict guidelines and a standard of identity for Pure Vanilla Extract. Here is a link to the FDA guidelines. The standard is 13.3 oz of vanilla beans per gallon of solvent, or just over 10%. If you would like to get as close as possible to the standard of identity, weigh out 64 grams (2.25 ounces) of vanilla beans for 750 mL of vodka. Another way to maximize the vanilla extraction process is to chop the beans to increase the available vanilla bean surface area to the solvent. We hope that this helps you on your quest for excellent vanilla!