Homemade vanilla extract is the perfect gift for people who love to cook, and it’s what I made for my cookbook club for Christmas 2025. Everyone in the group is a great cook, so I wanted to give something they would actually use. I bottled it in August, and by Christmas it was deep amber and smelled wonderful.
All it takes is vanilla beans, vodka, and a little patience. A comparable 8-ounce bottle of pure vanilla extract costs about $19 to $50 right now (October 2026), and making your own costs roughly $14 to $15 per bottle. The bottles look like they came from a fancy kitchen store, and you can make ten at a time.
If homemade gifts are your thing, you might also like my collection of easy homemade edible Christmas gifts.
Quick Look: Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Quick Look: Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Hands-on time: About 30 minutes
- Steeping time: At least 8 weeks; longer develops a deeper flavor
- Yield: Ten 8-ounce bottles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best for: Like my homemade Jezebel Sauce, it’s perfect for holiday and hostess gifts or your own pantry
- Flavor: Rich vanilla with an optional hint of bourbon or brandy
- What Makes It Different: This is the large-batch version I made for my cookbook club, with an optional splash of bourbon or brandy. One batch makes ten useful, make-ahead gifts for people who love to cook.
To make homemade vanilla extract, split vanilla beans lengthwise, place them in glass bottles, and cover them completely with 80-proof vodka. Store tightly sealed in a cool, dark place for at least 8 weeks, giving the bottles an occasional shake.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Homemade Vanilla Extract
- When to Start Homemade Vanilla Extract for Christmas
- Ingredients and Supplies You'll Need
- How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
- A Note on Vanilla Beans
- What It Costs to Make
- Gifting Ideas
- Homemade Vanilla Extract FAQs
- Need a Little Help with This Recipe?
- More Homemade Edible Gift Ideas
- Join the Conversation
- Recipe:
When to Start Homemade Vanilla Extract for Christmas
For Christmas gifts, I recommend starting your vanilla extract by the end of October at the latest. Earlier is even better because the flavor continues to develop with time.
Starting late? Make it anyway and add a Ready to Use date to the gift tag so your recipient knows when it has steeped for at least eight weeks. Problem solved!
Ingredients and Supplies You'll Need
This recipe makes ten 8-ounce bottles. Complete measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Vanilla beans: You'll need 40 whole beans. I use organic Madagascar Grade A beans, which give the extract the familiar, rich vanilla flavor I was looking for.
- Vodka: Use 80-proof, unflavored vodka, which is the same as my homemade Cranberry Infused Vodka. You don’t need anything fancy; I use Tito’s, and a decent mid-priced vodka works fine.
- Bourbon or brandy (optional): Replace ½ ounce of vodka per bottle for a subtle flavor or up to 1 ounce for a more noticeable warm finish. I especially like bourbon for holiday gifts.
- Glass bottles: You’ll need ten clean 8-ounce glass bottles with tight-fitting lids.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Split the beans. Slice each vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife, leaving the ends intact.
- Fill the bottles. Place 4 split beans in each clean 8-ounce bottle.
- Add the alcohol. If using bourbon or brandy, add it first, then fill with vodka, making sure the beans are submerged and leaving a little headspace.
- Seal and shake. Cap the bottles tightly and give them a gentle shake.
- Let it steep. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 8 weeks, giving the bottles a shake about once a week.
A Note on Vanilla Beans
I buy organic Madagascar Grade A beans in bulk. When I bought mine, I paid about $40 for 50 beans. At my grocery store, two beans cost almost $30, so buying in bulk made a huge difference in the cost of this project.
Grade A beans are plumper and moister, while Grade B beans are drier and often sold specifically for extracting. Either can be used for homemade vanilla extract.
What It Costs to Make
Here is approximately what each 8-ounce bottle cost me:
- Vanilla beans: About $3.20
- Glass bottle: About $2.50
- Vodka: About $8 to $9.50
- My total was roughly $14 to $15 per bottle, or about $135 to $150 for ten, not including labels and ribbon.
- Prices vary, of course, so consider those figures a ballpark estimate rather than a shopping guarantee.
- One practical tip: the vanilla beans take up room in the bottles, so you won’t actually pour a full 80 ounces of alcohol into ten 8-ounce bottles. I still prefer having a little extra vodka on hand rather than running out on bottle number ten.
Gifting Ideas
I designed my labels on the Avery website and had them printed at my local FedEx office because they print better than my home printer. I tied each bottle with curling ribbon and a holiday tag and added this note:
"Use it just like store-bought vanilla, only better!"
Be sure to include the bottled date and, if the extract hasn’t steeped for eight weeks yet, a Ready to Use date.
Sharp-eyed readers may notice that my labels say "Bottled: 10/16/25." That is a typo. I actually bottled these on August 16. I’m still shaking my head. And the worst part is, I didn’t even notice I had the wrong date until I wrote this post.
Homemade Vanilla Extract FAQs
Alcohol-based vanilla extract has a very long shelf life when it is tightly sealed and stored in a cool, dark place away from heat and direct sunlight.
Yes. I leave mine in, and they make the bottles especially pretty for gifting. You can add a little more vodka as you use the extract and allow it to steep again, although repeatedly topping it off will eventually dilute the vanilla flavor.
No. Store it tightly sealed in a cool, dark cabinet.
Some alcohol-free methods use ingredients like food-grade vegetable glycerin, but I haven’t tested them. This recipe was developed and tested with 80-proof vodka.
You can make vanilla extract with other spirits, but their flavor will be more noticeable. I prefer vodka as the primary alcohol and add only ½ to 1 ounce of bourbon per bottle so the vanilla remains the star.
Need a Little Help with This Recipe?
Have a question about this recipe? Leave me a comment below-I'm always happy to help! If you're in a hurry or need an answer right away, try my helpful AI option below to help you scale the recipe for your needs.
New to AI? Choose an option below. When it opens, simply click the white arrow in the blue circle to send the question-there’s no need to change the prompt.
More Homemade Edible Gift Ideas
Join the Conversation
If you make this homemade vanilla extract, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it or, better yet, how the folks who received it as a gift liked it!
Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!
Recipe:
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Grits and Pinecones.
Homemade Vanilla Extract for Gifting
Equipment
- Ten clean 8-ounce glass bottles with tight-fitting lids
- Sharp paring knife
- Small funnel, optional
Ingredients
- 40 whole vanilla beans
- 70-75 ounces 80-proof unflavored vodka approximately
- 5-10 ounces bourbon or brandy optional
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, split each vanilla bean lengthwise, leaving the ends intact.
- Place 4 split vanilla beans in each 8-ounce bottle.
- If using bourbon or brandy, add ? to 1 ounce to each bottle. Fill with vodka, keeping the beans submerged and leaving a little headspace.
- Seal tightly and shake gently.
- Store in a cool, dark place for at least 8 weeks, shaking about once a week. The vanilla flavor will continue to develop with additional time.
Leave a Reply