Actually, it was the one about the very pregnant mama sitting in the car outside the liquor store while her husband went in and bought vodka so she could make…
VANILLA!
Yes, folks, that pregnant mama was me this last summer, sitting outside the liquor store in the sweltering heat while my husband went in and bought the cheapest vodka he could find so we could try our hand at making homemade real vanilla.
Many months had passed since our last bottle of Mexican vanilla had run out. We missed the richness of real vanilla, and my husband just about couldn’t bring himself to purchase vanilla extract for our baked goods and definitely not for our homemade ice cream. After chit chatting with some friends of ours who had begun making their own, we decided we could definitely handle the process and the price…and even the trek into the liquor store. 😉
We purchased vanilla beans from Saffron.com where you can purchase 1 pound of beans for $19.95!
The vodka was the very cheapest money could buy – around $7.
Looking back, we put an excessive amount of beans in our first batch – 24, to be exact. I’m thinking 6 ought to do the trick next time. It might take a bit longer to steep, but this would be the biggest bang for my buck.
So, I slit the beans lengthwise and I also chunked them up (not necessary, but the idea here is more surface area).
I poured off a bit of the vodka (yes, it went down the sink, not in my mouth), and added the beans. Then, I wrote the date on the bottle and set it up in the cupboard for 6 weeks.
I’ve seen on other sites where they say it takes 6 months, but our friends told us 6 weeks, and sure enough, by 6 weeks, the vanilla was ready to use. We left the beans in to keep adding to the richness of the flavor. Our friends pour off the vanilla and reuse the beans in a new batch, but they have twice the number of children we have and they are sharing with their church family, so they go through more vanilla than we do. (Tiana from God Made…Home Grown says you can just keep adding vodka to your bottle so you can keep using it!)
It has been so nice to have real vanilla to cook with again! It’s so incredibly easy and so worth the trip to the liquor store!
Hannah says
This is going on my to-do list. It looks so much easier than I imagined it would be. Thank you!
Anna-Marie says
I have never seen this done before. Might have to give it a try one day.
Clara says
I didn’t even realise this was how vanilla was made!! Wow, vodka!!
Sorry I haven’t been commenting so much lately – I’ve been reading your posts when I can, but my computer had to go in for repairs, and I’ve also been trying to reassess how much time I should spend online, too – which means commenting on my favourite blogs has decreased. I enjoy your posts regardless of whether I comment or not though! 🙂
Andrea says
We came across this method for vanilla about 2-3 years ago and have been making ours this way ever since. It is super easy and worked out cheaper than real vanilla in the store.
abba12 says
*chuckles* 😀
My family have no problem with drinking in moderation, in fact, we experiment with making our own wines, and flavouring our own spirits.
The reason I explain this? Because last year my mother in law made this receipe. Except, she only used one vanilla bean to 700ml vodka, and we drank it 😀 It’s the exact process we use to make vanilla vodka (or, in fact, any flavoured vodka goes by the same general idea, plum pudding vodka is made by soaking vodka and fruit mince for months, the alcohol prevents the fruit mince going bad).
It honestly never occured to me that using the same process with a much higher ratio of additive would create extracts though. I’m going to pick up a few beans tomorow and make some!
Amy says
hee hee…I have no problem with drinking in moderation either…I just don’t do it…and especially not when I’m pregnant (which is what made the whole scene utterly hilarious! 🙂 ) That’s interesting about flavoured vodka…enjoy your vanilla!
Sara says
I love it! 😀 We make our own vanilla too, and the last time we went to buy the vodka, we sat in the parking lot for a minute to make sure there wasn’t anyone we knew around. lol!!! We felt so weird going in there. I can just imagine if our friends saw Josh coming out with a case of vodka! lol! As many kids as we have, likely most of them would think he needed it! LOL! 😀 Thanks for sharing! I reuse my beans as well. :)–S
Amy says
I about spit out my coffee reading this! Thanks for the chuckle!
Michelle says
I would have never known! I have some family members that would swear off cooking with vanilla for life if they knew I brewed up some like this! 🙂
Jamie says
Never even occurred to me to make my own vanilla! I might have to try this!
