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Learning how to make vanilla extract is the easiest thing ever. It requires only 2 ingredients and makes all of your baked goods taste and smell incredible. Homemade vanilla extract will be your secret ingredient for baking! Once you make your own homemade vanilla extract, there’s just no going back to the store-bought version. As a bonus, you can refill real vanilla extract with more vodka as it runs out so it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
These make for darling and thoughtful DIY Christmas gifts (see tutorial below). My cousin’s wife, Alla, shared this awesome idea with me for gifting homemade vanilla extract and now all my sisters and friends know exactly what they’re getting for Christmas! lol.
I included links to all of the tools and resources that I used to make these from the sweet little glass bottles on Amazon to the free labels I designed which you can print at home. There’s also a full visual tutorial on wrapping these in kitchen towels. I really enjoyed making these and I will enjoy giving them away even more!
Vanilla Extract Ingredients (makes 10 (4oz) jars):
20 vanilla beans
40 oz plain vodka* (80 proof works great)
It’s easy to scale this recipe up or down, the proportions are 4 whole vanilla beans per 1 cup (8 oz) vodka, or 2 vanilla beans per 1/2 cup (4 oz) vodka.
*It’s not necessary to get the most expensive brand of vodka; something middle of the road like Smirnoff triple distilled 80 proof will work just fine. I found this at the liquor store and paid $25 for a giant jug. I’ll be refilling my vanilla a long time :). My cousin used the Vodka sold at Costco (Washington Costco’s carry liquor, but Idaho’s don’t).
Tools you’ll need for Homemade Vanilla Extract:
Small funnel or measuring cup with pouring lip
10 (4oz) clear bottles with lids (avoid cork lids – alcohol evaporates through the cork)
Labels – you can save and print the labels I designed for FREE!
Kitchen scissors or sharp knife
How to Make Vanilla Extract:
1. Wash and sanitize bottles and lids. I washed with mild soapy water, rinsed then swirled with boiling hot water to sanitize them.
2. Cut beans in half then Split beans. I found this is easiest with kitchen scissors. Cutting them about halfway down the stem. If the beans are too dry to split, cut them into 1″ pieces. Place a total of 2 whole beans in each jar (or 4 split halves).
3. Use a funnel or measuring cup to pour vodka to the top of the jar. Cover tightly with lid and let them brew for 2 months, shaking occasionally.
Apply the FREE vanilla extract labels by printing them on label paper or by gluing them onto the bottles. If printing on the labels, make sure your printer is set to 100% and not “fit to page” which make shrink or stretch labels.
You should give the vanilla a little shake every now and then for the next couple of months as it sits. It will turn a beautiful amber color when it’s ready to use. The instructions are right on the label so you don’t have to wait that long to gift them ;).
For Creative Gifting:
12 yards of yarn or kitchen string
12 kitchen towels for gifting, preferably tea towel style
12 small/medium cookie cutters
How to Wrap a Gift With a Kitchen Towel:
Fold a kitchen towel in half lengthwise and then in half again lengthwise. Place vanilla in the upper left corner, fold over the bottom flap, roll into a log and tie the top with a string or ribbon directly over the next of where the bottle is sitting inside the towel.
How to Store Vanilla Extract
Keep your homemade vanilla extract in a cool dry place. Heat and light can cause it to turn cloudy.
If it does turn cloudy, murky, or muddy-looking, do the smell test and if it still smells good, it should be fine to use. Using 80 proof vodka, it is highly unlikely there is bacterial growth.
Sometimes the type of beans you get can leach pulp into the alcohol and you can strain out sediment if desired.
Vanilla Extract Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Extract Ingredients (makes 12 (4oz) jars):
- 20 vanilla beans, I used Grade B Bourbon
- 40 oz plain vodka*, 80 proof works great
Tools you'll need for Homemade Vanilla Extract:
- Small funnel or measuring cup with pouring lip
- 10 4oz clear bottles with lids (avoid cork lids)
- Labels
- Kitchen scissors or sharp knife
Instructions
- Wash and sanitize bottles and lids: Wash with mild soapy water, rinse, then carefully swirl with boiling hot water to sanitize them.
- Cut beans in half then Split beans (it's easiest with kitchen scissors), cutting them about halfway down the stem. If the beans are too dry to split, cut them into small 1" pieces so they don't stick up above the surface of the extract as you use it. Place a total of 2 whole beans in each jar (or 4 split halves).
- Use a funnel to pour vodka to the top of jar. Cover tightly with lid and let them brew for 2 months, shaking occasionally.
Notes
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Can I use amber coloured glass bottles instead of clear?
Hi Jenn, absolutely! 🙂
What size labels do you use for your template?
Hi Jennifer, I have links to the label paper (it was a solid label from which I cut out the circles). It would work to also go to avery website and design then print on round labels from avery if you prefer. They have a great label maker free online design tool 🙂
Did you have lots of vanilla bean paste/particles floating in the vanilla? Is that ok, should I try to strain the vanilla? Thanks!
