This homemade vanilla extract recipe is a fast and fun way to infuse flavor into your baking. You only need two ingredients to keep the best vanilla extract ever on hand.
Vanilla extract is probably the most-used ingredient in my kitchen after flour and sugar. It is also my go-to DIY holiday gift. It is perfect for all the bakers on your list and makes a quick and simple host or hostess gift for when you’re invited to a party and want to bring something fun, unexpected, and practical.
You will find the FAQs at the bottom of the post. There are also instructions for storing, refilling, and making a non-alcoholic version of the vanilla extract! Plus, where I buy my beans and much, much more.
For more info on vanilla beans, including types, check out my guide on how to use a vanilla bean.
Homemade vanilla is easy to make but to get the best result you have to be patient. The longer you let the vanilla beans sit in the vodka, the better and stronger the flavor will be. I let this bottle sit for 5+ weeks before opening it (I used a LOT of beans, so it matured faster, if you use less, it can take up to 12 weeks to have enough flavor), which was a test of willpower I didn’t know I possessed. The result is like perfume, I add this homemade vanilla extract to all of my recipes and dab a bit behind my ears (not really, but maybe I should). I use it in everything from cakes to cocktails.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract (Video)
What You Need to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Glass Bottle with stopper or cap
(the one I used had juice in it and I cleaned it and then sterilized it) – the size doesn’t matter, you can make a large or small amount.
- Vodka – You need enough to cover the beans in the bottle you choose. There is no need to break the bank with the vodka you use, I go for the cheap stuff since it’s just meant to carry the flavor of the vanilla. You can also use rum or other neutral-flavored alcohol.
- Vanilla Beans (click here to see which ones I use)
– The amount will depend on the size of the jar you make, but you want to use a bunch to get the best flavor. I used about 18 beans in 750ml of vodka. The beans can be expensive, so you can also keep the pods after you have scraped out the seeds for another recipe. This will take longer because you aren’t adding the flavorful pulp, but it is a great way to use the pods. I add one to the bottle every time I have another pod. Just don’t use them if they have been used in a recipe already, like custard.
- Alcohol-Free Vanilla Paste (optional) – The base for a non-alcoholic vanilla paste is Vegetable Food Grade Glycerin. This is a thick paste and you will use less per recipe because it has a higher concentration of vanilla. It is perfect for people who don’t want the addition of alcohol. Here is a helpful post about how to make this version.
Homemade Vanilla Extract Step-By-Step
Clean your bottle and dry it well.
If you are using whole vanilla beans, scrape out the pulp of a bunch of beans. (some versions leave the beans uncut, but then you don’t have the power of flavor released by the oils and seeds)
Put the bean and scrape the pulp into the bottle. Scraping out the seed pulp first will help it flavor the alcohol quicker than using uncut beans.
Once you have all the beans scraped and added to the bottle pour the vodka in. You can use a funnel
Close the stopper on the bottle and shake the vanilla and vodka to distribute the seeds.
The vodka will still be clear for the first few days. Once every couple of days give the extract a good shake to break up the pulp and get the seeds distributed in the vodka.
After a week the extract will start to get darker and develop some flavor. After a few weeks, you can use the extract, but the flavor will be very subtle and have a strong alcohol taste.
At week 3 the color should be amber and the aroma is richer, but waiting for weeks 8 to 12 is when it gets really exciting. Use it in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract. If you are using it in buttercream, you may want to strain out any of the pulp. You will still have the seeds in your recipe, but any of the stringy bits from the pod will get strained out.
How to Refill Homemade Vanilla Extract
The extract can be kept indefinitely and over the months/years it just keeps getting better. You will need to add more beans and refill with more vodka to replenish the bottle as you use it. I add more vanilla beans and vodka as the bottle gets to 2/3 full. If you let it get much lower you’ll dilute all the beautiful flavor you’ve developed!
