How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade Vanilla Extract can be made with just two ingredients!

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When I found out homemade vanilla extract was only two ingredients, I had to learn how to make it myself. Turns out it’s really just having the right ingredients and a container. I had to go out and and get the vanilla pods and vodka since I didn’t have them on hand. That was really the hardest part of this whole recipe. Learning to make everything from scratch has been my goal as life as a wife and mom. My favorite thing to make is sourdough bread. My favorite kind currently to make is Focaccia Bread.

Where does Vanilla come from?

Interestingly enough they actually call it a vanilla orchid and is part of the orchid family. That blew my mind, I had never heard it called that before. I always called it a vanilla pod. Most of the worlds vanilla comes from Madagascar. It is native to Mexico and South America.

Anyways, the process is actually labor intensive. The beans which are the fruit of the vanilla orchid are hand pollinated, harvested and cured to become what we see when we buy them. That’s a lot of work.

What are the benefits of making homemade vanilla extract?

Oh, where to begin. Making things from home is so important because you can control the ingredients better. When you buy something from a store it has been processed in a facility. Most likely, things slip through the cracks. Whether it be their sanitary standards or ingredients that should not be in there ending up in the product you buy. So for me, if I can learn to make it from home, I’m going to try.

I’ll admit, making everything from home takes a LOT of time. Especially when you’re just starting out. As time goes on it gets a little easier though. You start memorizing your recipes and before you know it you’re trying to find new things to learn.

I have so many things I still want to learn to make. Ketchup and BBQ Sauce are on my list. I’ve always wanted to create a BBQ Sauce that was just mine. Relish is also at the top of my list. I’ve really got to get to work on those, they are staples in the refrigerator for us. That reminds me, I need to restock my honey mustard sauce.

The Process of making Homemade Vanilla Extract

This process is simple but it does take a long time for it to be ready. What you need to do is first is split the vanilla beans all the way down the middle then cut it in half. This will take a pairing knife.

This time I used 2 oz bottles because I wanted them small to put in my cupboard. Then take your vodka and funnel and pour it into the container and place the cap on.

Then you place it in a cool dark place like your pantry for a month or two. You will see the color change over that month. You can open them and smell them from time to time. They will turn sweeter and sweeter. Before you know if you’ve made your own homemade vanilla extract!

A month later this is what it will look like!

If you want to make them in bigger bottles, I love these 5 oz ones, they come with shrink wrap for the tops you can do at home!