My Homemade Vanilla Extract Experiment

I never realized how ridiculously EASY it is to make homemade vanilla extract; an official recipe isn’t even really needed! I followed some very basic directions, and I’m so excited about how they turned out! The result was delicious and frugal — but high-value — Christmas gifts!

Homemade Vanilla: One of My 2025 Goals

At the beginning of 2025, I set a goal to try making 12 new-to-me things that I’d never made before. (See my list here.)

A number of you told me I should start with vanilla since it’s so easy to make and would need to sit for at least 6-12 months before it could be used.

I’ve learned that if a bunch of people suggest the same thing, I should listen. So I did as I was told and started with vanilla.

Hand holding a sealed package of Organic Madagascar Vanilla Beans Qty 50 in front of a wooden cutting board with loose vanilla beans and empty glass jars in the background. T

Where Do You Get the Supplies for Homemade Vanilla Extract?

Since making homemade vanilla extract was all new to me, I had to research multiple recipes and details online to feel confident enough to do it (those of you who have made it before can go ahead and laugh now because I had no idea it was so easy!!).

I bought my vanilla beans from Amazon. I priced a number of different places and ended up getting these Grade A vanilla beans because they had 12k+ ratings and so many 5-star reviews!

And then Jesse picked up the Vodka from a local store (and was very disappointed he didn’t get carded… he came home and said, “I had my license out ready and they didn’t even ask for it! I guess that means I’m getting old!”)

Two large Taaka vodka bottles and one smaller bottle sit beside an empty glass jar with a black lid on a kitchen counter near a window. In front of them are two sealed packages of Grade A organic Madagascar vanilla beans.

Does It Actually Save Money to Make Homemade Vanilla?

All told, it was around $80 for the vanilla beans and the Vodka. It ended up making around 150 ounces of vanilla. That comes out to be around $0.53 per ounce — which is definitely less expensive than what you would pay buying it at the store. In fact, I searched at my local stores and all the vanilla I found was at least $3 an ounce!

Close up of split vanilla beans spread across a round wooden cutting board.

When I shared pictures of my vanilla on Instagram, quite a few people said I could have used fewer beans to save money. So if you want to make it even less expensive per ounce, you could try that! People also said that once the vanilla is made, you can put the vanilla beans in sugar and it will make vanilla sugar!

Large glass jars filled with vodka and split vanilla beans sit on a wooden cutting board near a bright window, with additional empty bottles, blue caps, and a knife arranged on the counter.

How To Make Homemade Vanilla Extract (It’s ridiculously easy!)

It’s so, so easy to make homemade vanilla! I realized I’d been over-complicating the idea for years and can’t believe it took me this long to try it!

In fact, if you’re looking for a homemade vanilla extract recipe, you don’t even really need one. All you do is slice the vanilla beans down the middle, put them in a jar, and pour vodka over them. (You can also use rum or bourbon.)

Split vanilla beans sit on a wooden cutting board.

A large glass jar packed with whole vanilla beans on a wooden cutting board near a sunlit window,

A hand pours vodka into a large glass jar packed with whole vanilla beans on a wooden cutting board.

Then, you just let the jar sit in a cool, dark, room temperature place for six to 12 months. Pick up the jar and give it a shake every few weeks and make sure that the beans are submerged in liquid.

That’s it! You can use the homemade vanilla in as soon as a few months or wait 12 months or longer.

For more details and pictures on making homemade vanilla, check out Sally’s Baking Addiction.

This would make such great gifts for Christmas if you made it now and then set it aside until December!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Success!!

Two young children sit and stand around a kitchen table helping bottle homemade vanilla extract.

Child wearing green candy cane pajamas uses a large syringe style baster to transfer dark homemade vanilla extract from a gallon jar filled with vanilla beans into a small glass swing top bottle.

The vanilla turned out SO well! The kids loved transferring it to the bottles with me.

I gave homemade vanilla for gifts for Christmas and it was a HIT! We used these bottles to gift them and I think people may have been more excited about the adorable bottles than the vanilla itself!

Hand holding a small glass swing top bottle labeled Vanilla Extract with dark amber liquid inside, with several more filled bottles arranged on a wooden table in the background.

I still cannot believe how easy this is and how long I waited to try it! Highly, highly recommended!

Two young children in Christmas pajamas use a large syringe style baster to transfer dark homemade vanilla extract from a gallon jar filled with vanilla beans into a small glass swing top bottle.

FAQs About Making Homemade Vanilla Extract

How long does homemade vanilla extract last?

Pure homemade vanilla extract will last indefinitely! Simply remove the beans and store it in a cool, dark place, and it should be good for many years.

How long does it take to make homemade vanilla extract?

It takes 5 minutes to combine the ingredients, but they’ll need to sit for 6-12 months to fully infuse the flavors.