Store-Bought Vanilla Extract Hack
A super easy way to get a more intense flavor from your favorite bottle of store-bought “pure” vanilla extract* is to add a split and scraped vanilla bean to it. That will give your recipe a boost of flavor from the seeds. It won’t be quite as intense a flavor as the bottle chock-full of beans, but it is a great way to start! Avoid imitation/artificial flavor vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Where do you get your vanilla beans? Check out the links under types of vanilla beans above to find the ones I purchase on Amazon.
- Where is your vanilla bottle from? I have several bottles of vanilla going at all times, but they’re all different. I clean and reuse my husband’s Bulleit Whiskey bottles. I don’t use the whiskey to make the vanilla because it competes with the vanilla flavor, I just like the bottle. I also have one from a bottle of juice I bought at Whole Foods and IKEA often has bottles with stoppers.
- What is bourbon vanilla? When you see vanilla extract that’s labeled “bourbon vanilla” it refers to the type of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and has nothing to do with the alcohol of the same name. So, Bourbon Vanilla is NOT made with bourbon. If you choose to use a strong flavored alcohol, just keep in mind that it will be adding that flavor to all your recipes as well.
- How do I refill my vanilla as I use it up? You need to add more Vodka AND more vanilla beans to keep the flavor in balance. See my process above. I refill mine when it gets down to about 2/3 full.
- Why isn’t my vanilla turning dark like yours? Time and the amount of vanilla beans will determine the color and potency of the vanilla. You need to let it steep for a couple of months, shaking it every so often to distribute the seeds. Make sure you have several beans per cup of vodka or it won’t have enough flavor.
- Do you ever remove the beans from the bottle? No! The beans in the bottle will never go bad because they are sitting in alcohol which will preserve them. If the bottle gets too full of beans over time and I can’t fit more in, then I start a new bottle.
- Do the beans that are exposed to air in the bottle ever get moldy? No! There’s so much alcohol that this is not a concern. I have had several bottles for years and have never had this happen.
- Does homemade vanilla extract expire? No! It can be used indefinitely because it is alcohol-based. The longer it sits, the more delicious it becomes. Just make sure you shake it up every once in a while. I use mine up quite quickly because I bake every day.
- My vanilla tastes too alcohol-y! The extract is alcohol-based, so you will taste some alcohol, but the vanilla flavor should be strong. The alcohol burns off when baking, so you won’t taste that in your recipes.
- Can I switch from bourbon or rum in my homemade vanilla, to vodka? Yes, vodka has almost no flavor, which is why I prefer it to any other alcohol when making vanilla. It allows the vanilla to shine. It may take a while to replace all the bourbon, but eventually, it will happen. Keep adding vanilla beans too.
- Can I make non-alcoholic vanilla? Yes, see the link above. It isn’t an extract as much as a paste, but equally delicious.
Video
Instructions
- Clean your bottle and dry it well.
- If you are using the whole vanilla beans, scrape out the pulp of a bunch of beans.
- Put the pod and scraped pulp into the bottle. (Scraping out the pulp first will help it flavor the alcohol quicker.)
- Pour the vodka into the bottle. You can use a funnel to make sure you don’t spill. I didn’t have one that was small enough, so I used a large round pastry tip.
- Close the stopper on the bottle and shake the vanilla and vodka to distribute the seeds. The vodka will still be clear for the first few days. Once every couple of days give the extract a good shake to break up the pulp and get the seeds distributed in the vodka. After a week the extract will start to get darker and develop some flavor. After two weeks you can use the extract, but the flavor will be very subtle.
- At week 3 the color should be amber and the aroma is richer, but waiting for week 5+ is when it gets really exciting. Use it in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract. If you are using it in buttercream, you may want to strain out any of the pulp. You will still have the seeds in your recipe, but any of the stringy bits from the pod will get strained out.
- Refilling the vanilla extract: As you use the vanilla, you can add more vodka and vanilla beans to refill it and keep it going for years. After I've scraped the seeds from a bean for a recipe, I just toss the bean into my bottle and shake it up. If your bottle gets to be half empty and you refill it with vodka, you will want to add a few more beans to make sure you're not diluting it too much.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!
Where did you get the bottle? What juice bottle? And how do I know how much vodka to keep adding to the already used vanilla beans before needing to start over with a new batch? What do I eventually do with the used vanilla beans?
