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Now I’m a vanilla snob… like a HUGE vanilla snob. I will never ever EVER use that imitation stuff and honestly, though I will do my best to hide it, will make the-face if I’m in your kitchen and see it. And most likely I’ll throw it out and get you real vanilla 🙂 With that being said, I have been wanting to share this with you all for the longest time. However time just got away from me and I had 9,000 other things I wanted to share with you. Well today was the day that I at least wanted to put this all down for you.
Today I made my own vanilla bean extract (and even a raspberry bean extract – yeah I know, what?! Can you imagine just how amazing it’s going to taste when it’s ready???). Go out this week and make this with me. By the time Christmas comes around you’ll have enough to give out as gifts or hoard for yourself 🙂 Plus you’ll save SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much money by making it yourself. Not only will it taste better BUT it’s soooooooooooo much cheaper!
Did I mention just how cheap it is? 🙂
But then again if you want to spend $10 on a one ounce bottle… more power to you but then we need to talk about you investing in a bistro for me 🙂
So I need to give you some nerd knowledge about vanilla beans.
Choosing Vanilla Beans
Vocabulary for describing bean quality seems to vary a bit between vendors, which can make it more difficult to know exactly what you’re getting. Vanilla beans are graded A and B.
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- Grade ‘A’ beans (also called gourmet or prime). These beans are oily and moist. Really excellent beans may have vanillin crystals on the outside, these will melt back into the bean if heated. There are about 100 to 120 grade ‘A’ beans (6-7 inch) per pound (7.5 per oz). The beans are visually attractive so that they can be a feature ingredient in gourmet cuisine. 30% – 35% moisture content.
- Grade ‘B’ beans (also called extract beans). These beans are less moist and also less attractive. But don’t worry, because the flavor isn’t in the water. There are about 140 to 160 grade ‘B’ beans (6-7 inch) per pound (10 per oz). 15% – 25% moisture content.
For the purposes of making vanilla extract, we want to use Grade B beans whenever possible. “Why?”, you may ask. “Isn’t gourmet always better?” NO.
- Grade B beans have less water weight. You get more bean for the buck because you’re not paying for water. This also means that less water ends up in your extract.
- With Grade A you pay for appearance, which doesn’t matter to us.
- We get the same beans as Grade A, but at a fraction of the cost.
It’s pretty simple…
Get some dark glass bottles with a solid air tight lid. I got these bottles here: Cobalt Blue 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles, CASE OF 12
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Cover with vodka and close the lid…
Give it a shake every few days. About 6-8 weeks later you can use it BUT if you let it go longer, the flavor will become so much more intense and ‘full’. I like letting it go a good 4-6 months personally. But if you start this week, it’ll be awesome by Christmas.
Shopping list:
16 ounce bottles Cobalt Blue 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles, CASE OF 12
1 lb of Vanilla beans: Madagascar Bourbon Planifolia Extract Grade B Vanilla Beans 6~7″
PrintHomemade Vanilla Bean Extract
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- Madagascar Bourbon Planifolia Extract Grade B Vanilla Beans (10-12 beans per bottle)
- 2 cups of vodka less 1-2 tablespoon (80 proof) for each bottle
- Cobalt Blue 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles, CASE OF 12
- Patience … at least 6 weeks’ worth though 4-6 months is better
Instructions
- Clean your bottle and dry it well.
- With a sharp tipped knife, split the bean length-ways and scrape out the pulp of the beans.
- Put the pulp AND the bean pods into the bottle. Scraping out the pulp first will help it flavor the alcohol quicker.
- Repeat for all of the beans.
- Add the vodka (or really any neutral flavored alcohol) ensuring that the vodka covers the entire beans. If it doesn’t, fish out the ones that aren’t covered and cut in half and put back in. I used a funnel for this to help prevent a ‘party foul’ with spilling the vodka.
- Close the stopper on the bottle and shake the vanilla and vodka to distribute the seeds.
- Store in a dark, dry area.
- Every few days give the bottle a good shake to help break up the pulp and get the seeds distributed.
- After a week or so the extract will start to get darker and develop some flavor.
- In about 2 weeks you can use the extract but honestly the flavor will be really subtle.
- In about 6-8 weeks you can use it as extract in your recipe. The longer you leave the beans in (covered in alcohol, the more intense the flavor!)
Notes
I used plain vodka in all the bottles but one. The other I used raspberry vodka to see what the outcome will be.
