You only need 2 ingredients for homemade vanilla extract: vanilla beans and vodka. Let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for 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 12 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.
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 around .75 to 1 ounce total make an entire CUP (8 ounces) of vanilla extract and you can reuse the beans.
It’s best to slit the beans open to help bring out even more flavor.
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 6 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 8 vanilla beans (about .75 to 1 ounce) 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, coffee cake, and cinnamon swirl cheesecake, 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 best results, let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for at least 12 months.
Ingredients
- .75 to 1 ounce vanilla beans (about 8 beans or 20g 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. You can use it in 6 months, but 12+ months is even better.
- 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
- Using More Vanilla Beans: 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 6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol. I prefer a stronger vanilla. 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 .75 to 1 ounce of vanilla beans per 8 fluid ounces of alcohol. This is the best balance of taste and price. Feel free to use more beans per 8 fluid ounces if desired.
- 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: 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The vanilla beans I ordered states on the packaging “Do not try to slice vanilla beans. Chop beans into 1/2 inch pieces.” Wondering what I should do for best results.
Hi Lisa, I wonder if it says that because the beans are particularly skinny and it would be hard to slice them? You can try chopping them in half instead. (1/2-inch pieces is quite small for something like this.)
Made some with vodka and its great. I was wondering hoe Cointreau would go? Thought perhaps I’d reduce the number of random bottles in the cupboard and what better use.
Hi Greg, we haven’t tested making it with Cointreau, but if you try it, please report back on how it turns out!
I made a batch of extract using the Madagascar beans and bourbon. A couple of weeks into the process, a ring of “slime” appeared on some of the bottles. They have been shaken every week and the beans are totally submerged. What would be causing this? The “slime-free” bottles have remained clear. I’m afraid to use those bottles.
Hi Robbie, that “slime” 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. Hope this is helpful!
Making vanilla extract has been my obsession this year! I stumbled across a wonderful group on Facebook where you can order beans by the ounce at fantastic prices. (I’d include the name, but I’m afraid that would be considered spam.) I now have extracts brewing with beans from Madagascar, Mexico, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea, in vodka, rum, bourbon, coconut rum, and Everclear diluted with distilled water to bring the proof down to the 80-100 range.
We recommend using at least 1 ounce of beans per 8 oz of alcohol, but many of us prefer “double-fold” extracts with 2 oz beans per 8 oz alcohol. Extracts in clear alcohols are best after around 12 months, while darker alcohols like bourbon & dark rums may take 18-24 months to fully develop.
It’s been an amazing journey, and I can’t wait for all my extracts to be finished so we can do a blind taste test comparison!
I started a vodka vanilla extract 1 year ago. When I start using and replenishing, can I add bourbon or stick with vodka?
Hi Jennifer, we’d recommend replenishing it with the same type of alcohol.
Hi! When you made this with bourbon, which brand did you use? Thanks!
Hi Allison! Any brand will work – Evan Williams or Jim Beam are good options. No need to splurge on expensive alcohol.
I started a batch of vanilla about a year ago. I had 10 vanilla beans, that I purchased at Costso, in 12 oz of vodka. I would shake the bottle about once a week. I checked it today. It is very watery. does not have a very strong vanilla smell and the beans are slimy. Any suggestions?
Hi Susan! Did you split the beans as described in the method above?
I just started my first batch. I bought the bottles you recommended, but the beans extend to the top and 2-3 inches are not submerged.
Should I divide the beans so they are fully submerged?
Thanks
Hi Carole! Yes, cutting the beans so they fit in your container is just fine.
I am making the investment to begin my own homemade vanilla extract journey. I bought the bottles shown on the website. Can’t wait to get my beans to start. The description from Amazon doesn’t say whether these bottles can be sterilized. I’m hoping you can tell me.
Hi Michael, sterilizing the bottles is ideal, but we’ve skipped that step using the bottles shown with no problem in the outcome of the vanilla. If you use bottles or jars don’t have any plastic pieces attached, you can sterilize them before using by boiling them in water, or you can simply run them through a cycle in your dishwasher.
I have same question – can these recommended bottles (with the plastic/rubber top) be sterilized in boiling water? If not, can you recommend bottles that can be?
I found 100% vanilla powder on My Spice Sage. Can this be used in place of beans> They say 1 oz. of powder = 20 beans.
I didn’t see an answer to your question about the vanilla powder. Did I miss it?
FYI: While steeping beans for a year may be as strong as store bought vanilla extract, but 1/2 ounce beans per 8oz liquid does not meet the legal requirements to be called extract. Would need slightly more than 3/4 ounce for 8oz liquid. I’m currently making double fold vanilla which I will give a full 12 months and expect it to be more than twice the strength of of regular extract. These will make a great gift for family and friends.