Hi Tina,
I’ve made the vanilla in all kinds and sizes of bottles. You can do little ones for gifts or a big one for your own use. If you add more vodka, you also need to keep adding more vanilla beans to keep up the proportion. I just stick scraped beans in after I have used the seeds in a recipe. I still have this bottle of vanilla and it probably has 50 beans in it from over the years, I can’t squeeze another one in, so I add vodka and some seeds, but I started others also.
Thanks, Zoë
Can kids eat the Vanilla?
Hi Kitty,
Are you asking because it has alcohol? A typical recipe uses about two teaspoons for the entire thing, so it’s an insignificant amount of alcohol and it burns off in the oven or on the stove, so there are only traces, if any, that remains. Most vanilla is made with alcohol.
Thanks, Zoë
My homemade vanilla extract, used with vodka ha developed a brown ring inside the bottle. The vanilla liquid is a little cloudy. Where did I go wrong. Ty very much. This is my first time.
I like this idea,Thanks
Hi Zoe,
Few minutes after I poured vodka onto the vanilla bean in the glass jar,I noticed white fuzzy growth attached to vanilla bean. On shaking the jar, the white fuzz is now floating in the jar. Could please let me know if this is normal or the white fuzz is mold. I used a single madagascar vanilla bean and 90ml vodka.
I’m now three week in to 8 oz. Jack Daniels with one vanilla bean that is scraped so seeds and pulp are exposed. Still smells a lot like bourbon but will leave it for the next two months and see what happens. Love making my own vanilla. Wish I had used vodka for the first run instead of bourbon but just happened to have Jack Daniels in the stash. How have other bourbon recipes turned out? Did you use more vanilla?
Hi Laurie,
I have never tried it in bourbon, I always use an alcohol with very little flavor, so the vanilla stands out more. You will need to throw more vanilla beans into the bottle to get a strong flavor out of it. There is a type of vanilla called “Bourbon Vanilla,” but the name refers to the island the vanilla was grown on, not to the kind of alcohol it was steeped in.
Thanks, Zoë
i love homemade vanilla extract. It was one of my first forays into real cooking.
I worry about using this in uncooked recipes. It is basically just flavored vodka, correct? Is it still usable in things like buttercream?
Thanks
Janice
Hi Janice,
What is your concern, the raw alcohol? Yes, it is flavored vodka, and the way most vanilla is made.
Thanks, Zoë
HI
Yes my concern is the raw alcohol. I have made some and it smells awesome. I bake a lot and make my own frosting. Is this ok to serve to kids? Or in a milk shake or a similar concoction? Thanks!
Hi Janice,
All vanilla extract is made with alcohol, even the kind you buy at the store. There will be no difference between using the one you make yourself and one you can buy. You are typically using such a small amount that the alcolhol has no effect at all.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi
What a great webb page you have like it alot
Was going to ask you brief about your recipe for home made vanilla extract. how good is the sustainability i mean how long can you leave the vanilla pod in the alcohol.?? In some recipe the have added suger is that something you fell is necesserary to establish or is it just useless to have it . Can be fun to here what you think .
Take care
Kent
How long can you add beans to the original bottle. Do you remove older beans or should you just start a new bottle at some point?
Hi Gladys,
You can keep adding beans and topping off the vodka to replenish the extract. If it becomes too crowded with beans then start to swap out some of the old ones for new.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi! I made 250 ml of vodka wif 8 pods. Been aging it for 6 mth now. It still smell of alcohol though the vanilla smell is strong. Is it suppose to be like that?
Hi Winnie,
Yes, this sounds right. Don’t forget that the alcohol will burn off when you cook/bake with it.
Thanks, Zoë
I have a question for you. What should it smell like in the end? I used 2 cups of vodka and 12 beans and it’s been hanging out since mid July. I can smell vanilla but it still smells heavy on the vodka side. I’m not expecting it to smell as yummy as the store bought stuff does, but I don’t want to give it out and fail. Thanks!
Hi Jen,
Did you give it a good shake and taste it? It should be great to use at this point. If your beans were on the small side or at all dry, you can just add more of them at any point. I add more every time I use vanilla in a recipe.