Millie says
Do you know how long it will last? And if you leave the beans in, would you use less in your bakeing because the taste would be stronger? Can you purchase beans anywhere? And if you reuse the beans, how do you store them?
Thanks!
Amy says
It’s alcohol…it’ll last forever 😉 Yes, you can use less, but my husband prefers the strong taste, so we use the exact amount it calls for. Everywhere I’ve seen to purchase beans has been outrageously expensive EXCEPT saffron.com, which is why we finally took the leap and bought some. To reuse them, just plop them into a new bottle of vodka.
Tonja says
How many times would you reuse them and how big a bottle of vodka?
Amy says
Tonja,
What I’ve done is when I buy the next bottle, I pour some off into the old bottle with the old beans and then start a new batch in the new bottle. I currently have a liter and a 1.75 liter. I put 10 beans in the 1.75 liter.
Maureen says
My girlfriend and I have this on our list to do for Christmas presents. I went to the site and it says 125 beans come in a pound, but I only need about 6 to make it. What did you do with the rest of the beans? Trying to figure out if I want that many—lol.
Amy says
I’ve shared them with friends and the rest are in a ziplock bag in my baking cabinet, but I should probably put them in the freezer. They’ll keep. 🙂
Tiana Krenz says
I’m doing this right now, too! I must have been quite a sight, parading my 4 little ones into the liquor department of Wal-Mart. 😉
I’ve heard that you can simply add more vodka each time you pour off vanilla, and you can keep using it that way almost indefinitely.
Amy says
Wow! I never thought of doing that! Great idea Tiana! (I’ll add that to my post!)
Holly Emmot says
I need to make some of this too. 🙂 Are you talking about MY recipe for ice-cream. 😉
Amy says
LOL–You know it! (except I think we cut back a bit of the sugar–makes my eyes cross!)
Liz says
What a great idea! Do you think you could vacuum seal the rest of the vanilla beans so they would keep better or would it just pull out the oil making them useless? I don’t have anyone to share the beans with if I order a pound, so thought I would ask.
Amy says
You don’t have to buy by the pound, but I’m thinking you could just freeze them.
Laura says
WOW, love this idea. Never knew how you could make vanilla. I’m pregnant so we could have the same type of situation….sending Hubby into the store. We don’t drink at all so, yikes, it will be hard to set foot in the door of a liquor store….but the vanilla would be worth it! As always I enjoy coming to your site for information and ideas:)
Laura
Lisa~ says
I am ALL OVER this idea!
I went 8 months pregnant once into a liquor store for everclear to use for my homeopathic remedies. There’s nothing funnier than a hugely pregnant woman coming out with a brown bag.
Thanks for the recipe! Lisa~
Pavalisa says
That sounds like a great idea I can’t wait to try it thanks for the tip! Since you get a pound of the beans I figure me and my mom can both make a bottle and split the cost of the beans so that makes it even more affordable.
Tanya Taylor says
Ooh, I didn’t know you could make vanilla so fast! I am definitely going to try this! Right now we keep well-stocked on Mexican vanilla, because what they sell as “vanilla” in the grocery is yuck-o! It will be fun to try it home-made. Thanks for sharing this. =)
Amy says
Which beans did you order? Just the regular 1# of Vanilla Beans, or did you get the Tahitian Vanilla Beans? I wonder what the difference would be. I am so gonna make this though! BTW, love your blog! I am a homeschooling mom of four who knows Jesus Christ as my Savior. Thanks for posting all that you do!
Amy says
Thanks so much, Amy! I just ordered the regular ole beans. 🙂
Robin @ Pink Coupon Cafe says
Amy — Thank you so much for posting this. I had never even considered making my own vanilla, but now I can’t wait to try it.
So for a first batch, 6 beans would be enough? ..and you didn’t add any other ingredients?
I had no idea that’s all that was in it.
Thank you!! I hope you’re doing well.
Robin
(are you going back to Savvy Blogging this summer?)
Amy says
We originally used 15, but we were in a store that boasted 1 bean in the entire gallon! And no, no other ingredients!
