Making your own vanilla extract is the easiest thing in the world. All you need are vanilla beans, vodka and patience. Split your beans most of the way through with a pair of kitchen scissors and pop them into a bottle , fill it with vodka, then let it brew for three months or more. Give it a shake occasionally and marvel at how quickly it turns a rich, dark amber.
Start with six to ten beans in a 700ml bottle – ten is probably more than you need, but I bought my vanilla pods in bulk, so I have lots to play with. As the extract is maturing, I’ll also add in beans which have been scraped out and used for other cooking, so the bottle gets quite full after a while. Trust your nose – sniff if occasionally, and when it seems strong enough, decant a little out to use. You can then top the bottle up with more vodka and allow it to mature again.
After experimenting with various spirits, I’ve found that vodka produces the most aromatic result. I’ve had moderate success with a mild brandy, but after a few months, it still smells more of alcohol than vanilla.
When vanilla extract is made commercially, chopped beans are boiled up and percolated through a base alcohol. This is done to maximise the extraction from the beans in the shortest possible time. By contrast, cold macerating the pods for several months is a gentle process, and the vanilla aroma and flavour extracted from the beans is very pure and clean, without any stewed or cooked overtones. You’ll be able to taste the difference in your baking!
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Use this vanilla extract to make a wicked vanilla syrup!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Have you ever tried rum or do you feel that would be too sugary?
I have tried using rum and found it overpowers the vanilla. I have read though that some people add a little dark rum to their finished extract to give it oomph! Hmmm….vanilla rum could be very nice for cocktails though..
Celia
That’s what I thought might happen…
Hey, if you make vanilla rum, you let me know how it turns out! Vanilla Rum and Coke?
The level of self sufficiency you guys have managed is impressive. I love the idea of making vanilla extract. Might just give this a go. Alcohol is so cheap here, it would probably save me a fortune.
I wonder if this works a bit like olive oil where you can start infusing herbs. It just crossed my mind that vanilla and mint may either make an interesting flavor.
Hmmm….
Vanilla mojitos? :)
Now we’re talking!!!
Dear Celia,
I just found your blog and I’m enjoying it very much. We do share the same enthusiasm for the homemade.
I have been making vanilla extract with cachaça as I had cachaça at home and I was not in the mood to buy expensive one liter bottle of vodka for my experiences. Cachaça is different from rum as it is one time only distilled sugar cane juice while rum is two or three times distilled molasses which gives rum a kind of caramelized aroma. The regular Cachaça (not the aged ones) share with vodka the same lightness of flavor, almost neutral and, how can I say it in English, a very vegetable aroma, in case of cachaça slightly sweet as it is made out of sugar cane. Cachaça, like vodka, are perfect for fruity drinks because of their light flavor. So, I tried and my extract tastes beautifully. I used 5 pods for 180ml of cachaça and the extract is perfect.
Cheers,
Claudia
Claudia, what a beautiful blog you have! I’ve been looking at the English version and the photos and recipes all look wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to post a comment, or I’d never have found your blog…
I’ve never seen Cachaca here, but I know what you mean about the caramelized aromas in rum. I’ve found they tend to overpower the vanilla. I wanted to try making extract with Eau de Vie, but it’s hard to find one here that is unflavoured. I have recently had some success with a very lightly wooded 40% alcohol brandy, which had a gentle aroma to start with, so it hasn’t drowned out the vanilla essences. I used 10 pods in a 500ml bottle (so maybe 400ml brandy?), about the same concentration as you used with yours. One thing which my husband Pete makes with our vanilla extract is vanilla syrup – this has proven to be more popular with our friends than the extract!
Celia
Finally got our vanilla extract under way!!
Hooray! You won’t believe how quickly it’s going to turn brown.. :)
Morning Celia.
Zeb pointed me towards your excellent extract advice.
& when I met her last month, gave me some vanilla pods.
So I’ve had my vanilla vodka mellowing away next to my 2007 slow gin.
