How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade vanilla extract takes two ingredients: split vanilla beans and a neutral 40% alcohol. Plan on about 100 g of beans per liter, let them steep for at least two months away from light, shaking the bottle once a week, then use it just like store-bought extract.

Ingredients

• Vanilla beans: about 100 g per liter, or roughly thirty beans. That is the strength of a “single-fold” (1-fold) extract. For a more powerful extract, double the amount.
• A 40% ABV (80-proof) spirit: vodka for a neutral taste that lets the vanilla shine, amber rum for a rounder note, bourbon for a woodier extract.
• A clean glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid, ideally tinted.

Black Gourmet beans make a very fragrant extract. The extraction grades (Red Split, Short & Cuts), coming soon, are made for exactly this and will cost less. Slightly dry beans work perfectly well.

The recipe

1. Split each bean lengthwise without scraping it: the seeds will stay in the extract.
2. Cut the beans in half if your bottle is small.
3. Put them in the bottle and cover them completely with alcohol. A bean that sticks out can grow mold.
4. Close the bottle, shake it, and label it with the date.
5. Store it in a dark cupboard at room temperature. Shake once a week.
6. Taste it after 8 weeks. The extract keeps gaining depth for 6 months or more.

Alcohol-free homemade vanilla extract

For an alcohol-free extract, replace the alcohol with food-grade vegetable glycerin thinned with a little water, and use the same amount of split beans. Extraction is slower and gentler than with alcohol: let it steep for at least two months, shaking it every week. Without alcohol, the extract does not keep as long: store it tightly closed, away from light, and use it within a year.

Perpetual vanilla extract

When the bottle is half empty, top it up with alcohol and add one or two beans, either new or already used in cooking (rinsed and dried). This way the extract renews itself for years. Remove the oldest beans once they have turned pale and soft.

How much should you use?

Use a single-fold homemade extract just like store-bought: one teaspoon for a cake or a batch of crêpe batter, one tablespoon to replace one vanilla bean. See the equivalents.

No time to wait?

Our 5-fold vanilla extract, made in Madagascar with 500 g of beans per liter, is coming to Europe soon. It is five times more concentrated than a single-fold extract: a few drops are enough.

Frequently asked questions