I was just thinking of you yesterday! I will be at SB! 🙂
tami lewis says
i too make vanilla so when i read your post title i KNEW what you had done lol!!!!!
isn’t it great?!
Kimberly says
Thanks so much for sharing, ESPECIALLY the name of your vanilla bean supplier…that price is fantastic! You can also take the used pods and bury them in sugar…after a few weeks, that sugar tastes UNBELIEVABLE on sugar cookies! (and in tea, and many other things!)
Amy says
I heard that somewhere, but had forgotten! Thanks for the reminder!
Valerie says
I totally made my own vanilla, this exact same way, just last year. I ran out and have been wanting to do it again, so thanks for the reminder!
Laura says
I never realized it could process so quickly, so I’ve never made my own! Now, I think I’ll be giving it a whirl!
Charity says
I never knew this!! I might have to give it a try! Thanks Amy!
Kristi Norhcutt says
Ok, THAT is super cool. MUST TRY IT!
Jenn says
ok, I was hoping someone else would ask this first… but apparently I am the only one not “in the know”, lol. So using the vodka -does that then mean the extract is alcoholic? I am wincing because I feel surely this line of thinking must dumb! Oh well… so we are not against drinking alcohol either but there is the whole preggo issue. Do you use it in such small amounts it doesn’t matter? Do you use it just in cooking/baking so the alcohol is cooked out? Sorry about my ignorance, but thanks for this post I do want to try it!
Amy says
“Real” vanilla and the vanilla extract you buy in the store are alcoholic. You cook with them, so the alcohol cooks out. Yes, we put it in ice cream and other things we don’t cook, but the amount is so small, it isn’t an issue. 🙂
Susan says
I have not made this yet but want to try it. I had heard 6 months also but yours looks great after 6 weeks.
Susan
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
We’ve done this…and I hate to buy vanilla now. I’ve had to recently because I have been waiting on more to ship to me. I seem to have “lost” the ones I ordered at Christmas. 🙁 You can also use bourbon or rum instead of vodka — I prefer rum (slightly sweeter). And no, I don’t drink it either!!
Technically to be an “extract” you do need that many beans. I use 4-oz. bottles and add 5 beans to those. Nice and strong. 🙂 It’s good after 1 month but better the longer you leave it. You should shake it now and again.
I found my beans on Amazon, they were $15 – $20 for 1/2 lb., depending on what type you wanted. I’m buying some now through an online pre-buy group and they’re only about $0.30 each. I bought 50! (That’s about 1/2 lb.)
It was weird when I walked into a liquor store, too. I never had before. And I look REALLY young, like some people wonder if I’m a teenager (I’m 26). I bought a huge bottle of rum and one of brandy (for medicinal use). They didn’t even card me! They must have thought I was kind of crazy though…. At least I wasn’t pregnant at the time, too! lol.
Katie says
Oh my goodness….I NEVER knew how Vanilla Extract was made!! That is awesome, thanks for the tutorial!
Theresa says
What a great idea! I have never heard of this but would love to try it!
Misty Heitman says
Do have to strain it? My hubby did ours and it doesn’t look that dark. I am not sure how many beans he used though…I will have to ask. I think he may have put in just one. It has been about 2 months and it is about half that dark. How do you know when it is ready? 🙂
Thank you for the tip!
Misty
Amy says
In my opinion, 1 bean isn’t enough. It’ll work, but I really like a rich vanilla taste, so I’d do at least 6. And no, I don’t strain it b/c it just gets better w/ age! 🙂 Ready in about 6 wks. (although some people will say 6 months, but I just cannot wait that long! lol)
Cindy says
I’ve never tried it with cheap vodka. My friends would laugh at me if they caught me going cheap, so I don’t risk it. (Kidding. Most of my friends would just pretend they don’t know me anymore. Come to think of it, they do that no matter what I’m carrying. Hmmmm.)
Do you notice a yucky taste with the cheap stuff? I kinda thought it mattered. And I had no idea you could get vanilla beans for that price! Yay!
Amy says
LOL, Cindy – I wouldn’t know the difference!
