Making Homemade Vanilla Extract (aka…Why Laura Bought a Gallon of Vodka)
ByYes indeed. The four boys and I went into Walmart a few days ago for the sole purpose of buying vodka. A gallon of it.
I felt the need to tell the check out lady why I was buying an entire gallon of vodka. She just looked at me like I was a lunatic and shrugged as if to say, “Hey, do whatever you want to with your vodka, girl.”
And then she wouldn’t let Justus carry it out of the store. You know…just in case I was buying the vodka for my nine year old minor.
It made for some good discussion on the way home: what drinking alcohol can do to your brain…why the lady had to make sure I was over 21 to buy it…why it’s okay to carry a watermelon out of Walmart when you’re nine but not a couple jugs of vodka.
All that to say: I just started my very first batch of homemade vanilla!!! I’m super excited. My friend Jill sent me a beautiful bottle of her homemade vanilla a couple of weeks ago and it’s fabulous!!! (I guess you could say that I was pressured by a friend into buying alcohol. “Go ahead Laura…make your own vanilla. Everyone’s doing it.”)
Now that I’m hooked on the idea…I thought I’d try to influence you too…
You will need:
A gallon jar
One gallon of Vodka (the cheap stuff is fine) (To keep you from standing in the liquor section too long to calculate this…2 bottles of 1.75 liters each will be the exact amount you need to make a gallon of vanilla.)
80 Vanilla Beans (You’ll need about 3/4 pound to have 80 beans) – enter code home for a 10% discount on Vanilla Beans through Olive Nation!!
Kitchen shears
Begin by slicing through each bean lengthwise, leaving about one inch at the top of each bean uncut so that it stays together.
See? Like this…
Place all of your cut Vanilla Beans into your jar.
Fill the jar with vodka. (I took the following picture with my left hand while pouring the vodka with my right hand. This proves that apparently…I can really handle my liquor.)
Once the jar is full with beans and vodka, put the lid on…then put the jar in a dark place (like in the back of a cabinet). It needs to stay there for FOUR to SIX MONTHS in order to become vanilla extract! Occasionally, you should get it out and shake it up a bit, then put it back into it’s dark place.
Here’s the cool thing: If you start a batch of vanilla really soon…it will be ready in time to put into little bottles and give as Christmas gifts. (Family members reading this…you have exactly six months to forget all about this post and be surprised on Christmas morning.) If you don’t get it started right this minute…from what I’ve researched…a little less than six months of “vanilla extracting” time won’t hurt anything.
To complete your vanilla once six months have passed: strain out your vanilla beans with a coffee filter lined colander and tada…you have vanilla extract! Bottle it up in dark amber bottles - give it as gifts and start cooking with it yourself!! Yum!
AND…if you don’t want to make a whole gallon of vanilla…you can make a lesser amount:
- 1/2 gallon of vanilla….use 1/2 gallon of vodka (1.75 liters) and 40 Vanilla Beans (enter code home for a 10% discount!)
- 1 quart of vanilla…use one quart of vodka and 20 Vanilla Beans (enter code home for a 10% discount!)
Well…I know I’ve influenced many of you to eat healthier and plant potatoes in a container. Is it now possible that several of you are going to run out to buy liquor? Tell the clerk the Heavenly Homemaker sent you.
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Read details on where to purchase small vanilla bottles here. Also, you can read this post to learn how to finish and strain your vanilla after 4-6 months.
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I recommend that you purchase your Vanilla Beans through Olive Nation!! You’ll receive FREE SHIPPING and if you enter the code home you’ll receive 10% off your entire order!!!! (The free shipping applies to vanilla bean purchases only!) I bought my most recent batch of vanilla beans through Olive Nation and was VERY happy with their prices, promptness and quality of vanilla beans. Plus free shipping and a 10% discount? It can’t be beat! Thank you Olive Nation for offering HeavenlyHomemakers readers free shipping and a special 10% discount!
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You can purchase dark amber bottles here!!
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Here’s where I ordered my labels for vanilla bottles. ;)
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I got a jar off of FreeCycle and our local Bible college gets items in gallon glass jars and they will give those jars away. Try places that feed people in bulk. Even our grocery store’s cake decorating department gives away frosting buckets that can be used for grain storage. I prefer glass but have never found anything for storing 50 lbs of wheat that is glass :)
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Jamie Reply:
January 17th, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Thanks!
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How long will the homemade vanilla last?
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Lacie Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
I wondered the same thing! How long does it stay good?
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Laura Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 9:37 pm
It will stay good for years and years!
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Laura Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 9:38 pm
Cindy – the vanilla will stay good for years!
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Is there a 10% off code for olive nation for 2013? I just tried the one posted and it says it’s expired.
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Laura Reply:
February 14th, 2013 at 9:57 pm
Thanks for mentioning this! I just emailed them and asked them to reset it. It’s supposed to be good forever, so hopefully I’ll get back with you shortly and tell you that it’s good to go!
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Laura Reply:
February 14th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Okay, the code is fixed…try again!
