Making Homemade Vanilla Extract

The cheap imitation extracts on the market are usually not even worth buying. Real vanilla extract (now that is worth using in your baking and everyday cooking) costs a small fortune! What if you could make your own vanilla extract at home? It is actually super easy to do, although it is a long-term project, and you can save a bundle.

To start off, you will need vanilla, of course. I'm not talking about another extract, but an actual vanilla bean. Since you probably won't be able to find vanilla beans in your normal grocery store, you will need to look elsewhere. Shops that sell Mexican food supplies often carry vanilla beans and if you have no luck there, you can also order them online from places like Beanilla.com. A good quality bean can cost between $2-10, depending on where you buy it, but as you'll see, that one bean can really last!

To prepare your extract, cut the vanilla bean in half and place it, along with any seeds that fall out, in a bottle or jar. While you can use a clear jar, the best is a dark one that will protect the extract and keep it from losing its potency over time.

Now, pour about a cup of vodka over your vanilla bean. It should completely cover the bean. If the bean is not completely submerged, use a narrower container or add a little more vodka. Some people swear by less vodka, others by more. It all depends on how strong you want the extract to be, but there is room for leeway. For larger batches, just add one vanilla bean for each cup of vodka.

Once you have the ingredients in the jar, cap it off tightly and shake a couple of times, then store in a cool, dark place. Heat and sunlight are damaging to the extract, you won't have a great final product if your developing mixture is exposed to these.

Shake the jar a couple of times a week to make sure the bean is loose and leaching out all its flavor into the vodka. It will take between 4-6 months to finish the extract, though you could feasibly use it before that, but the flavor will not be as strong. The longer the extract sits, the stronger the flavor will become.

Since the extract is primarily alcohol, you can keep it indefinitely without fear of it going bad. Just remember to store the extract in a cool dark place for the best quality.