Cindy says
And did I mention my mother almost disowned me for having vodka in my house? Yeah. Don’t tell her about the wine cabinet, huh?
Shauna says
When I read the headline, it reminded me of how when I was very pregnant with our second child,and my husband was in his first semester of Bible college, I had a major craving for my grandmothers Sherry cake! The worst part was that they didn’t sell any alcohol in grocery stores in that state, so I had to go to the state (abc) store to by the wine! I was very embarrassed but had to make that cake!
Amy says
Funny the stuff we HAVE to have! 😉
Melissa says
I once went in and bought 6 big bottles of vodka (making vanilla extract for presents)with a toddler on my hip. But the funniest thing is, when I walked out in the parking lot, the flimsy brown bag wasn’t used to holding so much alchol that it ripped and here I am scrambling around the parking lot, chasing the vodka bottles around trying to hold them all in one arm since the other is occupied with a toddler I don’t want to let down and get run over by a car. I bet that was quite the sight. Wonder how many passerbys shook their head at me.
And don’t worry about overusing those beans, just stick them in with the next bottle. That’s what I do, just keep pouring them into the next bottle until it starts to look too weak and I have to buy new.
Amy says
LOL – Great story!
Shelli says
Made our 1st batch last Christmas. Used 1 doz. beans to 750 ml. cheap vodka. 3 months later, it still tasted more like vodka than vanilla. We poured all the vodka into a clean jar, picked out the vanilla beans, then sliced them lengthwise (should have done that 1st). Put the whole shebang back into bottle. Couple weeks later, rich, wonderful,delicious vanilla. I gave some away, used some, and still had about 1/2 a bottle when we threw everything into boxes and moved. It has now been in storage, with beans, for 4 months. No idea which box it is in, but boy, that is gonna be some wonderfully rich vanilla when we do ever get to it again!
Amy says
LOL – I hope you find it!!! It amazes me how quickly it’s ready!
amanda says
I actually did this but I made a gallon of vanilla, so I used about 80 beans and let mine sit for 6 months…i am using mine for Christmas gifts! http://twowild.blogspot.com/2011/08/buying-gallon-of-vodka.html
amanda says
oh..and for leeching purposes, you should let your vanilla sit in glass jars, and I bought amber colored jars for the finished product…
Amy says
Hmm, I didn’t realize it was this easy.
Amanda says
I am new to your blog – started following it via FB! 🙂
My mother is a professional baker, and always prefers Mexican vanilla. The only problem is, if no one she knows goes to Mexico on a mission trip, she eventually runs out. Every time my husband goes, he is embarrassed to being home “as many bottles as you can”! So we might have to start making our own. We’d probably have to go out of town to buy the Vodka – both my father and my husband are pastors in our small town, and the grape vine runs fast and furious! Half the town would know we’d been to the ABC store before we’s even get home! 🙂
Amy says
Funny story – a friend of mine ran into her old pastor (from another town) at the liquor store. He was going into the shop next to it and she was coming out of the liquor store! She was mortified! I tried not to laugh too hard. 😉
Charlotte Moore says
I made some vanilla using 1 gallon vodka and 40 beans. It soaked for 6 months, but you use half what the recipes call for. I just started some lemon extract this week. I am only making a small amount. 1 large lemon, just the peel without any white and 1/2 cup vodka. Next I want to make mint. Just need some real good mint leaves.
cami says
have you used tahitian vanilla beans? does it matter? my tahitian vanilla beans smell like vanilla tobacco, but Im not sure if that is how fresh vanilla smells?
Amy says
No, I have not used anything other than these.
Andrea says
I have just been to saffron.com and it looks like maybe their prices have changed. Do you still purchase from them, or do you have another source? I am googling to try to find a better deal. We do not purchase anything through Amazon so that is not an option. Any suggestions?
Amy says
I haven’t ordered since that initial order because it lasts a long time! Can you get less?
Andrea says
Well, I ended up going with a half pound – which is still a lot of beans! It was $25. After searching the internet, it was still the best price. And it already shipped!
Amy says
Great! Enjoy!
Samantha says
I never thought of just putting the beans in the Vodka bottle. On my to-list for this weekend.