• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mary's Nest

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes and Videos
  • Shopping Guide
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Make this extract and never buy it again!

December 11, 2019 By Mary's Nest Leave a Comment

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Mary holding a jar with Vanilla Extract.
Watch the How to Make Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract video

Learn How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract, and you’ll never have to buy it again. Watch my video and print out the recipe in this post for step-by-step instructions. This vanilla extract is perpetual and will last indefinitely.

*Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My videos and blog posts may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.

Get Printable Recipe
View Favorite Supplies

Making Homemade Extracts

Making homemade extracts is probably one of the easiest things to do. Vanilla Extract is probably the simplest, and it lasts the longest. Some call it a perpetual extract. Ina Garten, the best selling cookbook author, once said that the beans used in her extract are almost 20 years old. Now that certainly warrants the perpetual label!

Step-by-Step Instructions

In my video, I walk you through the easy steps involved in making Vanilla Extract. You’ll simply cut the beans in half, split them down the middle, or do both. Next, you’ll place them in a quart-sized or one-liter jar and then fill it with vodka.

Why Vodka for My Extract?

I like to use vodka when making Vanilla Extract or any extract for that matter. Vodka is colorless and basically tasteless and odorless, so it lets the vanilla flavor shine through. However, you can also try other spirits, including rum or bourbon.

What If I Don’t Want to Use Alcohol for My Extract?

Keep in mind that when you use a Homemade Extract, you are most likely going to use it in baking. The heat of the oven will help the alcohol dissipate and just leave the lovely extract flavor behind.

However, if you are concerned about the high-proof alcohol used in making an extract, you have options. To replacing the vodka or other high-proof alcohol in any extract recipe, simply substitute the alcohol called for with three parts liquid glycerine and one part water. Now keep in mind, glycerine is, in essence, alcohol, but with a much lower alcohol content than 80-100 proof spirits.

One other option when making extracts is to use a low-alcohol wine mixed with glycerine to make your extract. To learn how to make homemade wine and use it with glycerin to make a low-alcohol extract, please visit my sweet friend Heidi over at Rain Country Homestead.

More Ideas for the Traditional Foods Pantry

Now that you’ve learned how to make homemade Vanilla Extract, be sure to try your hand at making more Homemade Extracts and other essentials for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry.

Mary with 10 favors of homemade extracts.
  • How to Make Homemade Extracts  – Flavored Extracts – Baking Basics
  • 5 Homemade Salad Dressings – DIY Salad Dressing Recipes – Quick + Easy + Healthy
  • How to Make Homemade Seasoning Blends

Homemade Vinegar Recipes

Making vinegars can be fun too, and they look great next to the homemade extracts in your pantry. I recommend starting out with a homemade Apple Cider Vinegar, but depending on the season, fruit scrap vinegars would be perfect too.

How to Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother Video
  • How to Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother – DIY From Scratch Recipe for Beginners (3 Part Series)
  • How to Make Fruit Scrap Vinegar with Pineapple Rinds
How to Make Fruit Scrap Vinegar with Strawberries
  • How to Make Fruit Scrap Vinegar using Strawberry Tops

Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List

For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

  • FREE 36 Page Traditional Foods Pantry List – Printable Pantry Staples List

Kitchen Academy Videos

Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos, live streams, and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.

JOIN NOW
And become a Traditional Foods Kitchen Pioneer

In the following members-only video, I take you behind the scenes with my working pantry.

  • Go Behind the Scenes with My Working Pantry

Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest

  1. Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.

  2. Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.

  3. Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos, live streams, and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.

I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!