Hello! I love this recipe. I started a bottle with vodka about a year and a half ago, now I am out of vodka and would like to replace with bourbon. Can I mix the two alcohols in the bottle of vanilla? It is now about 1/2 full of the original vodka mixture….thank you!
Can’t see why not!
I’m so excited to make my own vanilla extract! I plan on making it in one 8 ounce bottle, then at 6-12 months, transfer to another empty bottle (no vanilla beans), and then re-fill the original bottle (with the beans) with vodka to start the process again. I can’t think of a reason to not do it this way (so I can use what I’ve made but also start another batch right away, but also be mindful of the lifespan of the beans), but wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something. What do you think?
Hi Debbie, as long as you are covering the used beans with vodka right away (so they don’t dry out), that should work just fine!
750 ml is approximately 3 cups. You should have 15-18 beans in the bottle according to the recipe. You have enough beans for 1.5 liters of vodka.
I plan to make this for next Christmas gift season. Odd question here. How do you remove the vanilla beans? Do you dump the entire bottle, remove beans and pour flavoring back into the bottle? Sorry for being so technical here.
Hi Lisa, a clean pair of kitchen tongs or tweezers will help for removing the beans from the bottle without having to dump it out. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe for vanilla!! I make a batch last year and gave away as gifts. This year I wanted to do the same, but realized I bought 100 proof vodka. Will my vanilla still turn out ok?
Hi LC! 100 proof vodka is not recommended unless you dilute it with water. 80 proof vodka is ideal.
Any suggestions on where to buy vanilla beans? I just bought them for $13 for 1 bean…so for your recipe I would need 6 @ $13?
We link to our favorites in the post above!
I spent $19 and I got 25 beans
I always love your recipes but I’m having trouble with this one. I measured as you suggested in making one jar of bourbon extract and another that is with vodka. It has been about 12 months and a week and both of my extract still have a very strong alcohol smell and taste (like, way way way stronger than any store bought. Any suggestions? Add more vanilla beans? Boil it a bit? Any thoughts? Thank you so much!!
Hi Michael, it will smell like both alcohol and vanilla! You can certainly give it more time to develop more flavor, but use your best judgement for when it’s ready. It will taste like alcohol, too. You can certainly add more vanilla beans if you like, but perhaps try a small amount in a recipe to see if you enjoy the flavor before adding more.
I had the same experience when first starting mine. For me, and the taste/color I wanted, I had to wait 18 months but it was well worth the wait. Just tuck it away and forget about it for 6 more months. You’ll be happy.
It is ridiculous how easy it is to make vanilla extract at home. I had no idea, but from now on I will always make it myself. I also calculated how much I paid for the vodka and the beans and how much I would have paid for the same amount of store-bought vanilla extract: the homemade extract cost me 39,39€, while store-bought one would have cost me 97,86€ (!) for 700ml. That’s unbelievable…
Thank you for this (hopefully) foolproof recipe!
What’s the best way to sterilize the bottles before using them? I have all of my materials so that’s my one question before I make the vanilla!
Hi Suzan, sterilizing the bottles is ideal, but 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 by boiling them in water, or you can simply run them through a cycle in your dishwasher.
I love this recipe… started mine 2 years ago… currently have 4 going for friends – plus am trying Tahitian vanilla beans for bourbon vanilla…
You’re going to love it! I made bourbon vanilla extract two years ago and it’s still my favorite! Making more for Christmas gifts this year. I used Tahitian beans as well.
While I love all your recipes and enjoy your videos I must disagree with you here. The FDA guidelines in the United States say it needs to be 1 ounce of beans to 8 ounces of alcohol to be called pure vanilla extract. Please tell people to weigh their vanilla beans because there are several different types of vanilla beans and they all will weigh differently due to the water content and just the wide variety of sizes.
Hi Lisa, vanilla beans can vary in size and that’s why the weight is provided. I usually use 1/2 ounce, which I slit open and that helps provide more flavor. I’ll read up on the FDA guidelines though. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for this info, I was going to use 5-6 of the beans that I bought on Amazon . I weighed them and actually needed to use 10-11 beans. Much appreciated as I’m giving these as gifts and want to make sure the flavor is there!
What do you do with rhe beans after making a second jar of vanilla with them? Can you scrape out the seeds and use them in sugar? Thanks for sharing your recipe and thanks in advance.
Hi Janie Dee, we haven’t tried reusing beans that were used for vanilla extract to make vanilla sugar. If you try it, make sure the beans are completely dry. Some flavor will be lost since the bean(s) was/were extracted.
What are the plastic pieces on the bottles that you reference? Do the bottles you used and linked have the plastic pieces?
Looking forward to making this!
Hi Donna! Are you asking about the caps? They seal the bottle. We link to the same ones we used in the photos above.
