Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe Tutorial for DIY Holiday Gifts

Did you know you can easily and inexpensively make your own vanilla extract? And it's delicious!!! Nothing beats the taste of REAL vanilla extract. So ditch the imitation stuff and avoid the high price of grocery store brands. Make your own vanilla extract for easy holiday gifts.

First, you need Vodka (not that diluted, 42 proof stuff). You need at least 80 proof (40% alcohol) for it to pull the flavor from the vanilla beans. You can also use rum or bourbon, if you want a sweeter vanilla extract. Using the vodka will give you a “true vanilla” flavor. It doesn’t matter what brand of vodka; as long as it is 80 proof, go as cheap as you can.

You will also need vanilla beans, of course. The kind you find at the grocery are most likely Grade A beans (meant for use in baking). Ideally, you need Grade B beans. They are meant for this purpose, and you get the most flavor out of them. You may have to search them out online. I purchased mine from a bulk seller on eBay. You need approximately 3-5 beans per cup of vanilla. Since I used a 750 ml bottle of vodka, which translated to a 4/5 full quart jar, I used 15 beans.

Okay, this is an extremely complicated & intricate process, so let’s begin.

Cut your beans down the middle lengthwise and put them into the quart jar filled with vodka. Make sure the beans are completely covered. You may need to cut them down to fit.

Annnnd, that’s it.

No need to scrape out the flecks from the beans, they’ll all come out over time. Shake-shake-shake it once a month to let it know you’re still thinking about it. Technically you can use the vanilla extract after 6 weeks of infusing, but the longer you hold out, the better the flavor will be. If you can hold out for 6 months, it will knock your socks literally off your feet. If you have the will power of Hal Jordan and can make it to 12 months, your head will explode off your neck from how darn delicious this heavenly elixir is.

Also, you can keep replenishing the mason jar with more vodka as you transfer extract to smaller bottles. After a while, you can replace the beans to freshen it up. Some folks also add bits of the bean to their smaller amber bottles.

Homemade vanilla extract makes a great holiday gift. Just transfer the liquid to small amber bottles decorated with our Vanilla Extract Bottle labels. Now think of all those delicious Christmas cookies that you can bake with this homemade potion. And for a fraction of the price!

Vanilla Extract Supplies:

• 80 proof, 40% alcohol vodka (my bottle was 750mL). You can use rum or bourbon instead of vodka.
• Grade B vanilla beans (3-5 beans per cup)
• Quart mason jar
• Small amber bottles
• Small funnel
• Vanilla extract bottle labels 

Do you make your own vanilla extract? If so, have you experimented with different alcohols? Have you made any other types of extracts? Let us know in the comments below.