Even in the spring, it’s still a good thing to think about making your own vanilla extract. It takes months to make and if you start it in spring, it’ll be ready to use for baking season in the fall and winter!

scissors and a fresh made dose of vanilla extract on a wooden cutting board

One of my favorite hobbies is baking. The real reason is probably that I love eating sweets so much! Lucky for my family, they don’t mind either.

I don’t remember my parent’s making too many baked goods when I was growing up, but for some reason as an adult and mom myself, it’s a way that I like to show love toward my family. It’s the warmth the oven brings on a cool, fall day. It’s the lingering smell that intoxicates the room. There’s also something about splitting open the baked treat and seeing the steam rise up that brings me so much joy.

But most of all, I really enjoy baking things because it brings us all together. There’s so many good conversations to be had over snacks with a friend. It can brighten someone’s day in an instant. I could go on and on about this simple hobby of mine.

But I digress… What I really wanted to talk to you about today is a very common ingredient in baking: vanilla extract.

Why I Make My Own Vanilla Extract

There’s just one problem. It’s so expensive! Not only that, but I find it hard to find any type of organic vanilla extract. There are some that even use artificial flavors and harmful chemicals in the ingredients. All I am looking for is vanilla and alcohol.

It’s so simple, I can do it. So can you! And you can rest easy knowing exactly what is going into your food, because if you’re like me, that’s important.

Picking Out Your Vanilla Beans

In the recipe today, I used Madagascar vanilla beans. There are many other too choose from as well, and each has a different quality to them. Madagascar vanilla beans are going to give your vanilla extract a classic taste that you are used to from the store.

However, upon talking to my husband (who’s a chef) he really likes the Mexican vanilla beans.

Vanilla Pura is a site that sells vanilla and has a plethora of information. For a break down of each country’s distinct tastes and feature, click here.

You also have Grade A & Grade B vanilla beans to choose from. Both work great for vanilla extracts, they just differ in moisture content. Grade A is normally more expensive, so if you’re wanting to save a little money, I’d go with Grade B.

the supplies needed to make vanilla extract: jar, scissors, vanilla beans displaced on a cutting board

Prepping Your Vanilla Beans

This is purely preference. Some people cut their beans down the middle to expose all the vanilla beans. This will help the extract infuse faster, but you cannot reuse it.

I like to cut the beans in half or thirds. That way a small amount of beans are exposed, but I can reuse the beans to make another batch.

Lastly, you can just keep them as they are, as simple as that!

Picking Out The Alcohol

No matter what alcohol you use, make sure the alcohol content is no less than 35% and no more than 45%. I used vodka that was at 40%.

Vodka is commonly used because it is a milder flavor compared to the others and you’ll get the familiar vanilla flavor from store bought extracts.

You can also use bourbon and rum. If you really get into this as a hobby, you can have fun pairing different vanilla beans with different alcohol for a variety of blends to choose from.