Homemade Vanilla Extract
Making homemade vanilla extract is simple, but requires a lot of patience! This homemade vanilla extract recipe will make all your baked goods deliciously flavorful.
Yield: 8 oz
Preparation Instructions:
Slice into the vanilla beans so they are better able to infuse with the alcohol.
Place the cut beans into a clean, airtight container that is at least 8oz in size, such as a mason jar.
Cover the beans with 8 oz of 80 proof vodka.
Screw on the lid and shake well.
Store in a cool dark place.
Periodically shake the jar in the first few weeks.
The extract can be used in as early as 2 months, but is best after 6-12 months.
The extract is ready when the liquid is a deep brown color and is fragrant.
thespicehouse.com
I’ve been making my own extracts for several years and the proper ratio of beans to alcohol is 1 oz. of beans to 8 oz. of alcohol. I use vodka for most extracts but I have also used whiskey, rum and Everclear (50/50 with distilled water). Change up the origin of the beans for different nuances. Really fun and interesting hobby to get into.
We’ve been making vanilla extract this way for 40+ years but… We never use vodka (well, maybe once or twice). We have found that the best liquor to use is a decent dark rum, the darker the better. Gosling’s works really well. We just keep adding vanilla beans and rum as we use the extract. It’s kept in an old cognac bottle with a cork stopper, in a dark cabinet.
I am going to try this!!
I use brandy to make my vanilla extract. This is Wisconsin! I started with six beans. Each time a made another batch, I added more beans until there were more beans than brandy. That was really good vanilla.