It’s still has a lot of raw alcohol to it, but is ticking away nicely under the stairs.
Thanks for the wonderful advice and tips here. Gill
Gill, sloe gin! I’ve been eyeing that recipe in Pam Corbin’s book, but alas, no sloe berries here.. :)
Hope you enjoy the vanilla extract – isn’t Jo just the most generous person? :D
Sloe gin, hmm you could give it a go with some very sour plums and get something similar… ask that nice man at the market for some underipe dark small plums and that would be pretty close. The bitterer the better!
Speaking of generosity, Jo had those magnificent orange welding gloves on the other day pulling my pathetic bagels out of the oven and very grateful she was for them too :)
And speaking of generosity again, thank you for the extra batch of vanilla, Zeb.
It’s gone into the vanilla vodka.
[…] stout in Dan’s new Easter bun recipe so I was on familiar territory. I am quite proud of my home made vanilla essence, something I learnt from Celia at Figjamandlimecordial which also features in this […]
Hi there! I love your blog – I’m nurturing my own vanilla vodka essence now… I can’t wait to make a gorgeous vanilla drenched cake for my birthday in November! It will be my present for being so patient… thanks for the interesting reads and lovely recipes. L
Thanks for stopping by, Lauren! I’ve just opened a bottle which is 18 months old, and it was sublime…(though it really doesn’t need nearly that long – I just found one I’d hidden away).
I used 6 beans pet 700ml bottle. Will that be strong enough or should I use more?
Six should be fine, although I usually use ten (but I have lots to play with!). :)
Cheers, Celia
Hi Celia,
Can’t wait to try this!
May I please ask from where you buy your vanilla beans in bulk? I can only get them in pairs, vacuum-wapped in thick plastic and then tucked into aluminium tubes!
Lovely blog, thanks x
Pete, I buy them from Chefs’ Warehouse in Surry Hills. They’re $75 for 500g, which gets you about 110+ beans (I usually split a pack with friends!). Thanks for stopping by… Celia
I love the rice brown that your vanilla extract has!! Mine is still “brewing” think it’s about 2+ months now, it has the fragrant aroma but not the rich brown yet. Will try adding more pods 8)
Just wondering how long after the vanilla matures can it be stored? And the same for the Vanilla syrup, do they have long shelf lives…..not that anything with vanilla lasts long in this house :)
Sandy, I think the pods will keep for a quite a while if stored airtight. Mine are vacuum sealed, and have been good for at least the last couple of years. The vanilla syrup tends to crystallise after it’s been stored a while, but I think the vanilla extract will last for ages, as it’s just straight alcohol, flavoured with vanilla. :)
[…] and then simmering for about 3 minutes. Once it had cooled a little I added a teaspoon of home made vanilla essence and drizzled this over the cooled buns. Not as sweet as you would think and less heavy than […]
These days I seem to go thru lots of vanilla extract. And it’s so expensive … Then I remembered this post … my vodka is turning brown and mellowing as I type. Thanks missus!
My pleasure, Gill, you’ll love this! :)
Hi Celia…if you can ever get your hands on a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon you should make a bottle of extract…golden goodness in a bottle. Enjoy reading your adventures!!
Thanks for the tip, Sara! :)
[…] start to buy it in bulk.When first added, the liquid is clearBut then I came across a post from my friend Celia who made her own vanilla extract. By George I think she had the answer to my supply dilemma! And if you were in any doubt about how […]
[…] start to buy it in bulk.When first added, the liquid is clearBut then I came across a post from my friend Celia who made her own vanilla extract. By George I think she had the answer to my supply dilemma! And if you were in any doubt about how […]
[…] For home made vanilla extract, there is a perfect description here of the process. Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterStumbleUponLike this:Like2 bloggers like this […]
Joanna just pointed me toward your post, and now I’ve added vodka and vanilla beans to my shopping list. To be honest, I think I’ll use vanilla extract more often than homemade apple cider vinegar ! :)