Homemade Vanilla Extract

This is the easiest and best vanilla extract, and has nothing but vanilla beans and some alcohol. It’s also way more economical than buying bottles of the good but expensive stuff.

I first made Vanilla extract after seeing the recipe in Ina Garten’s cookbook. However, I have tweaked it a little as 1 bottle of vodka is way too much to use, and I found through trial and error, that both vodka and rum work equally well. I also treat the beans a little differently, as you will see.

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Homemade Vanilla Extract
The key ingredient to making a full flavoured extract is time, so make a bottle today and reap the benefits 4 weeks from now (that's the minimum maturation time). If you can find some nice glass bottles with stoppers, it makes for a simple and lovely present to take for a foodie friend. I have mine in a cheap squeezy bottle as it's easy to use!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 4 weeks
Servings
ml
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 4 weeks
Servings
ml
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Cut the vanilla pods into half, especially useful if your bottle isn't high enough to fit them in. I also find that cutting the pods allows the seeds to absorb the alcohol quicker and for the extract to become aromatic faster.
  2. Pack the pods in the bottle, and cover the pods with the alcohol. Close and store in a cool dark place.
  3. To use the extract, shake the bottle well before pouring out. To use the beans, take out the pods and squeeze out the seeds from the cut end. Then slit the pods lengthways to scrape out any remaining seeds. Don't throw the pods, (i.e the beans), let them air dry naturally, and then use to make vanilla sugar (which is simply some white sugar ground together with the dried vanilla pods). Nothing gets wasted!
  4. Top up the bottle with more alcohol / beans as needed. It will last indefinitely.
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