I made vanilla extract almost 7 years ago. Still using it and refilling as necessary. I replace the beans occasionally and it is still amazing after all this time. Going to make a bourbon one this week.
Hi Heather thats amazing to hear. I have a 25oz bottle of Vodka with about 20 beans in it from 8 months ago. I have a vanilla wedding cake a friend has asked for so I’ll probably use a 3rd of that bottle in one go. In your experience would that refill be too much? I suspect I would probably have to wait another 6 months to use it again….what do you think?
I started my vodka vanilla and bourbon vanilla 3 years ago. Both are absolutely wonderful but whoever you bake for using the bourbon one better like bourbon. What you bake definitely has a slight bourbon taste even after all these years. Personally I love it! but others may not, like my own husband I’m sorry to say.
Does it really need to be 6 months? I’d love to make this for Christmas gifts but it’s already August.
The waiting time allows the flavor of the beans to infuse with the vodka. You could gift it with a note about when it will be ready to use, and include instructions for storage and shaking the bottle as well.
Hi Sally
Love this and so thankful I found your site!
My question is, since I cannot have the bean seeds due to a stomach disorder, can I strain the vanilla extract or how would I do that?
Thank you!
Hi Marla! Yes, you can use a very fine mesh sieve to strain out the seeds. Hope you enjoy it!
Could you put the beans right in the bottle of vodka? Any reason not to do this? PS Love the recipes!
Hi Kristen, yes, that should work just fine!
Question for Sally: Help! I am thoroughly confused by this thread about simply placing beans into a bottle of vodka. Wouldn’t that just result in a bottle of vanilla flavored vodka? I often infuse clear rum this way; it doesn’t make it a baking extract. Or does it? If so, then why not simply substitute with flavored liquors in baking recipes? Essentially the Q is, extracts vs flavored liquors, what’s the difference?
This is a great question! This is absolutely an infused liquor, but it’s as potently flavored as vanilla extract. After 6-12 months of infusion, I wouldn’t drink this; it’s ideal for baking.
Hi Kristen, I put my beans directly into the bottle all the time and it works out great! All I do is tip the bottle and give it a good shake every week. This batch has been soaking since 11/2021! It smells so good…trying to hold out for the full 12 months . Good luck!
Is it recommended to use more then the 5-6 beans per cup of vodka?
I now have about 25-30 beans in my 750ml bottle of vodka. Started it about 1.5 months ago , its already super dark and heavy vanilla aroma when I smell after a good shake up.
Do I have too many beans? Waste of beans? Do I still need to wait the 12 months?
Thanks for any input,Kevin
Hi Kevin, we find 5-6 beans per cup to be just the right amount. 750ml is about 3 cups, so you’d only need about 15 beans. It’s hard to tell without seeing/smelling it ourselves, but you could try using a small amount in a recipe to see if it’s flavorful enough yet.
On a vanilla extract site I belong to, one goes by weight of the beans since beans can vary in size. So for single fold, it’s one ounce beans to 8 ounces 80 proof alcohol. Double fold two ounces beans to one ounce alcohol.
I was wondering if I buy a bottle of vodka can I just add the vanilla beans to that and store it or do I have to put it in a special kind of glass bottle
Hi Mary! Yes, you can use the vodka bottle. Just make sure to use the correct proportion of beans to vodka.
Kind of a strange question, but I was going to use the vanilla in a recipe that doesn’t require baking. I’m giving it to little kids, but was wondering about the alcohol content. Will there still be alcohol if I don’t bake the product? Thanks Sally! Love your stuff!
Hi Kate, Even most store bought vanilla extract is made using alcohol. We feel comfortable using this in no-bake recipes that will be served to children, but use your best judgement and use whatever you feel comfortable with!
I just bottled six bottles and now I wait!! Just a question regarding replacing the vodka. In step 5 it says to replace as you use it. At what point should I replenish the vodka? Then how long do I wait to use it? Thanks so much, can’t tell you how much I enjoy watching Sallys videos and have loved more recipes than I can count! Keep them coming Sally!!
Hi Nancy, it really depends on how much you’re replacing. If you’re replacing just a few teaspoons at a time, you can shake it well and then continue to use right away. If you’re replacing more, we’d give it a while to let the vodka have time to take on the flavor of the vanilla. The longer you wait, the more “potent” the extract will be. Hope this helps!
I bottled vanilla beans with vodka in March 2021 and let it sit for a year. I’m very happy with the results! Should I change out the vanilla beans and replace them with “fresh” beans?
Hi Paul, so glad you’re enjoying your homemade vanilla! See step 5 for details on replacing beans.
Is is ok to open the bottle before 8 weeks to add more beans?
Hi Denise, yes, that is just fine.