Easy Homemade Vanilla

Light brown vanilla in swing top bottles with vanilla beans inside.

Only vodka and vanilla beans are needed to make your own vanilla extract. Making vanilla from scratch is cost effective and you can make the strength you want, it's delicious!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Servings: cup vanilla

Author: Danika Vanderpyl

Equipment

1 glass bottles with a sealing lid
1 funnel
1 Pouring measuring cup
1 Label

Ingredients

1 cup vodka (80-proof or 40%)
For single fold: 3-4 vanilla beans Single fold is the strength found in most grocery stores.
For double fold: 6-7 vanilla beans For a stronger flavor make double fold vanilla.

Instructions

Using a funnel, pour the vodka into the glass jar.
Cut the vanilla beans open lengthwise (no need to cut the curly ends) so they open. (Optional step: Scrape out seeds with a spoon and place them in the jar of vodka.) Place the sliced open vanilla beans in the jar. Make sure the vanilla beans are fully submerged in the vodka; if they are not, take them out and cut them in half so they are shorter.
Be sure to label the bottle with when you made the vanilla (today's date!). Place the vanilla in a dark, cool place. Shake every 1-2 weeks, let the bottles sit for 8 weeks or 6 months for a better flavor (or 12 months if you can wait that long!). Then enjoy in all your recipes!

Notes

Note: Time on the recipe card does not include soaking for 8 weeks to 6 months. The longer it sits the stronger it will be.

Yield + making more: This recipe makes 8 oz or 1 cup of vanilla. This recipe can easily be adapted to make more, or it is fine to double or triple the recipe in one big jar.

Vanilla beans: Look for grade B vanilla beans. The most popular beans to use for making vanilla are Madagascar, Mexican, or Tahitian beans. See the notes in the blog post above to learn more.

Alcohol: You want to use anything higher than 70-proof (35%) vodka. More on this in the blog post above.

Shelf life: Homemade vanilla lasts for years as long as the vanilla bean is submerged under the alcohol.

Refilling: As you use the vanilla you can add more vodka to the bottle to make more. When the flavor is not as strong, replace the vanilla beans.

Giving homemade vanilla as a gift: If you make vanilla to give as a gift, I recommend writing on the label when the suggested ready date is.

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