DIY: How To Make Vanilla Extract From Vanilla Beans
Who doesn’t love the smell and the flavor of vanilla? Those warm, sweet, slightly spicy, caramel-y tones make cookies, ice cream, and herbal concoctions taste better. Although you may be used to buying vanilla extract at your local grocery store, you can create a more flavorful (and cost-effective!) vanilla extract from the comfort of home that will last you a lifetime. Learn the history of this rich plant and how to make vanilla extract from vanilla beans in your kitchen or apothecary.
What is vanilla extract?
Pure vanilla extract is a tincture used as a baking flavoring agent composed of vanilla beans, water, and high-proof alcohol. Opposed to vanilla essence, vanilla extract has a more robust flavor as the alcohol extracts the potent tastes from the vanilla beans, which is why it’s typically more expensive.
How To Use It
Vanilla extract is popular in baking recipes, enhancing the flavor of cookies, brownies, cakes, and beyond. You can add the extract to your coffee, tea, or cacao. Want to get more creative? Use vanilla extract to deepen the flavor of marinades, sauces, or salad dressings and enhance the taste of cocktails or mocktails.
Vanillin, the phenolic plant compound found in vanilla extract and beans, also benefits the skin. It exhibits anti-inflammatory properties and supports wound healing. Its antioxidant properties can help protect and maintain skin health.
Vanilla depicted in Book XI of the Florentine Codex - shortly after the scribes ran out of colored ink!
Vanilla’s Rich Global History (from the Aztecs to Queen Elizabeth)
Vanilla’s history is as complex and deep as its flavor. Its origins trace back to Mesoamerica, where the Totonoc people of modern-day Mexico grew vanilla orchards dating back before the 13th century. Later, the Aztecs conquered the Totonocs in the 1500s and began incorporating vanilla into their chocolate drinks, called chocolatl. Here, vanilla was revered for its flavor and herbal constituents. After the fall of the Aztec Empire post-Spanish conquest, vanilla made its way to Europe in the 1500s, and it wasn’t until the early 17th century that vanilla was used as more than just a chocolate additive. Hugh Morgan, a creative apothecary specialist under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, invented a chocolate-free, all-vanilla “sweetmeat,” which the queen adored. By the 18th century, the French used vanilla to flavor their ice cream. Later, the plant made its way to Madagascar where 80 percent of the world’s vanilla production comes from to this day.
Vanilla: A Love Story
Vanilla’s more profound meaning and history have a sacred, sensual tone. The Aztecs used vanilla as a holy ritual offering associated with Venus, the planet of love and pleasure.
Before the Aztecs took over, the Tonotoc people revered the plant for its sacred love spells. One of the stories goes: Xanath, the daughter of the Goddess of Fertility, fell in love with a mortal man. As she couldn’t walk amongst mortal men or marry him, she decided to become a vanilla plant to spend her days on earth, each year giving birth to a sacred fruit.
In Europe, Queen Elizabeth I grew fond of vanilla and insisted on flavoring everything with the extract, popularizing its sweetness and how we use vanilla today.
Vanilla’s sweet history and its journey around the world make it one of the most coveted and exclusive plants, next to saffron, which emanates a romantic journey through the senses.
Recipe: How to Make Vanilla Extract
Without further ado, let's learn how to make vanilla extract from vanilla beans – it's much simpler than you may think!
What you'll need:
4-6 whole vanilla bean pods
8 oz. of vodka (make sure it's at least 70 proof ABV)
How to make:
- Split the vanilla bean hulls lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Scrape the seeds from both sides of the hulls with the knife.
- Transfer the seeds into an air-tight container (like a glass canning jar)
- Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut the split bean hulls into ½ in. pieces and add them to the container.
- Pour alcohol over the beans and seeds until completely covered in liquid.
- Seal the container with an air-tight lid and shake vigorously.
- Store the container in a cool, dark area, and shake once daily for at least a couple of weeks (this is a maceration process that helps the plant infuse with the alcohol). After at least two weeks, you can shake the container once a week until the alcohol turns a dark brown color and smells of vanilla.
- Wait 2-12 months to begin using. We recommend keeping the beans intact without straining, as you can add more beans and seeds over the years to maintain a lifelong supply.
That’s it! Enjoy your homemade vanilla extract tincture.
For even more vanilla in your apothecary, check out our Rose Vanilla Body Oil with Madagascar vanilla beans, jojoba, and rose petals – swoon!
If you’re enjoying the invigorating aroma and fantastic taste of your homemade vanilla extract, share your concoction and tag us on Instagram @themakeandmary or use the hashtag #highlyinspired. We love seeing what creative herbal creations you’re making in your kitchen.