Vanilla Extract Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to make vanilla extract? ›

The FDA dictates that a pure vanilla extract needs to be at least 70 proof or 35% alcohol, and this makes Vodka an ideal choice for vanilla extraction.

All you need are fresh beans and cheap booze to make an ultra-flavorful extract at a fraction of the cost.

You can use vanilla beans for extract more than once, which makes them a gift that keeps on giving. Just know that the flavor will get weaker over time. Many recommend using them no more than four times.

What is the shelf life of my vanilla extract? When stored properly, vanilla extract will keep indefinitely, but using it within five years will allow for best flavor and aroma. Do not refrigerate or freeze, even after opening. What is the shelf life of my vanilla beans?

Everything you have ever heard about homemade vanilla extract is untrue. It's not more intense, deeper in flavor, or less expensive than store-bought vanilla extract. I feel like kind of a jerk for even saying so, but there you go.

Pure vanilla extract (the kind made with real vanilla beans and at least 35 percent alcohol) has an indefinite shelf life. unless it's been stored improperly.

Vodka is the preferred alcohol for extractions like this, as its flavor is neutral and does not compete with that of the vanilla beans.

It's easy to remember that 8oz of spirits is a cup, so use 1oz of vanilla beans in 1 cup of spirits. That method is easy to remember and will never let you down!

As the vanilla extract sits, it will get darker. You want the beans to soak in the alcohol for at least 2 months before using it. The flavor will only get better with time. Make up several batches of vanilla extract at once so you never have to wait for a batch to brew.

Vanilla beans are expensive, but 6 of them (a little over 1/2 ounce or 15g total) make an entire CUP (8 ounces) of vanilla extract and you can reuse the beans. Compare that to $4 for 1 ounce of store-bought extract.

How long do vanilla beans need to soak in vodka? ›

Buy a bottle of good vodka, and a couple of vanilla beans. Place vanilla beans in the vodka, and let it sit for 3–7 days. Much longer and you will end up with something more akin to vanilla extract. Now personally, I would use that in a mixed drink in order to add some sugar to it, and enhance the vanilla flavor.

You can leave the vanilla beans in the bottles indefinitely and continue to top up the jar with alcohol as you use the extract. Alternatively, you can make vanilla sugar with the used vanilla beans. Place the old vanilla beans in some granulated sugar to infuse the sugar with vanilla flavors.

After drying out, leftover vanilla beans are brittle enough to be ground up alongside coffee beans if you dig the pairing. Alternatively, they can be reduced to a powder in a spice mill and added with other dry ingredients to any recipe that could benefit from a vanilla boost—take your pick!

Yes, you can find vanilla extracts that contain less or no alcohol, though they won't be called “extracts” since they don't meet the FDA's standards. These products are commonly referred to as vanilla flavoring, instead.

Vanilla extract doesn't just rely on alcohol to extract the essential flavors and fragrances from the vanilla bean and suspend them in a stable solution—it's also required by law to have an alcohol content of at least 35 percent.

This allows the flavour compounds from the pure vanilla bean to infuse into the alcohol/water mixture, which then forms the pure vanilla extract. While vanilla beans can be extracted without alcohol, it is very slow, ineffective and results in a lower quality vanilla extract.