I leave the vanilla beans in the extract container as I use it (or when I give it as gifts). I print up pretty labels and advise the gift recipients to just top the container off with more vodka when they use the vanilla extract for baking. If they or you choose not to do that, then the beans must be removed as they will mold (not pretty). If you do top it off, after awhile the flavor will lessen, but you can always just drop in another vanilla bean or two and it will be back up to strength.
If you do decide to take the beans out of the extract mixture, do not discard them! Rough cut them and toss them in with a cup of sugar and after a few weeks… Vanilla Sugar!
Hi TKWASmin I was wondering if you could use pint size canning jars and put black plastic around them and tie it so that nothing get to it. They do seal tightly.
Hi Sherrie,
Yes you can use canning jars and you really don’t have to put black plastic around them but they do need sealed (just use regular lids/screw tops). But keep them in a dark place.
You’ll be fine 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Do u make a batch and then pour into your bottles or r u using each individual bottle to make?
If you r making a batch what r u mixing it in?
Hi Patricia,
I use each bottle to make it. It’s easier and no muss/no fuss. After your bottles are cleaned and dry, simply add the split bean pods (with seeds) in the bottles. Place a funnel on top and pour the vodka in until the beans are fully covered. They need to be fully submerged otherwise they may rot and you don’t want that.
Once filled, put the caps on and give them a good shake. About every 2-3 days for the first week give the bottle another shake or two and put back in a cool, dry, dark place. Then once a week just shake ’em. They need to ferment. The longer you let them go, the more intense and amazing the flavor.
The batch I made for this post is so amazing right now!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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But who’s going to buy the vodka? And whatever you do, please DON’T tell Jason or my mother that I’m going to do this! Because I totally am. For Christmas presents! One question… do you ever have to refrigerate it?
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Mum’s the word Sara! Yeah, make it now. Nope, you never have to refrigerate it. Just make sure that after you put the beans in that they are completely covered in the vodka.
Also you want dark colored bottles (glass).
Mine is AMAZING right now! I’ll be starting another batch here soon for Christmas presents!
So happy that you’re doing this! Your family will LOVE this!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
TKW. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of your homemade spice mixes. LOVE!!!!! I pinned them to my Pinterest board so I can find them easily and also I am promoting your site at the same time. I have been a pinning machine tonight! Found so many things from your site that I love and didn’t want to forget so I pinned my little heart away tonight.
BTW, I have the beans triple wrapped and then placed in an airtight Lock & Lock container in my dark pantry.
Thanks for such a wonderful evening of pinning madness!
Mary-Alice
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You are most welcome! I love Pinterest! So many creative ideas for everything and anything! I could get lost on there for hours … and already have 😉
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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Dear TKW…..I made my Vanilla Bean Extract this past Sunday (1/20). Oh my gosh those beans smelled heavenly. I washed my hands so many times after handling the beans, splitting them etc. and my hands still smelled wonderful hours later! You should see all the empty Vodka bottles. I wonder what the neighbors will think! LOL!
As usual I over-bought and have a whole pound of unopened beans. I bought 2 pounds and they sent me (2) 1/8 pound packages free so I used those along with 1 pound to make my 12 bottles. I need to order more bottles and use up that other pound.
They will be gifts and I also belong to an organization of women. We raise money for college scholarships. So I will donate some bottles for the silent auctions. They will fly out of there. My best friend bakes home-made bread on the days of the auctions and they go for $25 a loaf. She is known for this bread. She has had the starter she uses going for years now.
If you can’t tell, I am very excited about my adventures in vanilla making. I have wanted to do this for quite some time but never realized how easy it actually is to make. I just gave myself a workout by shaking them. I should have some muscles built up by the time the extract is ready for use.
I just wanted to let you know that this was actually a fun project and I can’t wait to be able to use it and gift it.
Mary-Alice,
That is awesome to hear! I know totally what you mean about how amazing your hands smell afterwards! Just give it like 2 months and when you sneak a whiff of the extract in the bottle you’re going to be tempted to put some behind your ears!
Just keep in mind one VERY important thing about storing vanilla beans. Never EVER store them in the freezer or fridge. I triple wrap them in 3 plastic bags (air tight) and then store them in a dark, dry pantry. They last forever this way.
Let me know how your progress goes with them!
So excited for you!
Did you happen to see under the Tips & Tricks on how you can make your own spices (Ranch, Montreal Steak Seasoning and etc)? Those would make AWESOME gifts as well!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Oh, I’m glad I made you happy.
