Chances are that if you cook or bake at all you have used vanilla in at least one of its many forms. But, have you ever wondered how vanilla extract is made? Vanilla is one of the easiest ingredients to make yourself at home with only a few ingredients and a bit of time.
Jump to:
- What is a vanilla bean?
- How do vanilla beans grow?
- How to extract the seeds from a vanilla pod.
- Where do vanilla beans grow?
- How does the growing region affect the taste of the vanilla bean?
- Why are vanilla beans expensive?
- What type of vanilla beans are best for making extract?
- How to store vanilla beans.
- Vanilla bean storage best practices.
- What is vanilla extract?
- How long does it take to make vanilla extract at home?
- Step-by-step how vanilla extract is made at home.
- How to make vanilla sugar at home:
- How to use vanilla sugar.
- Simple substitutes for vanilla extract.
- Here are a few of our favorite recipes you should try next!
- Weekend Coffee Cake Crumble
- How to Make Almond Milk
- Vanilla Extract
What is a vanilla bean?
A vanilla bean isn't actually a bean at all. It's the fruit of orchids in the genus Vanilla.
How do vanilla beans grow?
Vanilla is a climbing orchid vine that produces a pod that looks a lot like a string bean.
Vanilla orchid flowers are white and tinged with a bit of green. The flowers don’t smell like vanilla. In fact, they actually don’t have any fragrance at all.
The vanilla bean pods are hand-harvested and then cured. During the curing process, the fresh green vanilla pod is transformed into the skinny black pod that you use in your kitchen.
How to extract the seeds from a vanilla pod.
Carefully, use a paring knife to make a slit down the pod’s length, leaving one end intact. Gently open the sides to expose the grainy seeds inside. Using light pressure, drag the flat side of the knife down the pod, removing the seeds.
Now the beans can be used in any recipe calling for vanilla.
Where do vanilla beans grow?
Vanilla is grown in a few different areas of the world. The growing region of the vanilla beans will have a slight effect on the flavor of the vanilla.
How does the growing region affect the taste of the vanilla bean?
- Mexican Vanilla is considered to be bold, and dark.
- Indian Vanilla has a full, almost chocolatey flavor.
- Indonesian Vanilla is mild.
- Tahitian Vanilla has floral notes.
- Tonga Vanilla is earthy, with a hint of a fig or raisin taste.
- Madagascar Vanilla is rich and creamy.
Why are vanilla beans expensive?
The vanilla bean crops must be cured and dried after harvest; from beginning to end the process takes a solid year. Next to saffron, vanilla is the most labor-intensive crop in the world which is why it's such an incredibly expensive ingredient.
What type of vanilla beans are best for making extract?
- Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans (the most popular.)
- Tahitian vanilla beans.
- Mexican vanilla beans.
How to store vanilla beans.
Let's face it, vanilla products of any kind are an investment. So, naturally, you will want to take extra care to store any unused vanilla beans properly to maximize shelf life.
Vanilla beans that are not stored properly run the risk of drying out completely or worse, growing mold and becoming unusable.
Vanilla bean storage best practices.
- Good quality vanilla beans should be fresh, oily, and pliable.
- The best storage method is to vacuum seal vanilla beans.
- At the minimum, they should be stored in an airtight glass or plastic container.
- For maximum protection, they should be wrapped in beeswax food wraps, plastic wrap, or wax paper within the container.
What is vanilla extract?
Vanilla extract—the kind that says “pure” on the label—is made by soaking the beans in an alcohol solution. The vanilla bean's color and flavor leech out into the alcohol creating an intensely flavorful liquid that you can use to flavor your recipes.
How long does it take to make vanilla extract at home?
Honestly, the answer to this question is based on individual preference. The act of making vanilla extract is not time-consuming at all. However, the amount of time you let the extract sit and develop flavor can take months or up to a year.
I prefer an intensely flavorful extract which means I tend to wait longer. 12 months is the perfect amount of time from preparing the extract to maturity, in my opinion.
Once prepared though, you can add more alcohol back into the extract as the liquid begins to run low. Which means you won't have to go through that initial waiting process again. Whenever my bottle of extract is ¼ of the way depleted I funnel back in a bit more alcohol, seal, and shake.
Once or twice a year, I split a fresh vanilla bean and slip it down into the jar. I don't believe this to be necessary for the average home cook, but I happen to use a lot of vanilla extract each day. So, sometimes I am adding new alcohol every few weeks to my "Mother" jar of extract. The addition of fresh vanilla beans and pod a few times a year ensures that intense flavor I love so much in a liquid that might otherwise loose its potency if diluted too much.
Step-by-step how vanilla extract is made at home.
- Gather the ingredients and the equipment necessary to make extract. All of the items are listed for you in the prinatble recipe card below.
- Use a pairing knife to slice through each of the vanilla bean pods leaving one end intact to hold.
- Gently open the sides to expose the grainy seeds inside. Using light pressure, drag the flat side of the knife down the pod, removing the seeds.
- Transfer both the empty pods and the seeds to sterilized jars with tight fitting lids.
- Use a funnel to fill the jar with desired alcohol. I typically use vodka because I keep it on hand, but you could use a grain alcohol like Everclear or even bourbon.
