Now’s the time to start making Vanilla Extract for Christmas gifts!
Christmas in July is fun. :) Start a batch of homemade vanilla extract now and it will be ready just in time to bottle up and give as gifts this December!
Bottles of homemade vanilla are extremely awesome gifts! However, you need to start making it now because it takes 4-6 months for a big batch of vanilla to be strong and delicious.
How do you make vanilla extract?
It’s actually super easy, though the result will make you feel like you’ve made something gourmet! People love receiving this as a gift.
Find a thorough tutorial here to learn the specifics about making homemade vanilla. Or, if you’re feeling comfortable, simply follow this easy recipe:
How to Make Vanilla Extract
- 1.75 liters of inexpensive vodka
- 25 Vanilla Beans enter code HOME for a 15% discount on Vanilla Beans through Olive Nation!!
- Slice through each bean lengthwise, leaving about one inch at the top of each bean uncut so that it stays together.
- Place all of your cut Vanilla Beans into a half-gallon jar.
- Fill the jar with vodka.
- Secure the lid and put the jar in a dark place (like in the back of a cabinet).
- Allow it to sit and "extract" for 4-6 months.
- Every few weeks during extracting time, shake the jar to mix it up a bit.
Once your vanilla as finished extracting 4-6 months from now:
Here’s how to finish and bottle up your homemade vanilla!
Where to buy vanilla beans:
I always buy my vanilla beans from Olive Nation. I’ve tried other sources to “save money” but instead ended up wasting money because the quality of the beans from cheap sources was terrible!
Olive Nation beans are so, so good. I’ve used their beans for years. They love working with us here at Heavenly Homemakers so they offer us 15% off when we use the coupon code: home. Plus we get free shipping on orders over $50!
To make 1/2 gallon of Homemade Vanilla Extract you need:
- 25 vanilla beans = $50 after coupon code HOME
- Shipping = FREE on orders over $50
- 1.75 liter bottle of vodka = Approximately $11
Your total cost for 1/2 gallon of homemade vanilla extract will be about $61. This breaks down to $1.09/ounces which makes 4-ounces of vanilla cost $4.36
BONUS
You can save your beans after you make a batch of vanilla and reuse them to make a second batch!!
I put my used beans into a lesser amount of vodka to get more bang for my buck. So for instance, for the first round, I use 25 beans in 1.75 liters of vodka. Then for the second round, I use the same 25 beans soaked in half that amount of vodka (.88 liters). The result is still amazing and I just spent a few dollars for a quart of great vanilla extract!
Extra resources:
- Read this post to learn how to finish and strain your vanilla after 4-6 months.
- You can purchase dark amber bottles here.
- Order personalized vanilla stickers for bottles and gifts here.
- Get your beans here, and use the code HOME to get 15% off!
Go get your beans!
And yeah, go get your vodka. :) :) :)
Make yourself a delicious batch of vanilla extract and get ready for Christmas!
I’m so excited to make my own vanilla!
Do you have any tips for what to look for in a quality vodka? I don’t know anything when it comes to buying it. Thank you!
I truly just buy the cheapest vodka I can find. It works just as well!
Just tried using the home code for the discount and it is not working…
Hey Jamie!
I am so sorry the code didn’t work for you! I just tried it, and went through for me. I entered the code “home” before entering my details, and then added my address, and payment info. Try it again, and let us know if you have any further issues!
-Bethany (HH Team)
I concur with Jessica. The coupon code isn’t working. :/
It looks like it’s going to work, but after entering shipping details it removes the code. If you try to reenter it, you get an invalid code message.
I am so sorry the code wasn’t working! I just tried it myself, and it went through for me. I added the code (home), and then added my address and payment info, and it didn’t remove the discount. Maybe it was a glitch in their system? If you are still having issues, perhaps try a different browser? I used Safari. Let us know if you have any further problems!
-Bethany (HH Team)
The Olive Nation team worked to fixed the glitch with the coupon code. If you tried and it didn’t work – try again! Seems to be working again now!!
not to cause any trouble, but I just (within the last month) got 62 oz. of excellent vanilla extract – two 31 oz. bottles for $37 including delivery – which I think if my math is correct is pretty much 60 cents an oz., so 4 oz. would be $2.40.
Fiji gal, where did you get that?
It looks like you are using an old pickle jar? How do you get the pickle smell/taste out of it?
I found that it was easy to get the smell out of the jar with soap and water. The lid was harder though. I had to soak it quite a bit!
Hi! Laura and Teresa – I recently came across a tip for getting smells out of jars and other things. It is inexpensive and easy. Simply squirt a bit of mustard in the jar, add a small amount of water and shake, let sit or repeat if needed. I tried it on an essential oil roller bottle and it worked on the very first try. I even asked my daughter to tell me what she smelled and she smelled nothing at all! I then tried it on the plastic container I use to store my cut onions. It had been smelling strong enough that I was planning on replacing it. The smell was greatly reduced, but I could still noticeably smell onion. Then I realized I had sealed the bowl while letting it sit. I tried again and left it open. It still has an onion scent, but it is much milder. So this worked great on glass, good on metal, and fair on plastics. Give it a try , you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Excellent tip I’m going to try it with some pickle jars. Thanks Linda!
-Bethany (HH team)
I love making my own homemade vanilla extract. Have you tried SloFoodGroup vanilla beans? They are a bit cheaper than Olive Nation, not sure if they are the same quality but they do have quite of a selection and offer subscribe and save for a 5% discount.