While making your own vanilla extract is not something anyone needs to do, it’s a delightful addition to your shelf. There’s an initial investment in the beans and alcohol, but it lasts forever, and the flavor is fabulous.
Vanilla beans — about one ounce per cup of alcohol
Alcohol — 1 cup of 70-proof vodka, brandy, bourbon, or rum
Equipment: A glass jar with a lid
Use a sharp knife to split each vanilla bean lengthwise, or leave them whole. I have both whole and sliced vanilla beans in my jar.
Place the vanilla beans in a clean glass jar.
Pour in the alcohol, making sure the beans are fully submerged.
Tightly seal the jar. Store it in a cabinet or on a shelf.
Let it steep for at least 2 months — 6 months for best results. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavor becomes.
Every few weeks or so, tip the jar to blend the ingredients.
Top off the alcohol and add more beans as needed.
Homemade vanilla extract will last indefinitely, so you can enjoy it for many years — and it gets better with time.
Adding vanilla extract and vanilla seeds to cheesecake batter.
I have both sliced and whole vanilla beans in my jar. Slicing the vanilla bean exposes the vanilla seeds and flavors the extract more quickly. I keep some beans whole for when I want to use a whole vanilla bean; for example, when making panna cotta, I take a whole vanilla bean out of the jar and squeeze it to extract the vanilla beans. Then, I put the bean back in the jar to continue to flavor the extract.
Panna cotta with blueberry coulis
Beyond using vanilla extract in baking, I almost always add it to homemade whipped cream, granola, and even smoothies!
Homemade whipped cream using a milk frother
Banana, strawberry, and blueberry smoothie with almond butter and honey – and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract!