Thanks, Zoë
I looked in the store for vanilla beans and they were like $7.00 for three beans. So I went to eBay and got them for 50 for $15.00. They are perfect and just started my vanilla extract last night. So excited!!!
Hi Alice,
That is wonderful, enjoy all the vanilla!
Cheers, Zoë
Hello! I stumbled on your site and have been spending hourssss ogling all the goodies, haha. I had a question- I cannot have alcohol, in any quantity, is there any way to make vanilla extract without alcohol? Or any way to substitute it with something just as good that has not got alcohol in it?
Thank You!
Wow! What a great idea! I have never thought to do this before!! Thanks for your clear instructions and pictures!
Quick question, you touched on it briefly earlier, how many times/ what quantity would you “re-ad” some vodka to the bottle? I don’t use beans in my cooking so would be buying them specially. Or would you recommend just making a new “fresh” bottle from scratch?? Thanks again!!
Hi Anna,
You can keep adding more alcohol and beans as you see fit. If you add too much alcohol it will weaken the flavor, so you’ll want to occasionally add an more vanilla beans.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks for showing the steps and reminding me to make this. It was on my list for a while. I finally bought the bottle with flip attached lid at the “The Container Store” & want to go back for more. How much money I would’ve saved if I made this 18 yrs ago when I started baking! Actually before 18 yrs as I grew up in my Daddy’s bakery.:-). I love your food pictures & already had you “liked” on FB.:-)
This is such a wonderful find!
I had this on my list of to-do’s last year for the holidays, but never got around to it. I’m making myself start early, as this will be a wonderful treat!
Thanks for the posting and the lovely photos!
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the website: beanilla.com. They are by far the best, most informative site for everything vanilla.
I bought Mexican, Bourbon and Tahiti beans for making my own extract, using bourbon and the vanilla bean “blend”, starting it now, to give as holiday gifts in stopper bottles, with custom labels. Figured 6 months would make a pretty good infusion!
Hi Zoe,
Can you make the extract with vanilla powder?
Hi Pam,
That is a great questions, and I’m sorry to say I don’t know??? I have never used the powder, but now that you bring it up, I will get my hands on some.
Thanks, Zoë
Hello,
I was wondering how you sterilize your bottles. I’ve seen many different ways-oven, bleach, microwave, pressure canner, etc… I’m trying to find the most effective and safest way. Thank you! I love your recipes and the photos especially of Sicily!
Hi Kelly,
I have only used the boiling method for sterilizing bottles.
Thanks! Zoë
Definitely have to try this!!
Quick question, with hopefully an easy answer… I have never made my own vanilla extract but think this would be perfect for my mothers of preschoolers group. If I buy the 4 oz. bottles for everyone, how many vanilla beans would I need per bottle to make the extract?
Also, do you recommend one type of vanilla bean over another? I’ve seen Madagascar, Tahitian…
Kitchen stuff does not come as naturally to me as others, but I am trying 😉 Any help you can offer is great! The more specific, the better.
Thank you!
Hi Tracy,
I would do about two beans per bottle. The most important part is to get nice plump beans, not the ones that are dried out. The kind you get will depend on your budget and what is available, but I have good luck with all of them and I tend to use what I have on hand, which is a combination of different beans.
Have fun and they will love the gift! Zoë
I got my beans from a small island, they are simply the best!!!!!!!:)
That looks nice! I just tried it recently….. IT WORKS!!!
Hi!
Love your site!!! I can tell these recipes are going to be addicting!
I see that you said refrigeration is not necessary – just what I was going to ask! Along those same lines, I read on some sites that if you use 70 proof vodka (minimum), it’s not necessary to refrigerate homemade infused vodkas, but some people still do it to be on the safe side. Your thoughts?
Have a great day!
Hi Katy,
I have never refrigerated the vanilla, but it won’t hurt it to do so.
Thanks, Zoë
be careful to not refrigerate the actual vanilla bean as this will harm it. also extract grade vanilla beans are called grade b they are drier than grade A and work better for vanilla extract.