A number of us girls went together this year to buy vanilla beans to make homemade vanilla extract in time for holiday baking.
We placed quite a large group order on Amazon
But why would anyone want to make their own vanilla extract instead of just buy it?
Just to watch the liquid change colors?
Not me! It’s because you will never run out of vanilla again!
And because it’s economical.
Never Run Out
Experts (and I) say that the beans can be used over again many times – perpetually by adding more vodka and an occasional bean or two.
Most brands of vanilla extract have mostly sugar, flavor, and water added. We tried a popular Trader Joe’s alcohol-free extract, but after all the glycerin and water, there wasn’t much real vanilla in it. I thought I was doing a good thing by getting the alcohol-free, but the alcohol evaporates off during baking so the finished recipe is effectively non-alcoholic anyway!
Ingredients for Vanilla Extract:
• 3 Cups Vodka, 80 – 100 proof (I also keep it on hand for making elderberry tincture) A 1.75 Liter bottle of Seagram’s (in glass) ran me $15.00 plus tax.
• 8 Vanilla Beans cut into 1″ pieces OR slit down lengthwise to expose the vanilla seeds leaving 1″ at one end intact. It gets powerful more quickly when the beans are exposed.
• 1 Container / Jar with tight lid
Preparation/Directions:
• Combine Vodka and Vanilla Beans in container / jar
• Cover the jar and let stand for a minimum of 4 weeks in a cool dark place
• Shake mixture several times a week. The mixture will turn amber in color
• You can continue to add more Vodka as the extract becomes used. Like fine wine, the extract gets better with age.
• The shelf life is basically forever.
At two weeks (below), it is still light in color, but at 6 weeks it will be rich and dark.
The longer it sits, the richer it gets! Mine is ultra-dark now after 7 years.
A variety of other yummy things can be done with the beans, like using them to flavor honey or coffee:
• For coffee, just put a bean lengthwise down into the top of the coffee container and let the flavors absorb over several weeks.
• To do honey, put a 3-4″ piece into the honey and let it sit for several weeks; stir. Keep the ‘used’ piece of bean to use again.
Making Vanilla Sugar
We also enjoy making vanilla sugar and giving it as gifts of to use for special baking projects.
Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid plant, which grows in the form of a bean pod. Each individual flower has to to be pollinated by hand.
It is by far the most time consuming spice grown. Vanilla orchids are grown in tropical climates such as Mexico, Indonesia, Tahiti, and Madagascar.
The ‘flavors’ industry has capitalized in imitating the flavor.
I prefer the REAL thing!
And a little cool history: Residue found in 3,600-year-old Holy Land tomb rewrites the history of vanilla! The world’s 2nd most expensive spice was thought to have been introduced 13,000 miles away and thousand of years later, until analysis of burial offerings at Canaanite tomb in Megiddo.
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Laura S.
Neat! I have read about this before and have been wanting to try it. It seems simple enough. Thanks for the extra information!
Hannah Mendenhall
I’ve wanted to try making vanilla extract for quite some time, so thanks for posting this!
Sarah Mendenhall
Oh boy, I can practically smell the vanilla from here!
This Good Life
This is a great idea – and reading the ‘background’ on the vanilla bean was interesting. I’ve been wondering for a while how to make my own extract, and now I have a recipe. I shall be trying this!
Blessings,
This Good Life
Tauna
I’ve always wanted to try this! My parents brought vanilla beans back from Mexico a while ago, so I’ll give it a shot! I think I’ll try the coffee suggestion too. Thanks!
Heather @ Raising Mighty Arrows
Thank you for the great recipe. Can you tell us exactly how much vanilla will be made using this recipe? Also, when using the homemade vanilla in any recipe, do you use the same amount of vanilla as called for or do you 1/2 it? I’ve read on another site that you 1/2 the amount of vanilla used because this one is much stronger than the store bought.
Jacqueline
Hello, Heather!
It will make almost as much liquid as you have added in vodka. So that’s however much is left after you subtract the space the beans take up. Also you can leave the pods in forever, practically, and top up you container when it gets low. I would use it 1/2 strength unless you want a more vanilla-y taste!! Hope that helps! Thanks for the visit – hope to ‘see’ you again!!
Heather @ Raising Mighty Arrows
Jacqueline, thanks for your response! I’ve read before where it takes 4-6 months to make, but you’re saying 6-8 weeks. That is definitely a lot shorter time period. 🙂
Gail
You are such a good homemaker, Jacqueline. You do such varied things and have so many good tips. I’m blessed by your blog.
Joluise
I used an entire bottle of vodka and 15 pods and have found the longer it’s left (mines now 9 months) the better it is, far better than just a few months. I’m about to make a bottle for my son who loves to cook.
Jacqueline
Yes, Joluise, I’ve noticed that it is much better with age (mine is one year plus…) and it was wonderful even while in there only 2 months. Last year was my first year to make the vanilla extract, and I’m thankful for my friend Michelle who introduced me. I love vanilla beans~ they make my whole kitchen/pantry are smell divine.
Jill's Home Remedies
I definitely want to try my hand at making my own vanilla! I know I would save a lot of money ~ I use vanilla a lot!
Rhonda Devine
Thanks, Jacque–I’ll definitely be giving this a try:)
Blessings,
Rhonda
Kate @ Teaching What Is Good
Yowza…my recipe calls for WAAY more vanilla beans and I “steep” it for 6 months!! But I most definitely love my homemade vanilla!!
Phyllis Sather
I don’t see Madagascar vanilla beans, only Tahitian.
Jacqueline
Thanks for the heads up, Phyllis! They must not be able to get the Madagascar beans this year. I have not tried the Tahitian. A bunch of us went together to buy. Let me know if you make it…I would definitely do it again. Blessings 🙂
Phyllis Sather
Do you think I should try the Tahitian?
Kathy Johnson
YES!
It works the same…promise! 🙂
Gina
have just found your blog and wondered about your comments in the vanilla recipe section about making lily of the valley essential oil.
Can you expound on that? what uses do you have for lily of the valley essential oil, is it for fragrance only? have you made it? and what is your recipe and curing time?
thank you,
enjoying your blog
~gina
Jacqueline
Hi, Gina,
I just went back to the post so see what my context was…Here it is: I would love to experiment with these for fragrance, and somewhere I read that you can make an essential oil and separate the vodka off the resulting EO…pretty cool! If you try it, will you let me know what happens? Thanks!
Kristi Minter
How do you know you are getting the right vanilla beans?? There are several”grades”….
Jacqueline
Kristi, I would read the reviews and dig into the details on the product (where given). You will definitely notice the difference in the higher grade vanilla beans, but do your research.