- Soak for at least eight weeks, but preferably 6-12 months, shake every day (or as often as you remember).
Can pods be reused again after making the extract?
One of the best parts about using fresh vanilla beans to make vanilla extract at home is that you can reuse the pods! Once you've used up the extract from a batch of homemade vanilla, you can reuse the pods, with a few added fresh ones, to make a new batch of extract.
What can you make with spent vanilla bean pods?
There are lots of ways to extend the life of expensive vanilla bean pods past just making extract. For example, you can make vanilla-infused sugar!
How to make vanilla sugar at home:
Transfer dried, used pods to a small jar and then fill the jar almost to the top with granulated sugar.
Every now and then over the course of the following days and weeks, shake the jar to release the beans into the sugar allowing all of the grains of sugar to come in contact with the beans.
How to use vanilla sugar.
Infused vanilla sugar is great served with coffee or tea but is also delicious sprinkled over fruit or onto the tops of baked goods like muffins and quick bread.
Simple substitutes for vanilla extract.
If you are making a recipe that requires vanilla extract and you've run out of vanilla in all its forms, don't worry there are a few things you can use as a substitute.
- Some bakers use an equal measure of pure maple syrup to replace the vanilla extract that is called for in recipes.
- You may choose to swap in other flavoring extracts for the vanilla. Almond extract and citrus extracts are a few of our favorites. Just remember that some extracts, like almond, are much more potent than vanilla, so you will need to cut the quantity in half in your recipes.
- You can also try using alcohol as an extract substitute. Liquors like brandy, rum, whiskey, and bourbon are all great choices. Bourbon picks up some of the flavors from the oak barrels that it is aged in, so its flavor is actually the closest to vanilla extract.
How to convert vanilla extract to paste, and beans.
There are lots of different products from beans to paste on the market that allow you to incorporate the flavor of vanilla into your baked goods. Here is how you can easily substitute them for one another in recipes.
Conversions for vanilla extract in recipes:
- Vanilla beans: ½ vanilla bean is the same as 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
- Vanilla bean paste: substitute 1 to 1 for extract in recipes. Vanilla paste is a mix of vanilla extract, vanilla beans, and sugar. It has an intense flavor and a smooth texture and contains lots of visual black flecks from vanilla beans. The consistency of the paste is similar to the consistency of maple syrup.
- Vanilla powder: substitute 1 to 1 for extract in recipes: Vanilla powder is a fine, light-colored powder made of ground vanilla beans. It is perfect for use in pale-colored cakes or frostings, as it does not tint them brown like extract would. Vanilla powder is also more concentrated in flavor and doesn't evaporate when introduced to high heat.
- Vanilla sugar: use in place of the granulated sugar called for in the recipe. Omit any vanilla extract. Vanilla sugar, as we covered in the blog post above, is sugar infused with vanilla beans. If you would like to make your own you can read about how to make it in the blog post above.
Here are a few of our favorite recipes you should try next!
I'm sure you have a ton of recipes in mind to put your extract to use. The sky is the limit as far as what to make. But, if you need a bit of inspiration below are a few of our favorites.
Weekend Coffee Cake Crumble
This little cake packs a big flavor punch and is easy to make!
The swirling aromatic flavors of vanilla beans, cinnamon, and ginger definitely put it over the top. It is great warm from the oven, but just gets better with time and stays tender and moist for days.
Click here to bake this cake!
How to Make Almond Milk
Have you ever wondered how to make almond milk at home? I shared my go-to method for making nut milk on California Grown recently.
My recipe is simple, free of refined sugars, and it yields the creamiest, most luxurious almond milk you’ve ever tasted!
Click here to learn how to make almond milk at home.
If you’ve made our homemade vanilla extract I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!
PrintVanilla Extract
This recipe only calls for 2-ingredients and a bit of time to produce the best vanilla extract you have ever cooked with. The number of vanilla beans and alcohol needed will vary depending on how many jars of vanilla extract you plan to make. Start with 6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol. If a more potent extract is desired you can add more vanilla beans.
Equipment needed to make vanilla extract: You will need a sharp pairing knife, small bottles, and a funnel for making vanilla extract. But that is about it!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 48 teaspoon-sized servings
- Category: How to
- Method: Infused
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Vanilla bean pods, 6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol.
Grain alcohol, vodka, or bourbon
Instructions
- Use a pairing knife to slice through each of the vanilla bean pods leaving one end intact to hold.
- Gently open the sides to expose the grainy seeds inside. Using light pressure, drag the flat side of the knife down the pod, removing the seeds.
- Transfer both the empty pods and the seeds to sterilized jars with tight-fitting lids.
- Use a funnel to fill the jar with desired alcohol. I typically use vodka because I keep it on hand, but you could use grain alcohol like Everclear or even bourbon.
- Soak for at least eight weeks, but preferably 6-12 months, and shake every day (or as often as you remember).
Notes
Nutritional information was calculated with the measurements for 1 small bottle of extract which is equal to 6 vanilla beans in 8 ounces of alcohol. For a total of 48 teaspoon-sized servings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 teaspoon
- Calories: 13
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.4 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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