Love,
Mary ♥
  • Why You Need to Stock Up On these Top 15 Foods NOW for Your Prepper Pantry!
  • How to Make the Best Home Remedy for Colds and Flu
  • Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy 2023 Member Update
  • How to Make a Turmeric Golden Milk Spice Mix

Mary holding a jar with Vanilla Extract.
Print Recipe

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

This vanilla extract is perpetual and will last indefinitely!
Steeping time180 d
Total Time180 d
Course: Pantry Staples
Cuisine: Americana
Keyword: Baking Basics, Homemade Extracts, Pantry Staples, Vanilla Extract
Servings: 64 servings
Author: Mary’s Nest

Equipment

  • 1 quart-sized jar or 1 liter-sized jar

Ingredients

  • 10 Vanilla Beans, cut in half and split lengthwise
  • Vodka

Instructions

  • Add vanilla beans to the clean jar and cover with vodka.
  • Allow the beans to steep in vodka for six months in a dark pantry or cupboard.
  • After six months, remove some of the vanilla extract and decant it into a clean bottle.
  • Add new vodka to the original jar containing the vanilla beans, and return the jar to the pantry or cupboard to steep for another six months.
  • Every six months, continue this process of decanting some vanilla extract into a separate bottle and topping off the jar containing the vanilla beans with additional alcohol. By following this process, your vanilla extract will basically last indefinitely.

Video

Notes

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-homemade-vanilla-extract/
Copyright © 2019 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Shop for items used in this blog post or video

Favorite Homemade Vanilla Supplies

  • Madagascar Vanilla Beans
  • Italian Clamp Glass Jar

Favorite Kitchen Supplies

  • Favorite Aprons
  • Spice Grinder
  • Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
  • Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
  • Vacuum Lids
  • Whisk
  • Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
  • Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
  • Flour Sack Towels
  • pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)

More Kitchen Supplies with Discount Codes

  • Mockmill Grain Mill (for making homemade flour)

Use my Mockmill affiliate link for a special one-time 5% discount on Mockmill Stone Grain Mill products, including Ancient Grains, like Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt. (The Mockmill discount will appear when you checkout.)

  • Masontops Fermentation Kit

Use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops and Breadsmart products on Amazon.com.

Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide

  • Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
  • Visit my Shopping Guide page
    Learn where I buy my beef bones, electric grain mills, sprouted grains, and more…and get special discounts for Mary’s Nest visitors, including from US Wellness Meats, Mockmill, Masontops, and Cultures for Health.

Recommended Reading

  • Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and Diet Dictocrats
  • Apple Cider Vinegar Handbook
  • The Pickled Pantry
  • Deep Nutrition

**Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.

Filed Under: Homemade Extracts, Pantry Staples, Vanilla Extract Tagged With: Homemade Extracts, Vanilla Extract

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Mary

Mary's Nest with Beef Bone Broth Jar
...And I'm so glad you're here.

Do you want to be a Modern Pioneer in the Kitchen and be part of the Traditional Foods Movement? If so, you’ve found a home!

I'll show you how to create Traditional "Nutrient Dense" Foods, including Bone Broths, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Bread and More!

  • New to Traditional Foods?
  • Blog and videos
  • Shopping Guide and Discount Codes

Kitchen Academy

Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
  • Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy for exclusive videos and live streams

Search

Recent Posts

  • How to Fight Rising Grocery Prices with New Foods
  • Master Recipe for How to Make a Medicinal Herbal Soup
  • Why You Need to Stock Up On these Top 15 Foods NOW for Your Prepper Pantry!
  • How to Make the Best Home Remedy for Colds and Flu
  • Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy 2023 Member Update

Archives

Categories

Amazon Links

Mary's Nest Shop
  • Mary's Nest Amazon Shop - Great ideas for:
    • • Bone Broth
    • • Kitchen Tools
    • • Cookbooks
    • • Baking Supplies
    • • Canning Items
    • • Food Preservation
    • • Self-Sufficiency
    • ...and more!

Food Links

Mockmill
  • Get 5% off your Mockmill purchase

US Wellness Meats
  • US Wellness Meats - Get bones for Beef Broth and more!
    (Note: Use promocode MARYNEST to save 15% off regular-priced items on your US Wellness Meats order.)

Let’s Socialize!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Footer

Mary's Nest Cooking School logo

Mary’s Nest

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes and Videos
  • Shopping Guide
  • About
  • Contact

Search

  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Mary’s Newsletter

Privacy policy

Copyright © 2023 · Mary's Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you agree to the use of such cookies.Ok