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Cheryl Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 8:54 pm
Fantastic! Thanks. It’s my first time ordering beans from them, hope they are good quality
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Cheryl Reply:
March 3rd, 2013 at 5:15 pm
Although, the beans seem to be good quality, I will not be ordering from Olive Nation ever again. Their custsomer service is extremely poor. Apparently, they don’t value their international customers one bit. I won’t give my business to them again.
Fantastic! Thanks. It’s my first time ordering beans from them, hope they are good quality!
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Cheryl Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 8:55 pm
Ack! Sorry. Double post.
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I also make my own vanilla extract. It is so lovely! I wanted to let everyone know that you can take the “spent” vanilla beans (the ones you used to make the extract) and add them to sugar (I use organic, raw, cane sugar). This makes vanilla sugar that is amazing in baked goods that call for sugar and vanilla. Sometimes I give a gift of vanilla extract, vanilla sugar and a cute measuring spoon set as a hostess gift or a much appreciated gift for the bakers in my life.
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Mindy Reply:
March 5th, 2013 at 5:46 am
Just ordered my beans from Olive Nation! I cannot stand spending $8 for a 4 ounce jar anymore, especially as much as I use it. What a price difference and I’m guessing the quality will be phenomenal.
Amy, when you used the spent beans for sugar, did you grind them up and add them to sugar? How did you do that? Sounds wonderfule!
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“wonderful” that is. LOL
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I Ordered my vanilla beans and received about 30 of them last November. I’m very happy with the quality, especially for the price! I’m finally making up two quarts of vanilla with these; one with vodka and the other with whiskey (I have trouble following recipes sometimes (: ) Thanks for being so awesome and sharing so much goodness!
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How do you seal the small bottles after bottling them? My 21yo daughter and I made up a gallon of vanilla just 2 hours before she was ushered into Heaven. I want to bottle the vanilla we were making and give some of it out as gifts to some of her closest friends as they get married this summer/fall. It will be ready for bottling in another couple of months, but I wanted to have everything ready before it’s time.
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Laura Reply:
April 6th, 2013 at 10:58 am
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter. You don’t technically have to seal them, but if you like, I found some heat and seal plastic at SKSBottle online.
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i just put 7 van. beans in about 8 oz. of vodka for vanilla. i thought this would be cutting the recipe properly, but the beans are not covered w/ the vodka. should they be?
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Laura Reply:
April 6th, 2013 at 10:59 am
Yes, they do need to be covered with vodka. :)
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If I buy the 1 lb. beans to make this (it’s a better deal than 1/2 lb. and 1/4 lb.) what can I make with the extra beans? I don’t want them to go to waste!!
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Laura, I know you used Vodka for your vanilla. I saw in the comments that someone else used whiskey. The stuff I buy at the store is in bourbon – can you explain why the different alcohols can be used, and what real difference does it make?
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
June 3rd, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Laura is not really sure on any of the other kinds of alcohol…she has only used vodka before. Sorry! :)
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
June 3rd, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Laura is not really sure on any of the other kinds of alcohol…she has only used vodka before. Sorry! :)
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Hi Laura! Great info, I Have been making extract for a year or two and noticed you are selling it, have you looked into the legalities of this considering it is basically flavored alcohol? I am interested in selling my extract at farmers market and woneer if you have any info for me?
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Laura Reply:
May 14th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
It depends on the rules at your farmer’s market, but we were able to sell ours without jumping through any extra hoops of any kind. :)
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cheryl Reply:
May 14th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
Every state may be different. I checked on that in Michigan and the biggest rule was that you had to sell your extract in person and not mail order.
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I’m curious – you say cheap vodka is fine. My husband thinks the more quality alcohol, the better the end result (which in theory makes sense – better ingredients, better extract). Is it more the quality of the vanilla beans that is important?
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
June 3rd, 2013 at 12:39 pm
The quality of bean is important. The better quality you use the better the flavor.
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What size amber bottles do you purchase? Do they come with the lids or are those sold separately?
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Laura Reply:
June 9th, 2013 at 9:11 pm
I get 2 ounce, 4 ounce, and 8 ounce bottles and give them as gifts according to how much the recipient likes to bake! :) The lids come with them.
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I just received 16oz of vanilla beans from Olive Nation and it only contains 63 beans. It was stated that you need 80 beans (about 3/4 lb) per gallon of vodka. Do I go by bean count or weight of beans when measuring out the amt of vodka? It seems to me that 16oz of beans should warrant at least a gal of vodka, but is that correct?
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Laura Reply:
June 10th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
I always go by bean count, and seemed to remember that I got a few more than 80 in a 3/4 pound package. Go ahead and use the 63 in the one gallon. It’ll will turn out great!
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I found these 4 oz bottles for 0.65 each! https://www.aromatools.com/Amber_4_oz_Glass_Bottle_w_Black_Cap_p/9175.htm
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I kust bought two bottles of vodka and they are in glass. Could I just split the vanilla beans in half and put them into the two bottles?
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Missy Reply:
June 16th, 2013 at 7:44 pm
My question is similar – I didn’t have a glass gallon jar but used 4 quart jars and put 20 beans in each jar and filled the jars to the rIm with vodka. I’m guessing this is ok too? :)
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