Laura, you can strain it to have a prettier look but it has something to do with vanilla beans.
HI Natasha, I love this idea and am about to bottle my vanilla, but I was wondering if I was supposed to scrape the seeds from inside the vanilla first? I just poured the vodka into my first jar and there is a lot of black vanilla bean “caviar” on the bottom of the glass that doesn’t look very nice.
Hi Lynsey, are you using a soft Grade A vanilla bean? Those would be more likely to release seeds and seeds can be scraped out and used for baking. My Grade B beans were so dry, I would have had a hard time trying to scrape out any seeds.
Love, love, love your labels . . . so cute. I wonder though, these can’t be customized . . . do you by chance have one that has bourbon instead of vodka as an ingredient??
Hi Celia, check out the avery website where you can customize and print whatever pattern you like and they already have their format lined up to match their labels so printing is easier.
How long will the beans last to make more vanilla after initial recipe? Will it be weaker vanilla second time around?
Hi Donna, it will be lighter in color. I usually add another bean when I refill to keep the color dark.
Can’t wait to try this!! What is the shelf life once the process is completed?
Hi Mary, from what I’ve read, the extract never really expires – it just lasts and lasts
In what program or photoshop did you make such beautiful labels?
Hi Sofya, I used an online program called pic monkey and then we arranged them into a single document I believe in a program called Lghtroom. The easiest way might be to go to avery.com and check out their templates.
where did you get the towel???
Hi Julie, I purchased them at Cost Plus world market and I believe they were standard tea towels.
where do you buy your vanilla beans. I would like to try your recipe. Thanks
Hi Gloria, I purchased them on Amazon (see links above). I find that to be the best pricing compared to what I was able to find locally.
Is it ok to use extra dry beans?
Hi Lynne, I have used some pretty dry beans and it just takes a little longer for the extract color to form and you might need an extra bean or half a bean in there 🙂 They are a little more difficult to split when they are extra dry and shark kitchen scissors are probably the best bet to get it done safely.
I have grade a beans, will these still work?
Hi Lynne, yes they will work. Grade A is the highest quality and most expensive which is why most people reserve them for baking and cooking but yes they will work in extract.
Hi Natasha
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I think this is an amateur question: what is the shelf life of a bottle? Would love to note a expiry date on the bottle as well.
Hi Denuka, great question! Vanilla extract can last for years and doesn’t really have an expiration date that I am aware of.
My first batch looked great. My second batch was cloudy. I used a different brand of vanilla beans. Does this mean the extract is bad? I was going to give for Christmas gifts but afraid there is a problem with the beans.
Hi Lori, I haven’t had that happen before so I’m not 100% sure. Maybe someone else can share some insight into this question? (Thanks in advance!!) I found this article which references cloudy extract, but it seems to be more referring to vanilla that has expired or been kept too long (while other articles I’ve read state that vanilla in vodka doesn’t really expire). Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Hi Natasha,
Is it possible to do it without alcohol? Maybe substitute with other liquid…
Thank you
Diana, I’ve heard people using glycerine to make it alcohol free but don’t have any personal experience with that.
Brilliant Idea for gifting……
Could you tell me where you found the bottles? Thanks so much.
Happy Holidays !!!
Also, Thank you for the label template.
Hi Linda, I purchased them on Amazon :). I have a link in the tutorial above to the same ones I purchased. We used light colored bottles but you choose the dark ones if there is an option. The light ones look nice and you can see the color changing.
everything on this page says “clear” bottles ?
Sorry for the confusion. I clarified my reply. I use clear bottles because it looks prettier and the light ones show the color changing, but you are welcome to use amber colored bottles.
Hi…Love this idea. Do you need to wash the bottle caps? If so, didn’t know if water would seep underneath cap and stay there? Thanks!
Hi Kait, I did rinse the bottles and caps and did not have any issues with the caps since they are either rubber or plastic underneath so water wasn’t an issue. 🙂
hi! I’m curious what size dish towels you used? Just don’t want the towels to be super bulky. I’m using 8 oz jars. Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I don’t have one on hand to measure it (they were all gifted away!) 🙂 I purchased them at Cost Plus world market and I believe they were standard tea towels.
How many times can you refill it before it starts loosing its potency?
Hi Kim, it will slowly lose it’s potency with each refill. If you want it to maintain it’s strength, you can either slowly refill it over time (this way you don’t have to wait for it to be ready for months), or add 1/2 a vanilla bean when you refill.
Hello! I am trying this now to use as Christmas gifts. A fellow recipe that I originally had seen and was going to follow used less beans. It equals out to about 2 beans per 12 ounces based on their recipe. Do you have suggestions on if using just one bean per 4oz jar would be ok? As that would be about a half bean over what my other recipe says to do. Beans are just so expensive that if one bean per will do the same thing, I’d like to stretch it further! Thanks!
Hi Daniela, I think you could make that work with 1 full bean per bottle. I use 1 1/2 beans per 4 oz bottle for the deeper color and flavor and it can be refilled more successfully when using 1 1/2 beans.