My beans arrived yesterday and my bottles arrived late this afternoon. I am off to the liquor store tomorrow to get my Vodka. I will be in full vanilla bean extract making mode this weekend. I can’t wait to start! My friends were here when I opened the package with the beans and were asking me questions.
“Where did you get the recipe?” my friend asked me. “From the Kitchen Whisperer”, I answered! “Oh, she said, “I just discovered her website this week and I LOVE her!” Your fame is spreading! Before you know it all my friends will be hooked.
How do you manage to do that Mary-Alice? Again you just gave me the most ginormous smile again! Thank you! One of girlfriends from work is actually making this now to give as presents to her friends and family throughout the years (they all have birthdays after June. I said “Just make bottles of these, maybe some jarred cookie/cake/brownie mixes, throw in maybe a spatula, pretty cookie cutter, pan to cook a baked good in and some kitchen trinkets and put it all in a basket.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard her squeal like that! It just melted my heart knowing I could just give a few suggestions. I know I personally would LOVE LOVE LOVE a gift like this! It’s from the heart and one of a kind, ya know?!
I’m anxious to find out how it goes for you! As for the Vodka, it doesn’t have to be top of the line and I wouldn’t get anything over 80 proof (that’s pointless really). Just get middle of the road stuff. Mine latest batch has been sitting since September and I opened it up the other day… You have no idea how badly I wanted to just dip my finger in and dab some behind my ears! The smell is intoxicating!
That’s awesome about your friend being part of the TKW family too! Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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Hi TKW! Thank you so much for your very quick reply. I can’t wait to get started on this. My daughter’s grandmother-in-law used to make the family homemade vanilla extract. She still has a little bit left to remember her by. It was the very best vanilla extract. Everything that she baked tasted so good.
By the way, you have brought back my love for cooking and baking. My husband thanks you! 🙂
“By the way, you have brought back my love for cooking and baking. My husband thanks you!”
Oh Mary-Alice that is probably one of the most precious and dear to my heart compliments I could ever get. That means the world to me and literally brought the biggest smile to my flour covered face (I was baking all day with Mama Fantabulous). Knowing that my love and passion for being in the kitchen can inspire someone to get in the kitchen to create either for the first time or, like you, bring back a lost love is priceless. So thank you!
So happy that you’re going to start where your daughter’s grandmother-in-law left off is awesome! Your entire family will appreciate it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I am on Amazxon right now ordering what I need per your fabulous links which tells me exctly what I need. I am planning to do 12 16 oz bottles so that I can use them as gifts. Will a pound of the beans be enough for the 12 bottles. I see that i will need 14 to 16 beans per bottle and not sure if I need to order more than a pound of beans. I will keep everything in my cart until I hear back from you. Thank you. I saw this on your FB page and got excited.
Hi Mary-Alice,
Typically you get 100-120 beans per pound. If some of the beans are fat (and you’ll get some fat ones in the bunch) you can go with only 10 in a bottle. You can err on the side of caution and order 1 pound and maybe a 1/4 pound too if you want. Any leftover ones, wrap in 3 plastic bags and store in a dark, dry place (NEVER the fridge).
I actually just shook mine the other day and could not resist opening up one. The aroma was intoxicating!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I am very interested in making my own ,since I love to bake and the cost for really good strong vanilla is ridiculous! Do you mean 14-18 bean pods for each bottle?? Wasn’t sure you mean’t the insides as the beans or?? New for me with the beans. Would appreciate any help..thanks!
Hi Linda!
Yes, for a 16 ounce bottle you want to put in 14-18 full (split open) vanilla beans for ~2 cups of vodka. You want to make sure that the vodka covers the beans. You can cut the beans in half after you split them if you want to make them shorter but for 16 ounces you’ll still need 14-18 beans.
In the post above I list what beans I recommend and personally use. As for the bottles, you want a dark glass as want it to keep out the UV rays. Plus it needs a good seal.
Let me know if that helps!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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Do you think you can buy smaller bottles and do them as gifts for co-workers (I would love to to the big bottles, but that’s tons when you consider I work in an large office).
Hi Shannon!
Oh most definitely! They sell 4 ounce and even 8 ounce bottles. Just make sure they are dark glass and that the corks are tight. They need to be dark glass to keep sunlight out and UV rays.
This would make an awesome gift to coworkers! Great suggestion!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
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Try saving some of the small empty extract bottles as you empty them…sterilize them and then fill them with the homemade vanilla extract if you can’t find them or only have a few people you’d like to give as gifts.