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!
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:Â 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.
I cannot believe the amount of misinformation on your page as far as making vanilla extract. It’s 1 ounce of vanilla beans to 8 ounces of Vodka/spirits. I had some vanilla beans that it took 14 beans to make an ounce. I had other beans that it took three beans. This is why you always weigh your beans!!!!! You are just making vanilla flavored booze, not extract. Normally it takes 12 months…..it can take less time, but the extract needs to be tasted to see if it’s ready. With your info you are just asking people to waste their very hard earned money.
Cheryl, thank you so much for the feedback. I appreciate it and will look into how this recipe and post is presented. I will say after 12 months, the vanilla is fantastic and doesn’t simply taste like vanilla flavored vodka. But, again, thank you! I will review.
Thank you for posting this, Cheryl. I just finished bottling extract for the first time, and I was befuddled. Sally’s recipe says 6 beans or about 1/2 ounce per 8 oz. of alcohol. The other recipe I was looking at said that 1 oz. of beans (6-8, according to them) per 8 oz. of alcohol. Because of the size of the package I had purchased, I used .85 oz. per 8 oz. of alcohol, but it was something like 15 beans each bottle! It bothered me how off that was, but I figured weight was what really mattered and not the number of beans. So it’s reassuring to read you say that the number of beans can vary widely.
Hi, after the vanilla beans and vodka have been sitting for 6-12 months, would I then strain the extract into the smaller bottles. There seems to be lots of the vanilla floating in it
Hi Paulette, the vanilla specks are full of flavor! Leave those in.
Sally, I made vanilla using bourbon six months ago, and have been shaking it weekly. All I can smell is the bourbon. Should I replace the beans with fresh ones, or wait it out? I used good quality beans.
Hi Carol, did you use 80 proof alcohol? You’ll want to avoid anything stronger than that. The extract will still have a smell of alcohol, but keep in mind that this burns off during baking. Perhaps you could try it with a small batch recipe to see how it goes? Hope this helps!
What Brand and type of bourbon did you use to make the bourbon vanilla?
I do not know anything about alcoholic drinks but I want to make vanilla extract with both bourbon and vodka to compare flavors.
Hi Joann, you can use any brand (and no need to splurge on expensive bourbon, either!) as long as it is 80 proof and does not contain any other flavorings.
Can you just put the correct amount of vanilla beans right in the bottle of vodka instead of pouring into a jar or other container
This in incorrect. You need 1oz of beans to 8oz of alcohol. Vanilla beans are different sizes, so you can’t go by count. The 1 to 8 ratio is a FDA standard, otherwise you just have flavored alcohol.
I attempted this back in August, thinking I would give to coworkers as Christmas gifts. I was concerned about a “cloudiness” coming off the split from the beans. Worried it could be some kind of mold? Did it just as you did. Wondering if I need to pour it out and start over or if it’s just what happened when the vanilla mixes with the alcohol?
Hi Leanne, that cloudiness is relatively normal. We can’t imagine it being mold when the bottle is filled with alcohol, so don’t worry about that. It could be simply the natural vanillin coming out. Just continue to shake weekly as directed and make sure the beans are always fully submerged. How does it smell?
How many beans per 8 oz jars?
Hi Julia! See recipe above: 6 vanilla beans (about 1/2 ounce or 15g total).
Your ratios are off
One fold is 1oz beans to 1 cup liquor, not 1/2oz. And if you add liquor to your vanilla, it resets the clock. You can’t just continually top off beans. And if your beans aren’t totally submerged, they will mold.
This seems so easy. I bought jars, beans, and vodka. Giving it a shot tiday! Pun intended.
I recently purchased some homemade vanilla that was already aged with beans and instructions. As per directions, I purchased cheap vodka for refilling, after using some today I added 1 tsp of the vodka, did not realize until after I had added it that it says 100 proof rather than 80 . Is this going to cause a problem?
Thanks
Hi Mavis, 100 proof vodka is not recommended unless you dilute it with water. 80 proof vodka is ideal.
Can you use whiskey? Thank you!
We haven’t tested this with whiskey, but some readers have commented that it seems to take longer to extract the vanilla flavor (and not taste the alcohol flavor) when they’ve used a dark/brown alcohol instead of a clear one.
Hmmmm since this will be my first time I will use vodka! Thank you!!
How does your recipe produce vanilla extract that is stronger than what you get in the store if the FDA requires .83oz of beans per 8oz of alcohol for single fold and 1.6oz of beans per 8oz of alcohol for two fold (double fold) vanilla extract? Anything less can’t be labeled as pure vanilla extract in the US. Can you think of something you do differently?
Hi Leah, I find splitting open the vanilla beans helps tremendously. Feel free to use more beans.
Many different websites and YouTube videos I’ve seen advise to have 1 ounce by weight of vanilla beans to 8 ounces of liquor in order to be classified as pure vanilla extract. Everything else I’ve read here is accurate.
I’m very happy to be making my own vanilla extract (and making use of vodka bottles sitting in the liquor cabinet!). So, thank you for this recipe! (and for many more of our favourite recipes:) I was using the extract daily in oatmeal…but now that we’re doing a lot of overnight oats- it just tastes too boozy without the cooking process. Any recommendations on what to do? I was thinking of dehydrating and pulverising the beans after they’ve been used…anyway, any tips would be appreciated!
Hi Tara-Lee, Does the vanilla smell too strongly of vodka (ou should still smell the alcohol but will also smell the vanilla)? If so, it may need to rest for longer before you use it. You can certainly try using less of it in your overnight oats, or even using vanilla sugar instead would be delicious!
So if you refill with more vodka after using some do you have to let it sit for a while again? Or can you keep using right away? And what about if you pour the whole jar into another for a gift and reuse the beans, do you start over and let it sit for 6 months again? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! If you’re just using and replacing a little vanilla at a time, you can continue to use it. If you notice it is less flavorful, let it sit for a while. If you re-use the beans in all new vodka, you’ll need to let it sit for 6 months again, or a little longer, since the beans will already have some flavor extracted from them.
I put together a couple of these bottles for my family for Christmas and I bottled a few more to start extracting in preparation for next Christmas! This seems like it would be a great wedding favor. Do you have any guidelines for doing this in smaller bottles?
Hi Anna! If you’re planning on gifting the smaller bottles ready to use, you could make them as-is in larger bottles, then use a funnel to transfer the aged extract to smaller bottles. Or, you can cut down the alcohol and vanilla beans proportionally to your smaller bottles and let them age in the smaller bottles.
Your recipes are always wonderful. I am ordering the bottles and jars to start mine for Christmas 2024. Thank you for always having the best recipes and instructions
Is there a reason not to cut the beans in half width-wise so they will stay submerged more easily as you use the extract? More seeds will probably come out, but that seems like a bonus!
Hi I made 3 recipes of the vanilla with vodka and the aroma says it all. Now all my friends want some. My question is how do I re-use the beans? My next recipe will be with bourbon. Thanks for your marvelous recipes! My latest effort was the Caramel Turtle Cheesecake…with your directions it was so easy and delicious!
Hi Corinne, we’re so glad to hear the vanilla and cheesecake were both hits! If the beans are fully submerged in the current bottles of extract, you can take them out and transfer them to the new bottles of bourbon and let them begin the process again.
Can you make the vanilla in a large container or the whole bottle of Vodka? We are thinking of making them for Christmas gifts next year. Then pour them into small bottles.
Hi Sheryl, you can use a larger bottle, just be sure to use the same ratio of alcohol to vanilla beans. Enjoy!